Introduction
My name is Harry,
I am a spy-hunter, a codebreaker, a
mathematician. I work with British &
American Intelligence, and if they have
called me in you know they are in
trouble.

This is a story about my time in Berlin
just after the war, when the allies were
still working together. They gave me a
mission to track down an agent known
as the Reichsdoktor, and it was one of
the hardest I ever had to deal with.

Maybe you would have done better.

Let’s find out ………
Challenge 1 A
The Reichsdoktor
Challenge 1 B
Harry, sorry to drag you back in , we were hoping to give you some time off after the last case, but something came up and we need your help.

At a meeting of the Four Powers Allied Control Council two weeks ago the French accused the Russians of sheltering a Nazi medic known as the Reichsdoktor. Apparently they intercepted a Morse code radio broadcast from the Russian sector of Berlin in which the doctor was offering intelligence about the Ratlines in exchange for asylum. The Russians claimed not to know anything about it, and maybe they are telling the truth, but things have been a little frosty since Truman’s speech on March twelfth and we really don’t need more conflict right now. We figure with your contacts over here you might be able to find out if the Russians are telling the truth. I have attached the encrypted transcript of the broadcast.
Charlie
if you want to know the secret of the ratlines i may be able to help but the price will be high and is not negotiable life here in berlin has lost its lustre and i want sanctuary in a more congenial climate with security for my future i can provide details of personnel policy security and routes and can furnish you with documentary evidence of the reach of the organization the reichsdoktor
Challenge 2 A
A postcard from the Reichsdoktor?
Challenge 2 B
Charlie, no need to apologise, life was getting dull behind a desk and I was glad to have an excuse to fly back to Europe. I am intrigued about the Reichsdoktor - I hadn’t come across this before, when did you first come hear of it?
I think I may already be making some progress. On arrival I found a postcard waiting for me on the mat at the Embassy with no message on it . At least that’s what it looked like at first. I did notice that the letters on the front could be highlighted to pick out the phrase The Reichsdoktor so unless that is an extraordinary coincidence I figured it must be related to our investigation. The strangest thing was that the postcard had a stamp but no postmark on it, so it can’t have been posted. Since it wasn’t signed I assume they wanted to stay anonymous and I couldn’t see why they would have taken the risk of hand delivering it, but in the end I worked it out. There was a hidden message. I’ll leave it to you to figure out where it was hidden. Anyway I’ve attached the message I found. I know that relations with three of the four powers are relatively stable, but I think we need to keep this to ourselves for now. All the best,
Harry
If you really want to get in the middle of this you will have to pay. I know you will be hunting me and I can forgive the arrogance, but I will not forgive your ignorance. Before you can learn more about the ratlines from me you will have to ask your colleagues in French and British intelligence what they already know. Powerful forces are working to keep the ratlines running and we both need to know who our enemies are before we can meet.
You should understand that without me your investigations will gain little. Negotiations with me may gain everything.
Challenge 3 A
Stamp collecting
Challenge 3 B
Harry, the puzzle of the stamped postcard had me fooled for a while, but I think I figured it out. Was the message on the back of the stamp? I am guessing you steamed it off and found it there. It was a pretty ingenious ploy. My masters back in Washington are increasingly worried about our relationship with the rest of the four powers. Following the breakdown in trust with the Soviets they are counting on the UK and France as allies. If they are going behind our backs with this Reichsdoktor, that does not bode well for future diplomacy. Do you have contacts there you can exploit to find out what they are intending? We really cannot afford to fall out right now. The attached message is another intercept, this time from the British Embassy wireless. While things are dicey I don’t feel I can ask them about it, maybe you could crack it for us. Does it mention the Ratlines? Best, Charlie
Eyes only: Rumours of a source in Berlin with access to the Ratlines. Source seems to go by name of Reichsdoktor. Russian intercepts suggest has been seen in vicinity of US Embassy. Not clear how to make direct contact. Also not clear why our US friends are keeping this to themselves. Detailed info about Ratilines hard to obtain, but high value. Could lead to arrest of major targets of Nuremberg investigations. Vital we reach Reichsdoktor at earliest opportunity. Discreet enquiries in French and US sectors only. Request funds for further investigation.
Challenge 4 A
The Dead Drop
Challenge 4 B
Charlie, the attached note was left in one of my dead drops last night and appears to be from our mysterious source. It contains two really significant pieces of intelligence. The first is that the Riechsdoktor might not refer to an individual after all. It seems to be the codename for the organization running the Ratlines. According to my other sources this is a collection of routes, agents and safe houses used to transport Nazi sympathisers and war criminals out of Germany and on to South America. We have known that such an organisation exists since the end of the war, but this is the first time I have seen it named. The other piece of information is much more subtle. I am beginning to wonder if our source is closer to home than we had realised. And I am not referring to Francois! See if you can spot the two things I noticed. By the way, who transcribed the radio intercept you sent me last week? Harry
The French may be your allies, but they are not your friends. They plan to infiltrate the Ratilines and to try to turn the high value targets for themselves. They have a particular interest in Nazi scientists from the Die Alchemisten project. If you want to break the Reichsdoktor network before they can do so, take care not to share any intelligence with them. You have been warned. I think it is time to begin negotiations. I have a number in mind, and I think once you know what I am offering, you will find it very reasonable. As a sign of good faith I offer you the following information. One of the local Ratiline coordinators will be leaving the US sector tomorrow night in a black limousine. Under the back seat of his car you will find hidden a junior SS officer who is trying to escape, and in the trunk you will find a number of papers relating to stolen artworks that he hopes to trade to the French for his freedom. You might want to consider carefully whether you can trust your friend Charlie with this information, after all, her husband Francois is French.
Challenge 5 A
The runaway
Challenge 5 B
Harry, I checked out who transcribed the radio transmission like you asked. It was a junior cipher clerk in Room 5. I would have offered to set up a meeting with her, but she has disappeared and hasn’t been seen since last Friday. The Marines saw her leave at her usual time, and she was booked out for some leave on Monday and Tuesday so no one noticed she was missing until today. We sent an officer out to her usual haunts and I will get back to you if we find anything. What made you ask? Did you have a reason to believe she was involved in something?

I took another look at the messages. Were you referring to the typos? The word Ratlines keeps being spelt as ratilines. Is that important? What did you mean about our source being close to home?

Also did some digging about the Reichsdoktor. Seems you were right and it refers to an underground Nazi organisation dedicated to rebuilding the Reich. Maybe they think of it as healing? A bunch of rich Nazi sympathisers took over the Ratlines from a group of SS officers who set them up at the tail of the war and have been active in shipping scientists, engineers and soldiers to towns across South America. If our source has inside information then maybe we could intercept the lines and pick up some of the high value targets the French are after. What was “Die Alchemisten project”?

The enclosed message was handed to the Marines, but they didn’t get a name. Initial analysis shows it must be a Vigenere cipher with period two so it should be reasonably straightforward to crack.

All the best, Charlie
The first item in our little auction will be the location of a safe house in the UK sector of Berlin. It is a minor stopover on the Ratlines, but you never know, you might get lucky and find someone interesting hiding there. At the very least you will inconvenience the Reichsdoktor if you take possession of it. How much would that be worth to you? Do I hear a bid of five hundred thousand francs from our French friends? Perhaps the British would pay more? Or maybe they cannot afford to? I wonder how they feel about that? Perhaps you should ask them. If you want to outbid your so-called friends then leave the money, in unmarked treasury bills, in locker 157 at the far end of the platform in Friedrichstrasse. I will leave the details in locker 159. You will find the key in 157. Do not try to double cross me, it will not work and our little game will end before it has even properly begun.
Challenge 6 A
The sting?
Challenge 6 B
Charlie, it was the typo in “Ratilines” that gave it away. It appeared both in the typed messages we picked up and in the transcript of the radio message. Pretty unlikely coincidence so I figure your “junior cipher clerk” was involved. Might be worth checking her background and bank accounts. That is all I meant when I said the source was close to home, but thinking about it I am not sure it makes sense to think she was the source. The messages still keep coming and I am guessing that she has gone, so there must be some other source for our intelligence. Something is bothering me about the tone of the messages. Why does our antagonist keep taunting us about our allies. It is not like the things we are being asked to bid for are things we are likely to hide from one another after all. Anyway I followed one of our French colleagues to Friedrichstrasse and watched her try to pick up the key from locker 157. Seems to have been a con. I couldn’t clearly see what was going on but she didn’t seem to be able to open locker 157 and left, obviously upset. After she had gone I took a look at locker 159. It has a false back so I am guessing the money was taken but nothing provided in exchange. Could you dig around with your contacts in the British and Russian Embassies and see if they are getting the same sort of communications? Maybe you could warn them.

By the way “Die Alchemisten project” was the code name for the Nazi atom bomb effort. I had a run in with them during the war when we were trying to keep their hands off the heavy water supply. Remember the bombing in Vemork? That was us, or rather our Nordic allies. Anyway it is still top secret so the fact our protagonist knows about it is significant. I suspect the key to this whole mystery lies in their identity. If we knew who they were working for we might be able to figure out what they are up to.

One last thing. Acting on a hunch I took a look at some of the French dead-drops after the Friedrichstrasse incident and found the attached communication. I haven’t had time to crack it, but I think it may be a Vigenere again, but I haven't had a chance to try Babbage's trick on it yet. Give it to your black chamber and see what they can make of it.

All the best, Harry
The Americans have robbed you, rather than trying to outbid you they got to the lockers first and arranged to steal your money and the valuable intelligence I provided for you. They cannot be trusted. None of your allies can be trusted. They believe that they can cheat you, but they do not understand that you can only cheat in a game and this is not a game. If you try to play a game of chess like your “allies” we will find ourselves in a stalemate. You have been warned. So let us start again. I can let you have the address of another safe house at a small discount on our original price, and I will include the identity of a British double agent working in your Embassy. Shall we say four hundred thousand Francs? To be paid directly to an account of my choosing. If you want to know more about the treachery of your so called friends then let us meet in the park by the British Embassy on Friday at eleven.
Challenge 7 A
Closing in
Challenge 7 B
Charlie, I think I know what is going on, but I need to check a few things before I report. We may have an opportunity here. I checked the cipher clerk’s background and it turns out she is White Russian. Her family left Moscow in 1917, but she has relatives in the Gulag at Perm. She clearly has no love for the Soviet government so I am still not sure who she was working for, but I think this is key intelligence.

In the meantime I have been watching the Brits. They seem to have been in contact with our friends in the Reichsdoktor and they in turn have been watching the French. It seems like we are all working against one another, which I really didn’t expect, and given what we read in the French document last week I don’t think that is a coincidence.

My own guess is that the Russians know what is going on, and that our best hope of uncovering it is to break into their HQ and try to find something there. Unfortunately, according to my source Yuri they have taken to using a new cipher, Solitaire, for archive storage of top-secret files, so even if we manage to steal the relevant file it will take a lot of computing to break the cipher. I attach a brief message from Yuri, encrypted using an amsco cipher (keyword length is six) in which he describes the cipher. It is very clever. Simple to implement but a devil to crack, and my one hope is that we can also find the cipher key while in the HQ, or at least part of it.
I plan to enter in two weeks, on December sixteenth. The Russians are hosting a large propaganda event as part of the Internationale Bauausstellung, with leading politburo members in attendance. Most of the security team will be occupied with that and HQ security will be relatively light. With luck I will get in and out with the files we need that night, and then we can get to the bottom of the whole Reichsdoktor stratagem.

All the best, Harry
Security Protocol Solitaire.

Comrades, under a decree from Moscow we are confined to using a new high security stream cipher stolen from the Americans, the solitaire cipher. All files classified Top Secret and above are to be archived using this method. This new field cipher has been tested and proven to match the security of the Fialka machine without the overhead of the technology. You will need only a deck of cards to implement the cipher. The key to be used will be provided and distributed on a one-time pad and you must destroy the key as you use it. The key consists of a random shuffle of a full deck of cards, together with two distinguishable jokers. Agents should be freely able to carry this equipment without arousing suspicion.
Challenge 8 A
An early Christmas surprise
Challenge 8 B
Harry,

I am so sorry we went into the Russian HQ last night without you, but the Station Chief wanted it to be his team that got the glory. I am really grateful to you for coming back and putting us on the right track though. The stolen file from Soviet Headquarters was, as you expected, encrypted with the Solitaire cipher. Fortunately the cipher clerk who managed the encryption was incredibly careless. I found a sheet of burnt paper in the bin which gave me a list of thirty-eight cards, and I am hoping that this is a large part of the key. It will still be hard to break, but may be not impossible, especially as the erased part was still intact. There may be another clue in that the page appears to have been torn from an economics text book I found on the desk. Anyway, I figure the chemists at Langley may help us to reconstruct the whole key given time, though I wouldn’t expect them to manage more than one card a day given how careful they will have to be not to destroy the document. It will take us a while to crack this, but maybe time is on our side. With Christmas things seem to be quiet, and I am hoping that within the next three weeks we may know precisely what the Soviets were trying to do here.

Whatever the outcome I think it is clear that the future of Europe is not likely to be settled for a while. I hear rumours every day about shortages in the Soviet bloc and border controls are going up in places you wouldn’t expect to prevent large scale migration. There are problems in Greece and Turkey and divisions between the British and French, and the Brits are having real trouble paying off their war debts. Whether or not we crack the Reichsdoktor mystery I think there is going to be plenty for you to do. I know we had to work hard to persuade you to fly over, but we really do need you here. Even the Chief recognizes that, so if I can I want to persuade you to stay. Francois and I are being posted to Paris. Kind of a thank you for our work on this project. But I can’t go unless I know the Berlin station has someone I trust. Hope you’ll agree to take the job.

Charlie.
As the Red Sun rises, the cracks will propagate

Comrades, it is clear that the uneasy peace between the four powers is unlikely to persist. Churchill’s comments at Yalta made clear that the British refuse to face the future success of global communism and Truman’s speech in Congress yesterday, spelled out his new doctrine of support for governments striving to oppress the proletariat. Our immediate concern is to maintain our sphere of influence in the Balkan states and the eastern European countries. If we are to see a red sun rising over the west and to succeed in establishing an international communist society then our task is clear.

We must create and propagate cracks between the allies. While the Americans and British share an irrational hatred of our politics they are also suspicious of one another, and both share a deep suspicion of their French collaborators. We must work to enhance this suspicion and drive a wedge between the allies so that they are unable to coordinate their work against us.

There is a natural venue for this project in Berlin, where our allies are cheek to cheek and yet deeply divided. They have a common goal to identify Nazi war criminals, and to try them or to turn them, but the nuclear arms race in which they are all engaged is one which they would each like to win. I propose that we set a false trail designed to sow discord among them. We have placed agents in their headquarters who will be able to assist us in our misinformation campaign, which I call the Reichsdoktor campaign. We have invented a Nazi defector and a fictitious Nazi relocation programme which our agent will offer to sell to all three powers. With the right incentives they will find themselves bidding against one another for intelligence, and with the right misinformation they will each believe that their allies are working against them. With luck, before long, their intelligence sharing arrangements will break down and we will be well placed to increase our powerbase in our historic march westwards.
Comrades, the future belongs to the Soviet Union. Let us work together to make that destiny history.

Tovarisch Viktor Nachal'nik Shpionov