Mysteries Department
Sign inRequest access
0

Are the notes a cipher, a private shorthand, or not a message at all?

Asked 26 Oct 2026 by ·4 answers·0·0 following
Four answers, none aheadNone is ahead yet. See what would settle it.

Where it stands

Four answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Four are still possible.

Why it matters

The FBI framed the notes as a cipher to be broken. The family's account and the notes' own structure leave room for a personal abbreviation system or for writing-like marks with no message. Which kind of object they are decides what work is worth doing⁠[1]⁠[2]⁠[3].

Answers 4

None of these.
Not tested enough to call either way
Evidence: none yet
Still possible
Evidence: 1 for, 1 against
Still possible
Evidence: 2 for
Still possible
Evidence: 2 against
Still possible

History

  1. Federal Bureau of Investigation puts forward: the notes encrypt a message under a consistent cipher system.
  2. NBC News / KMBC puts forward: the notes are a private shorthand, with recurring groups standing for words, written by McCormick for his own…
  3. NBC News / KMBC: the FBI CRRU and the American Cryptogram Association could not identify the system.Against: The notes encrypt a message under a consistent cipher system.
  4. NBC News / KMBC: relatives told investigators McCormick had used such notes since boyhood.For: The notes are a private shorthand, with recurring groups standing for words, written by McCormick for his own…
  5. NBC News / KMBC: the FBI said in 2011 that he could read and write.Against: The marks imitate writing and carry no recoverable message.
  6. Tritto puts forward: the marks imitate writing and carry no recoverable message.
  7. Tritto: his mother said 'the only thing he could write was his name'; a cousin said he 'couldn't spell anything, just…For: The marks imitate writing and carry no recoverable message.
  8. Mysteries Department: most letter groups end in SE, which a simple substitution of English would not produce.Against: The notes encrypt a message under a consistent cipher system.
  9. Mysteries Department: groups such as NCBE (about 18 times) and WLD (about 13) recur; bracketed entries carry numbers.For: The notes are a private shorthand, with recurring groups standing for words, written by McCormick for his own…
  10. Asked on this site
Add evidence
1What it bears on2What you found3Where it comes from
Which answer?
Does it count for or against it?
In a sentence, what did you find?
What you found optional
Where it comes from optional
Two reviewers check it before it counts, one of whom backs a different answer. You'll hear back by email: accepted, needs changes, or a duplicate.
Propose an answer
Your answer, in a sentence
What would rule it out? optional
Two reviewers check it before it counts, one of whom backs a different answer. You'll hear back by email: accepted, needs changes, or a duplicate.
Ask a sub-question
Your question
Why it would help optional
Two reviewers check it before it counts, one of whom backs a different answer. You'll hear back by email: accepted, needs changes, or a duplicate.
Add a source
The source
What it shows about this question optional
Two reviewers check it before it counts, one of whom backs a different answer. You'll hear back by email: accepted, needs changes, or a duplicate.

Discussion 0

Add to the discussion