Title: | Microdot (Reproduction) |
Date: | 1953 (2000s) |
Material: | Cellulose film |
Location: | New York, New York, United States |
A reproduction of a Soviet microdot discovered in a hollow nickel. The original nickel consisted of two nickels cut in half. The original also contained a tiny hole drilled into the "R" in the word "Trust." The coin could be opened by inserting the point of a needle into the hole, which is not present in this reproduction (and, yes, it was difficult to open without it).
In 1953 a newspaper boy dropped a nickel received in change. When it hit the sidewalk, it split into two halves, revealing a hollow that contained a tiny photograph. He showed it to a friend, who showed it to her father, a policeman. The policeman showed it to a detective who passed it on to the FBI. The photograph held columns of five digit numbers. The FBI was unable to decode it until a Soviet defector decoded it for them. The message, including a couple of unexpectedly human assurances, read as follows:
- We congratulate you on a safe arrival. We confirm the receipt of your letter to the address `V repeat V' and the reading of letter number 1.
- For organization of cover, we gave instructions to transmit to you three thousand in local currency. Consult with us prior to investing it in any kind of business, advising the character of this business.
- According to 1. Your request, we will transmit the formula for the preparation of soft film and news separately, together with your mother's letter.
- It is too early to send you the gammas. Encipher short letters, but the longer ones make with insertions. All the data about yourself, place of work, address, etc., must not be transmitted in one cipher message. Transmit insertions separately.
- The package was delivered to your wife personally. Everything is all right with the family. We wish you success. Greetings from the comrades. Number 1, 3rd of December.
As an outcome of the incident, the FBI was led eventually to another Soviet spy, Rudolf Invanovich Abel, who was convicted and sent to prison. In 1962, he was exchanged for the American U-2 pilot, Francis Gary Powers, who was in prison in the Soviet Union.
