The Scotland Yard archives contain a reliable document that describes a startling, inexplicable case dating back to the 17th century, during the period when the Lord Protector, or more simply, the dictator Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), ruled in England.
CROMWEL'S INTELLIGENCE
Cromwell, who executed the English king Charles I, had many enemies. The threads of conspiracies against him led to Paris and Madrid, The Hague, Brussels, Cologne … The son of the executed, who was in exile, the contender for the throne Charles II, who became king only in 1660, announced that he would grant nobility and five hundred pounds sterling to anyone who killed the "intriguer called Oliver Cromwell."
In England itself, the "Sealed Knot", the underground supreme organ of the Royalist Party, was vigorously operating, which, one after another, was preparing attempts on the hated dictator.
In these circumstances, the Lord Protector was simply forced to give priority to his secret special services. A tight-fisted man by nature, he nevertheless released about 70 thousand pounds sterling annually for the needs of intelligence - an incredible amount at that time. But this generosity allowed him to be aware of the secrets of not only his enemies, but all the monarchs of Europe. The dictator's agents, among whom there were many converted royalists, even penetrated into the inner circle of Charles II.
In 1653, Cromwell's secret intelligence was headed by Secretary of State John Thurlo, who earned the fame of one of the most skillful leaders of this department.
Thurlo, who was also the director of post offices, organized, in particular, the famous "black room", whose employees were engaged in the secret perlustration of correspondence.
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If at first the intercepted letters were opened with an ordinary penknife, and then, after making a copy, they were filled with wax, then over time the readers acquired a special technique.
One of Thurlo's assistants, scientist and inventor Samuel Morland, who, incidentally, later went over to the side of the royalists, invented the so-called "reconnaissance vehicles". The first of them carefully opened the envelopes, keeping the wax and even wax seals intact. The second machine sealed the envelopes just as neatly after reading the letters. With the help of the third, it was possible in a matter of minutes to make a copy of any print with the most complex pattern. And yet a colossal burden fell on the employees of the "black room". After all, they were required not only to delve into the content of each letter, but also to make copies of the most suspicious texts. At the same time, one had to hurry, because the delay in correspondence would, in turn, arouse suspicion among the addressee. In addition, many letters, especially when it came to a conspiracy, were encrypted.
True, in the "black room" was a professor of geometry from Oxford, John Wallis, who had a talent for easily penetrating the most ingenious codes, but this also took time. On the other hand, Thurleau feared significantly expanding the staff of the "black room", which would inevitably lead to information leakage into the camp of the royalists - Cromwell's personal enemies. In other words, work with intercepted letters was carried out around the clock and, in addition, in an emergency situation.
EXACT COPY
And then one day a stranger in a black cloak came to Turlo. Refusing to give his name, he stated:
Sir, I know what you do. For a decent fee, I will help you solve your problems. Leave me alone with any letter, even one written in illegible handwriting on both sides of the paper. In a minute or two, you will receive an accurate - to the smallest squiggle - copy of this letter. Test me now!
Well, let's try,”Thurlo said incredulously, then led the stranger into a separate room, where he handed him an insignificant document and a sheet of blank paper. - Go ahead!
When, a minute later, the head of the secret intelligence returned to the subject, the finished copy was on the table. She was absolutely accurate. It even showed a blot made by Thurlo in the corner of the document, unnoticed by a stranger. At the same time, the visitor had neither ink nor pen with him, not to mention any technical device.
I must honestly warn you that in a few hours the marks on the copy will disappear, and the sheet will become clean again,”the stranger spoke meanwhile. - But during this time your employees will be able to easily repeat the copy, preserving all the features of the handwriting. So, I am ready to serve you. Condition one: promise never to ask me about the secret of my method. John Thurlo agreed.
The stranger worked in the "black room" during the entire dictatorship of Oliver Cromwell and his son Richard. Largely thanks to the talents of a mysterious employee, Thurlo's intelligence promptly uncovered several conspiracies against the Lord Protector, as well as a number of attempted assassination attempts on him. In fact, this unknown wizard became the main "reconnaissance vehicle" of the "black room".
In 1660, the restoration of royal power took place in England. Charles II Stewart ascended the throne. Highly appreciating the professionalism of Thurlo, the king invited him to continue to remain at the head of intelligence. But he preferred to retire.
Saying goodbye to the man in the black cloak, who during the entire period of his service did not give his name, Thurlo handed him a weighty bag of gold coins and asked the only question:
Perhaps now that we are parting forever, you will reveal your secret to me?
Even if I open it to you, you still won't understand anything,”he answered evasively, bowed and disappeared behind the door.
FIND IN THE ATTIC
Forty years later, renovations were started in the room where the office of the head of the secret service, Cromwell, was once located. Opening the ceiling, they found a cache equipped in the attic, in which John Thurlo's papers were kept. In one of the documents, the story of a stranger in a black cloak was recorded. Moreover, Turlo himself did not make any assumptions about him.
After some time, the lion's share of the papers found migrated to Bodleian - the library of the University of Oxford. Later, the document in question ended up in Scotland Yard, where it settled on the archives shelf.
At one time, British experts tried to unravel the secret of the inventor in the black cloak. There was even a version that it was a kind of photograph (video chat roulette) without hyposulfite fixation, which is why, they say, the image disappeared after a few hours. Photography in the 17th century? The technique of that era was still infinitely far from such a discovery. No, this version does not hold water.
Here's another thing the old document told about: a stranger was making copies with a curtained window and a single burning candle. Some experts came to the conclusion that this man had apparently discovered a certain substance with special properties, which he brought with him in a snuffbox or in a pharmacy bottle, and then applied it to a blank sheet of paper. He pressed the sheet prepared in this way tightly to the letter. In those places where the processed sheet came into contact with ink, the substance, presumably, changed color. The text "appeared", however, only for a few hours.
But what was this substance? Where has the stranger gone? Why did he disappear without a trace, although his invention allowed him to quickly make a fortune in the then Europe? We will hardly ever get answers to these questions.
As for the "reconnaissance vehicles", their fate was deplorable. During the Restoration, when intelligence fell into disrepair, these machines were almost never used, and then completely burned down in a large London fire. Later, their inventor Morland, who received a very generous pension under Charles, still tried to sell their secret to one of the European monarchs. But no buyer was found.
In 1653 Cromwell's secret intelligence was headed by Secretary of State John Thurlo.
King William III, in particular, replied that it is better if these secrets remain unknown to anyone, they are too dangerous. Finally, they fell into the possession of the chief postmaster, but as a result of inept exploitation they quickly went out of order.
Valery Nechiporenko
