The Red Scare and the paranoia of Senator Joe McCarthy is widely remembered as one of the darker chapters in American history. But what few people realize is that in the 1950s there actually were dozens of Communist spies and saboteurs operating throughout the United States. The CIA and the FBI assigned hundreds of investigators to try and track down these covert agents, and succeeded in capturing a number of them. But many more slipped through their grasp and were never discovered.
With the end of the Cold War, government agencies have been gradually declassifying their documents from that era, and researchers have discovered that an unidentified network of Soviet agents operated right here in Columbia from approximately 1957 to 1962. These spies often exchanged documents and messages via a series of covert drops, and transmitted instructions for finding these drops to each other via encrypted shortwave radio messages. Records are sketchy, but it appears this particular spy ring was one of the ones that 'got away'. Buried among the documents recently released by the CIA were these two logs of intercepted radio transmissions, which have never been decrypted:
A few notes:
1. Since this is a difficult cache, I'm making it a freebie for everyone who seeks it. You don't need to leave an item at any of the stages, including the final stage. However, please only take one of an item at each cache, especially at the final stage. I have a few more items like those in the final cache, but not too many. I'd like for as many finders as possible to walk away with one of the final goodies before I run out. If any of the stages are running low, please let me know.
Also, the items in the final cache have a tendency to poke holes in plastic bags...please be gentle when retrieving and replacing them, and make sure to keep the log in its own separate baggie for extra protection against dampness.
2. The final stage is located in a place where it might be very difficult (if not impossible) to search without attracting attention, depending on when you visit. One of the other stages is located in an area that sees a lot of foot traffic as well. Please use common sense when searching, and come back later if need be.
3. If you get really stuck, e-mail me via the contact link in my profile and I'll try to help a little. And please don't post any spoilers or giveaways in your log, even if they're encrypted - I'd like to preserve the 5-star difficulty rating.
4. The intermediate stages of this cache will require either specialized knowledge or some research to solve the clues in them. If you're going to be visiting this cache from a great distance, feel free to e-mail me, and I'd be happy to give you some tips on where you could do your detective work while in town. I'd hate to see someone drive a long ways to find this cache, only to have to make a second trip back to finish it.
5. Be sure to bring your own writing tool to sign the log at the final cache.
Thanks, and good luck!
Other Columbia caches by ooga booga
Lions and Tigers and Bears!
Hinkson Woods
Cloak and Dagger, Hammer and Sickle
Tiger Hollow
Go Play In Traffic
Indian Hills Book Box