“A few months back I received a parcel from France.  It was from my good friend Marquis de Lafayette who was a trusted officer during the war against Britain.  Contained within was the Key to the Bastille, as he named it. The Bastille is a prison that has committed terrible atrocities in the name of ostensible justice.  He described how the key was a great symbol for the people of France and demonstrates their dedication to liberty and freedom.  I feel joy for France as I felt for the people of the United States of America.  I also worry for their new form of justice.  The same gentile that helped fund our efforts in the war may have suffered by this mob uprising.  However, it is not wise to judge in such times.  I write about this because upon inspection of the key this morning, while I broke my fast, I noticed that the key hid a secret compartment.  Inside was a note written in the Culper code.  Now I will have to go digging for that old code book of mine. I left it in my library at Mount Vernon.”

-George Washington 1790

Are there any Culper Code books still around?

-Veritas