Gralhix Exercise #015
CIA Spooks and the Askania Schmidt Telescope
Exercise Challenge
Gralhix’s exercise presented us with a screenshot from a declassified CIA document. The document contained a caption report of an undisclosed photo, mentioning a telescope “being assembled at factory”. Our mission was twofold:
- Find a photo matching the description in the caption report.
- Pinpoint the exact location where the telescope was placed once completed.
Difficulty level:
- For beginners: a) Medium, b) Hard
- For experts: a) Easy, b) Medium
As I approached this exercise, my confidence felt good. A recurring theme in these challenges is identifying a unique element that transforms a seemingly impossible task into a more manageable one. In this case, the key was the production of a high-end telescope during the Cold War era — not exactly your run-of-the-mill scientific equipment.
Solution Summary
My approach centered on Gralhix’s clue in the declassified message, using the factory as the linchpin to unlock this exercise. A strategic Google search for “1953 Berlin telescope assembly” yielded promising results from stock photo sites. Comparing these images would result in a very likely match of the message contents and each other.
Further exploration of the search results revealed that the telescope, produced in the Askania factory, was a Schmidt-type instrument installed at the University of Bonn’s Hoher List Observatory. The observatory’s website offered an annotated site layout, pinpointing the telescope’s location in Tower One.
Final coordinates: 50.161807° 6.848318°
Main OSINT techniques: Strategic keyword searching, image comparison, and cross-referencing multiple sources.
Time taken: Approximately 15 minutes
Detailed Walkthrough
Initial approach: I first attempted to search for the reference number of the message, hoping it would lead to the accompanying photo. While I found the message in the CIA’s Freedom of Information Act Reading Room Website, it was part of a larger compilation and didn’t yield the specific photo we needed.
Message analysis: After the initial setback, I conducted a close reading of the message, identifying key elements:
— When: January 1953
— Where: Askania Factory, Berlin
— What: Assembly of a telescope with noteworthy capabilities
Google search: these key elements became the basis of a successful Google search: “1953 Berlin telescope assembly”. This proved to be the breakthrough we needed.
Image verification: The search results led to two stock photo sites — Imago and Getty Images. Imago’s photo description contained the exact text from the exercise image, while Getty had two photos of the telescope being assembled. All placed the image in Berlin, and a close inspection suggested a very likely match.
Additional research: Returning to the Google results, I found several astronomy sites mentioning a telescope built by Askania during this period, installed in Tower One at the University of Bonn’s Observatory at Hoher List.
Digging deeper into the observatory’s website, I found a detailed 206-page history of the site. On page 64, I found crucial textual evidence:
This translates to: “In October, the J.Heringer company delivered the large dome for ‘Tower 1’ and had it assembled by the 23rd of the month.”
This historical account provides multiple source attestation, significantly strengthening our conclusion that the telescope was indeed installed in Tower One of the Hoher List Observatory.
Location confirmation: The observatory’s website provided photo collections and an annotated site layout, allowing us to geolocate the installation site to Tower One. Note the matching tree placements with the tower on the left, a small connecting building, and a two-story building to the right. Additional verification is provided by the stair path that leads to Tower Six which is the focal point of the 2016 photo.
Lessons Learned
This exercise underscores the importance of crafting effective search queries. By identifying unique elements in the challenge (the year, location, and specific type of equipment), we were able to transform a potentially daunting task into a manageable and quick investigation. It’s a reminder that in OSINT work, how you ask the question can be just as important as where you look for answers.
Additionally, this exercise highlights the importance of thorough source exploration. By delving into the observatory’s website beyond just the layout and photos, we uncovered a historical document that provided definitive confirmation of our findings. This underscores the value of exploring primary sources and historical records in OSINT investigations, even when you think you’ve found the answer.
Additional Considerations
The dates on this document caught my eye. The report was produced in 1953 but wasn’t declassified until 1999 — a 46-year gap that might seem excessive for what appears to be a basic report about a telescope. While it’s tempting to view this as bureaucratic inefficiency, it’s worth considering the historical context.
This document was created at the height of the Cold War and the dawn of the Space Race. What seems mundane now might have been cutting-edge technology then, with significant military or scientific value. Intelligence agencies often err on the side of caution, as even seemingly innocuous information can be valuable to adversaries piecing together a broader picture. Protecting sources and methods is paramount in intelligence work, sometimes necessitating the classification of documents that might appear unimportant to outside observers.
Conclusion
This exercise, while relatively straightforward, offers valuable insights into the OSINT process. It demonstrates how a well-crafted search query can significantly streamline an investigation, turning a potential needle-in-a-haystack scenario into a focused and efficient search.
Confidence assessment (using ICD 203 standards): I’m almost certain that the Getty photo depicts the contents described in the exercise and that I have correctly identified the telescope’s placement.
Acknowledgments
Continued thanks to Gralhix for sharing these fascinating exercises and providing opportunities to explore OSINT. These challenges not only hone our investigative skills but also highlight the value of understanding OSINT tools and techniques, even for those not pursuing it professionally. In our information-rich world, the ability to efficiently find, verify, and contextualize data is an increasingly valuable skill across many fields.
