Read the excerpt from "Tools of the Spymaster." The idea of invisible ink had been around for a long time. Write using lemon juice as ink, for instance, and the writin…

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asked Jul 11, 2021 6.5k views

Read the excerpt from "Tools of the Spymaster."

The idea of invisible ink had been around for a long time. Write using lemon juice as ink, for instance, and the writing will be invisible. Heat the paper, and the writing will appear, looking as if it were written in brown ink. British agents used two types of ink. One could be made visible by holding the paper over the flame of a candle; the other could be read by applying a common chemical. Major John Andre, the chief British intelligence officer in New York, told his agents to put an F in the corner of letters containing invisible ink needing fire to read and A for those needing acid.

The author’s main purpose in this excerpt is to

explain the use of invisible ink during the American Revolution.
expose unsuccessful spying tactics used by the British during the American Revolution.
teach readers how to create secret documents using common chemicals.
tell an interesting story about the British intelligence officer Major John Andre.