University of Virginia Library

Withheld Information

Placing a phone call to the
Washington D.C. service office of
the Xerox Corporation this reporter
stated that his serviceman had just
checked 'his' machine and wouldn't
explain why when asked. The
Conversation went as follows

X: "Sir, I think he didn't
explain because he couldn't."

R: "Would you explain what he
was checking, please?"

X: "Just a moment, Sir."

Several minutes later,

X: "Sir, it was a drum survey on
the machine."

R: "Why would they take a
drum survey?"

X: "Just a minute."

Several minutes later,

X: "The drum survey was to
check the machine."

R: "What is a drum survey?"

X: "Just a moment."

Several minutes later,

X: "Did it hurt your machine?"

R: "No, but it might hurt me. I
would like to know why the
machine was checked. What was the
purpose for the Check?"

X: "Thats all I know, Sir. Wait
just a minute."

Many more minutes later,

X: "It was for the technician,
ir."

R: "Why does the technician
want to test the machine?"

X: "Can you talk with the
General Manager? Would you leave
your name and phone number,
please?"

R: No thank you. But thank
you very much."

It cannot be definitely
concluded that the Service Office
consciously withheld information
concerning the nature of the service
check, however two days later, April
14, a Jack Anderson column,
syndicated in over 550 papers
across the country, appeared with
an article entitled "FBI and
Xerox".

Jack Anderson's lead paragraph
stated "The FBI has tried
unsuccessfully to get the Xerox
Corporation to provide a sample
copy from thousands of its clients
machines so the FBI can find out
who duplicated its recently stolen
documents."

Xerox spokesman Gerard
Mulligan admitted to Jack
Anderson that Xerox had given the
FBI a list of clients who own or
rent the "660" copier but
emphasized that Xerox would not
aid the FBI in clandestine tracing
efforts.