How did the CIA work with copier maker Xerox to snoop on Soviet confidential documents?
Spies in the Xerox Machine-Electrical Strategies
https://electricalstrategies.com/about/in-the-news/spies-in-the-xerox-machine/
During the Cold War, the United States used various means such as reconnaissance planes and agents to collect information on the other side. Among them, the secret operation carried out in collaboration with Xerox may have been quite effective.
In 1962, when the Cold War was in full swing, the CIA was looking for new ways to gather information about the Soviet Union, saying, 'One American once a month enters and leaves the Soviet Embassy in Washington, DC I can work without being suspicious.' This American is 'a repairman of the Xerox copier used in the Soviet embassy,' not only touching the inside of the copier for maintenance, but also spreading various tools and spare parts on the floor. Even so, it was a special presence that didn't seem suspicious.
CIA, who did not miss this opportunity, contacted Xerox vice president John Dessauer and succeeded in establishing a secret project team. Donald Cary, who led a government-related project within Xerox, was appointed as leader, optical engineer Kent Hemphill, electrical engineer Douglas Webb, imaging engineer James Young, and the Soviet ambassador. Ray Zoppoth, a mechanical engineer who was involved in the development of the Xerox 914 used in the museum, joined the confidential project members.
No matter how much repairmen can get in and out of the Soviet embassy, it is too dangerous to steal the documents inside. Therefore, the project team has developed a 'device that steals the contents of documents copied by Xerox copiers'. The CIA calculated that it would be possible to obtain not only Soviet confidential documents using a device that steals the copied contents, but also 'American confidential documents obtained by Soviet spies'.
This project was so secret that we couldn't do research in a normal company building, so the team rented an abandoned bowling alley and turned it into a laboratory. Engineers examined how to image documents copied with Xerox 914, and as a result, Zoppoth proposed 'install a battery-powered camera with a zoom lens inside the copy machine' It seems that it was decided.
The research team purchased Bell & Howell 's latest movie camera, pointed the lens of the movie camera to the mirror that sends the image you want to copy to the photoconductor unit, and installed a device that incorporates an optical sensor that the camera shoots when the copy machine operates development of. The whole length was about 18 cm, and it was necessary to attach a spool for winding 8 mm film, but it seems that there was a space deep inside the Xerox 914 to accommodate this camera. Also, the sound of the camera was nicely erased by the noise of the copier itself.
After actually experimenting with a copier in the lab, the project team installed this camera in the Xerox office to see if anyone could photograph the copy without their knowledge. As a result of developing the film of the camera, he succeeded in reading all kinds of documents such as comics and jokes.
After developing the spy device, Zoppoth went to the basement in the CIA building, code-named 'Disneyland East,' to teach agents how to install the camera. A repairman trained by a CIA agent installed the device on a copy machine in the Soviet embassy, replaced the device with a new one at the next visit, and handed over the old device to the CIA.
It seems that this intelligence system began to function in 1963, and considering the number of orders entered into Xerox, the United States installed spy devices not only in opponent countries but also in copiers of allies, it was possible to steal documents Zoppoth points out that there is a possibility. However, it seems that a company in 1969 was arrested after devising a similar method for stealing the information of a competitor, and it is possible that the Soviet Union thereafter made the copy machine inspection more rigorous.
It is unclear whether the Soviet Union actually discovered the spy device that was installed in the copier in the embassy, or whether the CIA stopped installing the device, but Mr. Zoppoth continued his wife and eight people for decades. He continued to keep secret about the projects he was involved with.
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