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Edward KocheEdward Koche
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Session:         Page of 617

They trusted me, and they came to see me to try to get some help in dealing with corruption before the Knapp Commission inquiry. They described all the corruption that was going on and would I be interested in helping? I said, certainly I'd be interesting in helping. And they brought a couple of cops, high-ranking officers who said that what they were saying was true and we talked about it here in my apartment where we're sitting now. What they wanted from me was something I couldn't do. They said, “We want to put on microfilm taping equipment and tape cops and tape our superiors,” and I suppose even tape people on the phone -- I don't really know --“and if we're caught to say we were doing it for you.” (laughs) I said, “No, you can't do that.” I said, “I don't have any authority or jurisdiction to confer on you the power to do that. No, you cannot do that.” (laughs) It's interesting how people see you, you know. They saw me as a very powerful figure, so powerful I could even break the law. “No,” I said, “I can't do that. But what I can do is: I know Morgenthau very well, and maybe we can get him interested in this thing.” And by the way, with Durk and Serpico was David Burnham, who was the Times reporter who ultimately broke the story, a very able guy who's now in Washington with the New York Times. And he was here at the apartment when I called the meeting that Morgenthau came to.





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