The government initially claimed that using Clipper would be
voluntary, that no one would be forced to use it instead of
other types of cryptography. But the public reaction against
the Clipper chip was strong, stronger than the government
anticipated. The computer industry monolithically proclaimed
its opposition to using Clipper. FBI director Louis Freeh
responded to a question in a press conference in 1994 by saying
that if Clipper failed to gain public support, and FBI wiretaps
were shut out by non-government-controlled cryptography, his
office would have no choice but to seek legislative
relief. Later, in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City tragedy,
Mr. Freeh testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that
public availability of strong cryptography must be curtailed by
the government (although no one had suggested that cryptography
was used by the bombers).