Yes.
And to lay the groundwork to the conspiracy to bring down the government.
Then why did it take this long to come to light?
These people can’t conspire worth sh!t. It reminds me of Chico and Harpo’s attempt to kidnap Zeppo in Horsefeathers. They burst in, try to tackle the big jock, and he beats the tar out of them while they do their respective shticks, until Zeppo captures them both.