This is similar to Patterson who desired to raise awareness among certain investors but didn't want to provide evidence strong enough to make major competitors start reproducing his technology.
Yes, he did. He and Redding told me that in person. I thought it was one of the most stupid business strategies I ever heard. I still think so. You cannot calibrate a presentation or evidence to make it just appealing enough for your target, but not so appealing that it will stir up interest by other people. The incident reminded me of a family story. Back in the 1950s, a grocery store near our house held a contest for "best sales slogan." There were three prizes: a trip to Europe, a television, and a $50 savings bond. We did not have a television. My brother was maybe 8 years old. He was sitting at the table thinking long and hard about what to write. My mother asked, "Are you having trouble coming up with something?" He explained yes, he wanted to come up with a slogan that was pretty good, but not great, because he didn't want to go to Europe. He wanted a television. His entry had to be second-best.
As I recall, my grandmother heard the story and bought us a television.