After some members of Congress asked to see the diplomats' reports regarding what had transpired in France, Adams handed them over with the names of the French agents replaced with the letters X, Y and Z; thus the name XYZ Affair.
The XYZ got it's name from the three French men. These men were code named X, Y, and Z. These were the men that the Americans visited to attempt to have a conversation with them, but were sent away because they refused to pay the bribe.
