diff --git a/pypdf/pdf.py b/pypdf/pdf.py
index af2c10f055..4f69b74a7d 100644
--- a/pypdf/pdf.py
+++ b/pypdf/pdf.py
@@ -374,21 +374,20 @@ def addAttachment(self, fname, fdata):
         endobj
         
         """
-        embeddedFilesNamesDictionary = DictionaryObject()
-        embeddedFilesNamesDictionary.update({
-            NameObject("/Names"): ArrayObject(
-                [createStringObject(fname), filespec]
-            )
-        })
+        embeddedFilesDictionary = self._rootObject.setdefault(
+                NameObject("/Names"),
+                DictionaryObject())
 
-        embeddedFilesDictionary = DictionaryObject()
-        embeddedFilesDictionary.update({
-            NameObject("/EmbeddedFiles"): embeddedFilesNamesDictionary
-        })
-        # Update the root
-        self._rootObject.update({
-            NameObject("/Names"): embeddedFilesDictionary
-        })
+        embeddedFilesNamesDictionary = embeddedFilesDictionary.setdefault(
+                NameObject("/EmbeddedFiles"),
+                DictionaryObject())
+
+        embeddedFilesList = embeddedFilesNamesDictionary.setdefault(
+                NameObject("/Names"),
+                ArrayObject())
+
+        embeddedFilesList.append(createStringObject(fname))
+        embeddedFilesList.append(filespec)
 
     def appendPagesFromReader(self, reader, afterPageAppend=None):
         """
@@ -1007,6 +1006,15 @@ def removeText(self, ignoreByteStringObject=False):
 
             pageRef.__setitem__(NameObject('/Contents'), content)
 
+    def removeAttachments(self):
+        """
+        removes attachments from this output.
+
+        """
+        embeddedFilesDictionary = self._rootObject.get("/Names", {})
+        embeddedFilesDictionary.update({
+            NameObject("/EmbeddedFiles"): DictionaryObject()})
+
     def addURI(self, pagenum, uri, rect, border=None):
         """
         Add an URI from a rectangular area to the specified page. This uses the
@@ -2682,7 +2690,7 @@ def getAttachFiles(self):
         :rtype: list
         """
         res = []
-        catalog = self.trailer['/Root']
+        catalog = self._trailer['/Root']
         # get the name tree
         catalog_name = self._get_dict_entry(catalog, '/Names')
         if not catalog_name: