The following memorandum was distributed by e-mail at Sandia National Laboratories on 2 April 2001:
This message, written by Labs Director C. Paul Robinson, is being sent at his request to all Sandians:
As you have doubtless already heard, we have received complaints from a growing number of employees regarding the Congressionally mandated polygraphs for personnel who work in certain areas of the nuclear weapons program. These polygraphs are carried out by contractors to the Department of Energy.
We asked Larry Clevenger, our Chief Medical Officer, to look into these complaintsö focusing on the need to disclose all prescription medications and the reasons why these medications were prescribed to an employee. His evaluation was that there was no validity to the need to collect such information, nor were we given sufficient guarantees that the information was not being misused, or that the information was being adequately protected (as “personal medical information” should be).
Sr VP Roger Hagengruber has been working with both the contract polygraphers and DOE to obtain procedural changes. He is in meetings today and tomorrow, in an attempt to have our concerns addressed.
In the meantime, I want to inform all Sandians that should you be scheduled for a DOE polygraph while these issues are pending, you should not feel obliged to provide any private medical information as a part of the polygraph process. If necessary, please ask to have the session rescheduled. It would also be helpful if you would meet with your supervisor prior to any future polygraphs so that we can help make sure that you will know what to expect in a polygraph session and are fully informed as to your rights in this activity.
I have asked for an information package to be developed and distributed to Sandia weapons managers to assist them and you in developing a better understanding, in advance, as to what should be expected of you. Meanwhile, we will continue to try to work within the NNSA/DOE system to straighten out the problems which some of your colleagues have been experiencing. Beyond the information package, Larry Clevenger and Bob Park of Legal are helpful resources for addressing further questions.
The federal government and the Congress have asked the National Academy to undertake a full review of the utility of polygraphy as a security screening tool. While we are all eager to see the conclusions of that study, I fear that these will not be available until early next year. In the meantime, I thank you for trying to make the best of the current situation, and would ask you to cooperate to the extent possible without sacrificing either your personal rights or your private medical information.