Washington Post staff writer Walter Pincus, in an article entitled, “For Government, Wen Ho Lee Mystery Deepens” writes that efforts to recover from a New Mexico dump the data tapes that Dr. Lee allegedly threw in a trash bin have been fruitless. Pincus observes: Under the terms of Lee’s plea agreement, the 10 days of … Read more
Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Frank Geary reports on a polygraph “test” that the Review-Journal paid Nevada polygrapher Dick Putnam to administer to Gene Smith, a fired Clark County, Nevada employee who has filed an ethics complaint “accusing Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny of conspiring to break into the county administration building to copy records in … Read more
Washington Post staff writer Vernon Loeb has devoted this edition of his biweekly online news column, IntelligenCIA, to the polygraph issue.
Steven Aftergood reports in today’s edition of the electronic newsletter Secrecy News: A BOOM IN POLYGRAPH STUDIES Now that Congress has drastically expanded the number of national security personnel who are subject to polygraph testing, the government is belatedly initiating new studies to test the validity of the polygraph. The Department of Energy will release … Read more
Jennifer McKee of the Albuquerque Journal writes in part: The Department of Energy intends to sink almost a million dollars into an upcoming study to determine – once and for all – how well widespread lie detector tests work in preventing espionage. “While we must take the utmost precaution in protecting the nation’s secrets with … Read more
A press release from Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). Excerpt: Bingaman first suggested a comprehensive review of the science behind polygraphs last year when he opposed DOE’s plans for expanded polygraph testing of its employees. In October 1999, Bingaman proposed and won Congressional approval of an amendment to a key appropriations bill calling for the National … Read more
Steven Aftergood reports in today’s edition of the electronic newsletter Secrecy News: ALDRICH AMES SPEAKS OUT ON POLYGRAPH TESTING “The U.S. is, so far as I know, the only nation which places such extensive reliance on the polygraph…. It has gotten us into a lot of trouble.” That is the verdict of convicted spy Aldrich … Read more
Kevin Johnson of USA Today writes in an article entitled, “Police struggle to find next generation”: Phoenix recruiting officer Ron Meraz estimates that 30% to 50% of recruits in that city fail the polygraph test. ”I think there are some people who think they can actually beat the background check,” city personnel analyst Adele Luffey … Read more
Cincinnati Post staff writer Kimball Perry writes in part: A polygraph test that failed to detect the lies of convicted murderer Denise Lipscomb may kill attempts to routinely use the tests in Hamilton County courts. In documents unsealed Friday at the request of The Post, Ms. Lipscomb’s attorneys, in preparing her defense, noted she passed … Read more
Steven Aftergood of the Federation of American Scientists discusses the Department of Energy’s polygraph policy in Science magazine’s Essays on Science and Society section.