Steven Aftergood of the American Federation of Scientists’ Secrecy in Government Project writes in today’s edition of Secrecy News: NEW BILL WOULD LIMIT DOE POLYGRAPHS A bill introduced in the Senate yesterday by Sen. Pete Domenici and Sen. Jeff Bingaman would reduce the number of Department of Energy (DOE) employees and contractors who are subject … Read more
Maria Cranor reports for the Albuquerque Tribune. Excerpt: U.S. Sens. Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman have introduced legislation to reform current Department of Energy polygraphing practices at the agency’s national laboratories. Domenici was a vocal opponent of Congress’ decision to expand polygraph testing in the DOE’s nuclear weapons labs last year. The expanded program, introduced … Read more
At the first day of his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, FBI Director designate Robert S. Mueller III voiced his support for continued polygraph screening of senior FBI officials: Sen. Hatch: …We understand that the FBI is now requiring polygraphs for managers handling national security matters. Are you willing to … Read more
Lenny Savino of the Knight Ridder Washington bureau reports. Excerpt: WASHINGTON – “Less than 25” top FBI officials and other personnel in sensitive positions failed to pass polygraph exams initiated in the wake of the Robert Hanssen spy case, according to senior bureau officials. Failure to pass could mean either that the findings were inconclusive … Read more
Martin Mull of the Edmond Sun reports in an article titled “Moore officer says she [sic] being truthful.” Excerpt: A Moore police officer said she does not understand how she could have failed a polygraph test about no prior drug use during an interview process in Edmond. That was the reason Etta Maytubby said she … Read more
Today’s Washington Post editorial, “Mr. Hanssen’s Plea” carries with it an implicit endorsement of polygraph screening. Excerpt (emphasis added): Fixing…vulnerabilities [in FBI security procedures] is the task ahead. No system can ensure perfect security. There will be smart and unscrupulous would-be spies at an organization the size of the bureau who find cracks to slip … Read more
In a Reuters article about the status of women in the CIA, Tabassum Zakaria touches upon CIA polygraph policy, including alleged bias against women, and notes that a woman heads the CIA polygraph unit. Excerpt: Lawyers who handle lawsuits by female spies say while steps have been taken toward equality, there is still some distance … Read more
This Albuquerque Tribune editorial minces no words in its criticism of the Department of Energy’s polygraph screening program. Excerpt: “Deception” is a nasty, nine-letter word that preoccupies U.S. counterintelligence agents. Appropriately, they worry about the potential for moles and leaks of nuclear weapons secrets from the nation’s classified bulwarks, including Sandia and Los Alamos national … Read more
Albuquerque Journal staff writer John Fleck reports. Excerpt: The Department of Energy has halted a controversial policy of asking medical questions of nuclear weapons scientists as part of its spy-hunting polygraph tests. Instead of asking medically related questions, the department’s new policy now places the burden on workers being polygraphed, requiring them to reveal before … Read more
Steven Aftergood of the American Federation of Scientists’ Secrecy in Government Project writes in today’s edition of Secrecy News: DEALING WITH POLYGRAPH TESTING Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are organizing to defend their legal rights in the face of new Department of Energy polygraph testing requirements. The Society of Professional Scientists and Engineers (SPSE), … Read more