PENTAGON DENIES POLYGRAPH POLICY IS MOVE TO CURB PRESS DISCLOSURES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96M01138R001200020006-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 17, 2005
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: December 10, 1982
• Content Type: NSPR

A p p r o v e d For"R (ease 200 /$P tIA P96M0113aR001200020006-9
ART S CLE 10 DECEMBER 1982
Pentagon Denies Polygraph Policy
s Move to Curb Press Disclosures
1 -
By RICHARD HALLORAN
Sped at to The New York Time
WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 The De- surance than we presently have that
fense Department is planning an inves- ( those employees having access to the
tigative program under which 100 poly-
graph operators will give lie-detector
tests to military and civilian personnel
to be selected at random, senior Penta-
gon officials testified today.
From i 15,000 to 20,000 officials could
be examined with the lie detectors, ac-
cording to a critic of the program who,
like the Pentagon officials, testified be-
fore the House Judiciary Committee's
Subcommittee on Civil and Constitu-
tional Rights.
Gen. Richard G. Stilwell, a retired
Army officer who is Deputy Under Sec-
retary of Defense for Policy, testified
that new regulations were being drawn
up to improve counterintelligence in-
vestigations and not to curb the unau-
thorized disclosure of information.
Intent to Intimidate Charged
Prof. Christopher H. Pyle of Mount
Holyoke College in South Hadley,
Mass., a specialist on rights to privacy,
told the subcommittee that the Reagan
Administration's intent was "to man-
age the Defense Department by intimi-
mation to the public.
In a recent press briefing, Henry E.
Catto Jr., the Pentagon's chief spokes-
man, said the proposed regulations
were intended to reduce a "hemorrhage
of information" to the press concerning
national security, political issues and
management of the department.
General Stilwell, who supervises the
Defense Investigative Service and
counterintelligence policy, told the sub-
committee that "it is not the desire to
clamp down on 'leakers' that motivated
the proposals," and maintained that the
new policy would "provide greater as-
Mr. Catto said that included informa-
tion in the press. Asked whether infor-
mation was also classified to keep it out
of the press for political or manage-
ment reasons, Mr. Catto replied, "You
are quite right," and said officials had
to be free to debate while coaling deci-
sions.
He asserted that "polygraphs can
help pinpoint a quaint custom of this
building," which he said was "arrogat.
most sensitive information held by the ing unto oneself" the right to disclose
department are not spying for a hostile information to sway Congressional or
government." public opinion. "We want to try to dis-
He said the Pentagon had 100 poly- courage ee people le of that with kind of leak," agendas
graph operators and that each military frCatto om said. Mr.
service would determine who would be' A critical point of difference was a
tested. The Air Force, he', added, potential violation of the individual
planned to enter the names of potential rights of those to be given lie-detector
subjects into a computer that would tests.
choose those to be examined at random. Mr. Taft said that "of course, individ-
General Stilwell was supported by, ual rights must not be compromised by
William HowLrd Taft 4th, general coon- use of the polygraph." Asked whether
sel of the Defense Department, who that included timely notification of the
said in a prepared statement .that the right to counsel, he said it did and that
polygraph was an investigative tool about five minutes before a polygraph
that should be used "to prevent the test was to be given, the individual
would be advised that he could have his
compromise of classified information attorney present.
where this does not pose a threat to the
exercise of individual rights." `Subtle Intimidation' Seen
But Professor Pyle, who said he had General Stilwell said that a polygraph I
examined current regulations agains test would be suspended and resched-
the proposed regulations line by line, ~~ if a person wanted an attorney to
asserted: "This Administration, like...
most Administrations, is determined to
dry up or otherwise manipulate and ing a person of his rights, and would be
control information that would enable "subtle intimidation." "it would take
members of Congress, the press and the an act of moral courage to say, 'No, I
public to understand what it is doing 'want to talk to my attorney,' " he
and why." added.
The professor, who once served as an Beyond the issue of rights to privacy,
Army captain in counterintelligence, the professor asserted that polygraph
contended: "The new polygraph inter- tests were often unreliable. He pointed
rogations are a pan of a much larger to a case last May in which an official
policy involving efforts to classify more accused of making unauthorized disclo.
information, to restrict access to classi- sores to the press denied it but failed
fled information, to restrict official con- three polygraph tests.
tact_s with the press and to repeal the It turned out that the accusations
Freedom of Information Act." were a mistake and the Pentagon
His estimate of the number of offi- implicitly admitted it had gotten the
cials who might be given lie-detector wrong man through the polygraph, Mr.
Security Agency that specialize in cryp-
tography would come under the pro-
posed policy.
But General Stilwell testified that
pvpuseu i tgutauons to oritctais with
access to highly classified information.
He estimated, for example, that 10,000
of the 25,000 employees at the National
polygraph examinations "will be ad-
ministered at random on a very small
scale," and added, "The value of the
policy is in its deterrence, whatever the
scale on which it is implemented."
The Pentagon spokesman, Mr. Catto,
appears to have disagreed with General
Stilwell on the purpose of the proposed
.polygraph program. Several weeks
ago, Mr. Catto asserted that "too much
sensitive information of a national se-
Approved For ReIeAA~'~4ttli$1~1138R001200020006-9
Professor Pyle contended that five
minutes would be inadequate in advis-