American Notes Espionage

The seven-page study was published in a plain white paper cover. In this modest package, the Department of Defense reported last week that its lie- detector program had uncovered 22 security risks over the past three years. Eleven of the subjects admitted that they had spied for foreign governments. , Four others said that relatives or close associates were engaged in such activities. Some of those who took the random examinations were applying for Government jobs, some held Government posts. Most of those tested had been cleared for sensitive security access through normal checks. In one chilling incident, a U.S. citizen seeking top-secret clearance was found dead in his car shortly after he failed a polygraph test. National Security Agency investigators later learned that he had been spying for the Soviet Union. Said Senator Phil Gramm of Texas, who wants to broaden the Government's authority to test employees: "If (John) Walker had known of the possibility of random polygraph tests, I'm certain he would never have dared to become a spy."