Reading Room Document

Application of State Law to CIA's Proposed Administration of Polygraph Examinations to Its Contractors' Employees (II)

This document discusses the legality of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) administering polygraph examinations to employees of United States corporations with classified contracts with the CIA. The conclusion reached is that the CIA is authorized and required to conduct investigations of its contractors’ employees to ensure the security of classified information, and the use of polygraph examinations is considered an authorized Federal function. The document also addresses the question of whether a Massachusetts statute prohibiting lie detector tests can be applied to the CIA or its contractors, and concludes that the statute may not legitimately be applied to either the CIA or its contractors. The document presents the questions of the legality of polygraph examinations by the CIA and the application of a Massachusetts statute to the CIA and its contractors for review.

December 18, 1978