ATTACHMENT 1 86-21 MEMORANDUM FOR: THE RECORD SUBJECT: Establishing and substantiating the "bona fides" of agent and/or staff personnel through techniques and methods other than interrogation. File: Polygraph MK DELTO 1. BACKGROUND The life blood of intelligence is information. Collection of information is the most characteristic activity of the entire intelligence business. Accordingly, an intelligence organization cannot exist until it does a broad and systematic job of collecting. But in this very task lie methodological problems which are so tough as to be almost insolvable and in their unsolved state are a perpetual source of inefficiency. A certain important fraction of the knowledge which intelligence must produce is collected through highly developed secret techniques. Herein begins perhaps the major methodological problem of the collection stage of the intelligence process. It begins with the compartmentation of the clandestine services. This compartmentation is dictated by the established necessity of secrecy. An absolute minimum of people must know "anything" about the operation, and the greatest amount of caution and dissimulation must attend its every move. But unless the clandestine services watch sharply it can become its own worst enemy. For if it allows the mechanisms of security to cut it off from some of the most significant lines of guidance, it destroys its own reason for existence. With a high wall of impenetrable secrecy, it is constantly in danger of collecting the wrong information and not collecting the right. This danger is intensified by the very way the clandestine services operate. It involves highly complicated "tradecraft" techniques, clandestine agent recruitment and handling, nets and subnets, security and reliability of communications, and so on. Isolated by the security barrier, the perfecting of these techniques sometimes threatens to become an end in itself. To concern ourselves with a specific problem, then, how can the "bona fides" of an agent or staff individual be established ? Today, because of rapid changes and reassignments of our overseas case officers and the continuing operations of agents (blocked out text) for long periods of time, the paramount question arises upon exfiltration of the agent(s). Is the agent "bona fide"; is he the same person we started with ? 1 Worst yet, as we know (text blocked out) has the existing net, especially those XXXXXXX been penetrated and a penetration agent substituted for our original agent ? Any means by which we can increase to the maximum degree the element of identification will in turn enhance the acceptability and reliability of the information obtained. 2. IMPLEMENTATION In order to increase the maximum degree of identification, the following techniques and methods are suggested: A. Polygraph On a current basis, the polygraph is used extensively in attempts to establish "bona fides." The problems of utilizing the polygraph, especially in overseas areas, are numerous. In an effort to refine and improve the present polygraphic techniques, a three phase research program is proposed. 1. Minaturize and repackage the existing polygraphic equipment to gain the advantages of compactness, lightness, better concealment, simplicity of operation and maintenance, and ruggedness. (see attached proposal). 2. Modify and refine the present methods of physiological measurements. e.g. utilizing a small strain gage in lieu of the cumbersome pneumatic tube; utilizing optical or impedence type plethysmograph in place of the sphygmograph. 3. Detecting and developing new and better measurements of emotional stress. e.g. infra-red, voice harmonics, myelograph B. Ideal biographic file. A systematic and methodical compleat of data that will render maximum support in cases of questioned identity. 1. Dactylography or finger printing has been universally accepted and proven. However, in clandestine operations, it is at times impossible to obtain finger print specimens for future reference. 2. Anthropometry or Bertillon's system of identification is based on the descriptive data and exact physical measurements of the human body. However, the chief disadvantage lies in the inaccuracies of measurements produced by human error. Ancillary to the above is the "protrait parle" a method for the scientific indexing and filing of the descriptions of certain facial characteristics of individuals. -2- 86-21 3. Blood groupings. The fact of belonging to a definite blood group is a fixed character of every human being and can be altered neither by the lapse of time, transfusion, nor by intercurrent disease. From the presence of other factors in the blood, e.g. Rh and Rh sub types, the degree of accuracy in identification is greatly increased. It must be remembered, however, that blood groupings can only positively exclude, but cannot positively identify. 4. Group specific substances in the organs, body fluids and saliva. The principles involved are essentially those pertaining to the blood groups. Mendelian law of inheritance and derivation of offspring holds true for group specific substances (para 3 and 4 above) On this basis then, screening and identification of displaced persons, immigrants and line crossers claiming familiar relationships and direct linage can be greatly expedited C. Artificial means of establishing positive identification: 1. Radio-isotopes, with predetermined half lives, can be selectively implanted and/or injected. 2. Radiologically opaque foreign bodies selectively implanted and/or injected into predetermined sites in the human body. 3. Specific circulating antibodies artificially produced by selective antigen sensitization that are alien to the habitat in question. 3. CONCLUSION It appears that with the development of more specialized and refined methods and techniques of identification, the substantiation and establishment of "bona fides" can be greatly improved. If properly utilized, these methods and techniques represent a tremendous asset to he Intelligence Community as a whole. Keeping in mind the considerations of priority, time, financial support and availability of qualified personnel, a definitive program of research should be implemented. -3-