The Nation : Reagan Scored on Lie Tests

Despite President Reagan’s assurances, the order he signed secretly Nov. 1 calls for wide-scale polygraph tests that could subject more than 129,000 people to random lie detector testing, a congressional chairman charged. “I was stunned by the President’s denial that his directive would implement a massive, random polygraph screening program,” said Rep. Jack Brooks (D-Tex.), chairman of the House Government Operations Committee. “It is apparent that the President still doesn’t understand his own directive.” At a news conference Tuesday, Reagan said the polygraph would be used only “as an investigatory tool,” and would apply to “only a limited number that actually deal with classified materials.”