Author:
Baesler, John Philipp, author.
ImprintAmherst : University of Massachusetts Press, [2018]
Descriptionxii, 309 pages ; 24 cm
Note:Introduction -- How the polygraph does and does not work -- Truth to remake society, 1880s-1940 -- World War II, national security, and the search for loyal citizens -- The polygraph and the specter of totalitarianism within -- Truth and national security in the American Cold War -- Immeasurable security : the polygraph and the CIA -- The polygraph and the problems of deterrence -- Congress, the right to privacy, and the retrenchment of the polygraph -- Epilogue.
Bibliography Note:Includes bibliographical references and index.
Note:In this first comprehensive history of the polygraph as a tool and symbol for American Cold War policies, John Philipp Beasler tells the story of a technology with weak scientific credentials that was nevertheless celebrated as a device that could expose both internal and external enemies. Considered the go-to technology to test agents' and employees' loyalty, the polygraph's true power was to expose deep ideological and political fault lines. While advocates praised it as America's hard-nosed yet fair answer to communist brainwashing, critics claimed that its use undermined the very values of justice, equality, and the presumption of innocence for which the nation stood.
