CIA Reading Room cia-rdp69b00369r000100230068-6: CIA IN MARKET FOR ' WIGGLE SEAT' CHAIRS

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Approved For Release 2004/05/05 : CIA-RDP69B00369R000100230068-6 it e CI 1 {' I/ V, f l ,A, 7 :~ hLi'IiI S IC. AT`fEN tics polygraph it:acilina and the chicawo r,. ir, Newa service Washington - The "wiggle scat," which must rank as one of the most unusual and expen- sive chairs in the history of furniture, is being developed un- der the direction of the. Central Intelligence Agency. This electronic device looks like an ordinary office chair. But the unwary person who in- nocently takes n seat and be- gins to answer questions may ;icon E,r, sul,jcctccl, wil.hotut this i:nawlydl;n Iu ;i li('-di+l.nr. e nn~inntion? 'I'ho Ilr(,jr.(a, in wliicli hnlh tl,a CIA old rice e(uutly seue:i- tive National Security Agency have shown intense interest, is officially secret. A CIA spokes- man, when asked about it, de- clined to comment. haling for Device But several sources have con- firnled that the CIA, through contracts channeled to private industry through the Defense I)cpartlnent, is pushing develop- ment of the device. The matter squirmed into pub- lic view as the Senate was de- bating San. Sam J. Lrvin's "bill of rights" for government em- p}oyes. The u ll, which passed i.he Senate 70 to 4, sharply lim- its the use of lie-detector, ar polygraph, tests by government agencies, including CIA and NSA. Ervin, D-N.C., who is scorn. ful of polygraph tests and re- fers to them a 20th century witchcraft," told the Senate that the CIA was developing "a lie-detecting machine by means of which a person can be tested without his knowledge." In an exchange with Sen. Ralph Yarborough, D.-Texas, Ervin quipped, "'If the senator has any contact with the CIA, he had better be careful of where he sits... it grieves me to think that the security of tho ? United States is in the hands 01111011 who place their faith in CIA interest in such a device goes back at least five years, according to reliable sources. It could not be learned w1u;Ih- er the "wiggle seat" has been put to work by t ho, nation's in. tellligence agencies. Philco Prauaci But a number of private corn- who hold research cad panics , development contracts I r 0111 `-- I;nnwn is hr workinli on xiliccL; of Ihn prohloiii, ii,; I 'i ilg, u-1"or. l'' "tl, hae Auull;.v cunip,ul}utloP::sI l just. put in the market 11 (10-1 1 in lehal. Sdn. Urvin called vice called :Medihereen w 111 a IV; the "wiggle seat" is Space/De- conics close to fitting frvin's l pease Corp. of Birn-,ingham, definition of a "wiggle seat." 'Mich. The new Philco product, dc- i0alcohn Foss, the firm's veloped under contracts wif i resident', said the enmpany the National Aeronautics and' 11had developed a workable poly- Sp a c e Adrlinistratiori (NASA) 'graph chair. '-' - and the Air Force, looks lilts all ordinary cushioned office chair -with one exception. An instru-,j merit