A Life of Lies and Spies

April 1, 2015
Memoir from a veteran of the arcane specialty of covert polygraph espionage interrogations. A second-generation CIA officer, Trabue served from 1971 to 2011, directing both the covert-ops polygraph program and the CIA Polygraph School. His longevity seems attributable to his restrained persona. As he emphasizes, he is no James Bond, averring instead that "the threat of arrest and incarceration was real...the gentleman's game of espionage was really an extremely serious enterprise." Yet, he was drawn to covert examinations for the chance to travel abroad, satisfying the wanderlust remaining from his years as an "Agency Brat," noting, "a childhood filled with foreign travel made me attractive to Polygraph Section management." Trabue's identification with the agency results in a circumspect account, even by genre standards. He steadfastly avoids identifying a single actual city or real-world case, relying on such obfuscations as "one of my favorite South American locations...a favorite for most visiting polygraph examiners." He credits the previous generation of Cold War veterans for instilling in him rigorous respect for operational security, given that covert examination involves secretly bringing together the traveling examiner, the CIA case officer, the asset, and a 25-pound polygraph machine in safe houses in often hostile environments. Much of the text explores this basic challenge with anecdotal narratives, which become repetitive, although Trabue's presentation of tradecraft, such as avoiding surveillance or utilizing hotels discreetly, feels authentic. Instead of historical narrative, the author focuses more on the psychological implications of his trade's intricate probing of the human condition: "Whatever illegal activity people can do has been discussed during CIA polygraph tests." He emphasizes that his interrogations veered far from heavy-handed noir cliches: "The goal was always to snatch the information out of the examinee's back pocket without his knowledge through the use of persuasive and rational arguments." An avuncular account of a life spent uncovering deception for the CIA.

April 15, 2015

A second-generation CIA employee, Trabue spent four decades with the agency, most of it with the polygraph division. The use and accuracy of this technique is controversial within the intelligence community. Most of this book is about the author's many missions abroad to conduct tests on foreign agents and employees in the field, to try to assess their truthfulness and the value of their information. This could be nerve-racking as the local security services weren't always friendly and case officers weren't always professional; Trabue survived some dangerous moments. He makes this a personal story, with some generalized details as to cases, tradecraft, and how the process of conducting these examinations actually worked, and doesn't dwell on policies or bureaucratic politics. As often happens with the art of intelligence work, success boils down to the experience and skills of the individual, plus a little luck, although even the veterans can be fooled sometimes. Effective training, which Trabue enjoyed, is key to providing a solid foundation to doing these jobs. VERDICT For anyone interested in spy operations and the use of lie detectors.--Daniel Blewett, Coll. of DuPage Lib., Glen Ellyn, IL

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