Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-17

used for q showdown between two
figures in the congressional in
vestigst ton Of Russian spy activities
has been proved correct 80 per cent
of the time, the man who developed
it said today.
Leonardo Keller of Chicago, who
perfected the machine and would
operate it here if the test is made
before the House Committee on I'm
American Activities, said his figures
were based on actual confessions of
guilt.
Whether the dramatic meeting Is
arranged depends on the decision of
Alger Hiss, former State Depart
ment ofiicial, who has been accused
by Whitaker Chambers, a Time
Magazine executive, Of Communist
activities abetting q wartime Rus
sian spy ring.
Mr.. Chambers, a former Com
munist who left the party ranks and
testified that he asked Mr.. Hiss to
join him, already has consented to
the lie detector test. The committee
has asked Mr.. Hiss to give his
decision by tomorrow.
| Mr.. Hiss denied again before the
committee yesterday that he knew
Mr.. Chambers or ever had been a
Communist. His first reaction to the
lie detector proposal was that the
machine was unreliable, registering
emotions instead of veracity, But
there were indications he might ac-
cede to the test under certain con-
ditions.
Machines Reliability Moot.
| Reliability of Mr.. Keeler's ma
chine, which he has been developing
since 1921, is still a moot point in
the courts of the land.
In a telephone conversation with
The Star. Mr.. Keller said it is be-
ing used widely In lower courts when
plaintiff and defendant agree to its
admissibility by stipulation. There
is no known record, however, of a
court establishing its undisputed
value as prima facie evidence.
In at least two District cases, the
judges ruled out the lie detector
as reliable evidence The first was
second-degree murder case in
1923 in which Judge Van Orsdel of
the Circuit Court Of Appeals ruled
that the device had not gained suf-
f1cient appreciation of science to be
considered generally reliable.
Again in 1898, Justice Bolitha j.
Laws turned down request of a
defendant, James Curtis, to use the
detector in a robbery case. Siding
with the United States attorney
Justice Laws said the device was
not yet in general use and had not
reached a state of perfection to
justify the judiciary authorizing it's
use in trial. He was upheld by
the Circuit Court of Appeals.
Used in $50 Jurisdictions.
General acceptance of Mr.. Keel
er's machine, known to him as the
polygraph, is measured by the fact
that $50 cities and States, as well
as the Army and Navy and the FBI
and Secret Service are using it, he
said.
Police departments in Los An
geles. Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit,
Kansas City and st. Louis are
among the larger ones depending
on it to help catch criminals.
The FBI said it used it only for
experimental purposes" and would
not divluge to what extent it was
depended upon.
Mr.. Keller said he had not been
officially notified as the possible
Washington spy case showdown,
but woald operate the machine here
if asked.
Based on confessions obtained
after tests, the machine is right at
least 81 per cent of the time, and
actually probably Is even more eff
fective, Mr.. Keller said. 1t is known
to have erred per cent of the
time, he said.
The polygraph has been credited
with breaking many celebrated
cases, one of them the Hesse crown
jewels theft In Germany. Mr.. Kee-
Ter operated the detector in ques-
tioning Capt. Kathleen Nash Du-
rant, who confessed to completely in
the theft. The detector also contra
dicted the statements of her hus-
band, Col. Jack Durant, who later
was convicted.
Helped Hang Germans.
In another case during the war
seven German prisoners of war in
an Arizona camp were hanged for
the murder of another Nazi. They
Young on Vacation
Joseph Young and the Fed
eral Spotlight are on vacation.
The column will be resumed
4