Okay, this is just a good read and I had to share it. Letters Of Note is a site I hit up most days because of the interesting content of the site. It’s basically a storehouse of correspondence between public figures or on events of public note, and often shows a different side to things that we normally aren’t lucky enough to see.

This particular entry is from Aldrich Ames (pictured), a spy who sold out US agents working in the USSR for a big pile of money. He was eventually caught, but not after beating two lie detectors. It’s a letter from him to a fellow scientist regarding lie detectors.

I’ve always found lie detectors really interesting. From the first time I saw Superman claim that someone was lying because he could see their heart skip a beat, I wanted to understand the physiology of lying. Frankly, I’m terrible at it. And at this point in my life, I’m good with that. I’d rather be honest. That’s not to say I don’t lie, I’ve done it plenty. But I try to be good. I know people who are great liars, though. I know people who believe their own lies, incorporating them into their life as if totally true. It’s kind of creepy. And it made me wonder if there is any truth to the statement that a lie is only a lie if you don’t believe it.

This letter is an intriguing look into the mind of Ames, and an interesting slap in the face of what is often considered an absolutely scientific means of interrogation.

It makes me think how interesting it would be to do an experiment of our own. We’d have to think a bit more rigorously before turning it into a real experiment, but to see if common, moderately uncomfortable questions were easier to beat depending on the setting and style of interrogator. It’d be hard to control that, but an interesting bit of fun.

Jim