text: FM 2-22.3 _________________________________________________________________________________
  particular topic may simply indicate a strong emotional response
  rather than lying, but it should key the HUMINT collector to look for
  other indicators of deceit.
  • Failure to answer the question asked. When a source wishes to evade a
  topic, he will often provide an answer that is evasive and not in
  response to the question asked. For example, if the source is asked,
  "Are you a member of the insurgent organization?” and he replies, “I
  support the opposition party in the legislature,” he has truthfully
  answered a question, but not the question that was asked. This is a
  subtle form of deceit since the source is seemingly cooperative but is in
  fact evading providing complete answers.
  ACTIONS UPON IDENTIFYING INDICATORS OF DECEIT
  9-26. The exact actions by the HUMINT collector when identifying possible
  deceit are dependent on the type of collection, the circumstances of the
  collection, the specific sign of deceit observed, the type of approach used, and
  cultural factors. The HUMINT collector may—
  • Question the topic in more detail looking for additional indicators.
  • Reinforce the approach.
  • Move to another topic and revisit the original topic later with repeat
  questions. Ask control questions (confirmed by known data) and
  questions to which the source should know the answer to see if he
  answers honestly.
  • Point out the inconsistency to the source and ask for an explanation.
  • Seek assistance from a more experienced HUMINT collector, analyst,
  or a technical expert on the culture or the topic being questioned.
  • Conduct continuous assessments of source (see FM 34-5 (S//NF)).
  • Research established databases.
  • Ask yourself if the information makes sense; if not, conduct more
  research.
  • Consider how the information was obtained.
  • Compare the information provided to the source’s placement and
  access.
  • Compare answers with other sources with similar placement and
  access. Be aware that this method is merely a rough tool to check
  veracity and should not be used by the collector to confirm intelligence.
  • Use the polygraph.
  • Consider that a source motivated primarily by money will likely be
  tempted to fabricate information in order to get paid.
  • Be aware that a source may read the local newspaper to report
  information that is already known or may also be providing
  information to another agency.
  9-27. The one thing that the HUMINT collector cannot do is to ignore signs
  of deceit.