Educing Information: Interrogation - National Intelligence University

Veracity vs. Knowledgeability
It is important to determine whether the subject’s knowledge
of any topic was acquired first hand, learned indirectly, or
represents merely an assumption. If the information was
obtained indirectly, the identities of sub-sources and related
information about the channel are needed. If statements rest on
assumptions, the facts upon which the conclusions are based
are necessary to the evaluation. 75
One of the weaknesses attributed specifically to human intelligence (and
especially to interrogation) is the questionable reliability of the information
provided by a source. “Prisoners often lie!” is the oft-repeated mantra chanted
by those who have ardently embraced the technical side of intelligence gathering
(while overlooking the numerous examples of how camouflage, concealment, and
deception or spoofing have successfully fooled imagery and signals intelligence
analysts, respectively). Nonetheless, reliability is a critical factor in the human
intelligence equation.
Simply stated, source reliability can be broken down into two categories:
veracity and knowledgeability. Veracity refers to the truthfulness of the source,
while knowledgeability refers to the scope of first-hand information a source
possesses. Although two fundamentally different concepts, they can, at times,
become interwoven.
• A source may tell the interrogator the truth about the topics raised in
the course of the interrogation. The source may, however, have a wider
range of knowledgeability than he or she has allowed to become known.
Essentially, the source has told the truth…just not the whole truth.
• Conversely, a source may tell the interrogator more than he or she really
knows. In an effort to secure some real or imagined form of reciprocity
from the interrogator, the source speaks truthfully about all he or she
knows…and then some. This “extra” may be the product of speculation,
imagination, and/or fabrication.
• The end game of deception, then, occurs in two primary ways: 1) the
source might purposefully falsify information and/or 2) the source might
withhold known information on specific topics. While there are unique
dangers inherent in each of these scenarios, both could lead to corrupted
data being reported as intelligence information.
In addition to systematic questioning techniques and subject-matter expertise,
assessing the veracity and knowledgeability of the source requires that the
interrogator have a third critical skill: detecting deception. Scientific (and popular)
literature abounds with studies of how, why, and when people deceive. Searching
for reliable indicators, researchers have focused on body movements (e.g., micro-
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KUBARK, 62.
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