Mr. Dulles. Explain that.
Mr. Cunningham. Yes, sir; what they do is they ask, say, "We are going to run a paraffin test on you, you might as well confess now," and they will—it is—
Mr. Dulles. I get your point.
Mr. Eisenberg. Following up Congressman Ford's question, does the FBI run paraffin tests except on request from other law-enforcement agencies?
Mr. Cunningham. We don't, no. Basically, the paraffin test is the preparing of the cast. We don't do that. We will run the chemical processing of these casts at the request of the local law-enforcement agency.
Mr. Eisenberg. To rephrase it, if the FBI is having an investigation by itself in a matter it has primary jurisdiction over, will it use the paraffin test?
Mr. Cunningham. No; not the paraffin-chemical test.
Representative Ford. Is that because of the feeling that it is not as reliable as it should be?
Mr. Cunningham. It is the feeling that it is definitely not reliable as to determining whether or not a person has fired a weapon. It is positive, and diphenlybenzidine solution is very positive and very sensitive, as to whether or not an oxidizing agent is present and it is used in chemistry.
Mr. Dulles. You and I with our pipes would be in trouble here, wouldn't we?