FOR seven years I have remained silent about the false claims magnifying the effectiveness of the so-called enhanced interrogation techniques like waterboarding. I have spoken only in closed government hearings, as these matters were classified. But the release last week of four Justice Department memos on interrogations allows me to shed light on the story, and on some of the lessons to be learned.
One of the most striking parts of the memos is ...
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It's refreshing to read a first-hand account of the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of torture. Lots of unanswered questions still
Soufan fills in important facts and observations from someone on the inside. He shows torture advocates are lying about effectiveness. The opinion, however, largely ignores the imperatives in the law that require prosecuting for war crimes such as torture. The contractors who tortured are not identified here.
CIA agents who followed orders to torture are not excused under the Nuremberg principles. Whether they can be immunized or pardoned is another question.
It’s worth noting that when reading between the lines of the newly released memos, it seems clear that it was contractors, not C.I.A. officers, who requested the use of ... More »
the writer a former fbi special agent now feels freer to disclose and use his own experiences in interrogation to confirm his points regarding comparing effectiveness of techniques, and also pres. obams's choice of non-prosecution of cia agents.
Forget for a moment the total moral repugnance of the interrogation methods. Forget the total unreliability of the information gleaned Forget even how America succeeded in completely dominating the moral low ground. The true crime was to miss an opportunity to diminishing extremism and terrorism for years to come
Finally the press has put out and article with what it seems true arguments and facts from someone who actually participated in the interrogations of these high value prisoners. This opinion article definitely exposes that the intelligence obtained from these two prisoners in regards to the plot of a dirty bomb or the "eminent" attack to Los Angeles was acquired through the use of traditional questioning methods and also way before they were water-boarded. This complete discredits ... More »
Yes. Personal experience, involvement and factual reporting by the author, with acknowledgment of biases (implied) that may have been caused by the "Chinese Wall" separating CIA/FBI.
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