Judicial Watch Obtains Top Secret Memo Detailing Closed Congressional Hearings On Enhanced Interroga

[kpete]

Source: Judicial Watch

Judicial Watch Obtains Top Secret Memorandum Detailing Closed Congressional Hearing on Enhanced Interrogation Techniques

Testimony by DOD Official: “…the most important factor in the capture of Saddam Hussein was interrogation.”
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Washington, DC

(Washington, DC) -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has received a Memorandum from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) marked “Top Secret” that includes a detailed report of a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) closed hearing regarding the subject of enhanced interrogation techniques. The CIA produced the document pursuant to a previous court order in Judicial Watch’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the CIA (Judicial Watch v. Central Intelligence Agency, Case: 1:09-cv-01352). The court order stipulates that documents pertaining to congressional briefings for Speaker Pelosi and other members of Congress on “enhanced interrogation techniques” must be provided to Judicial Watch by April 15th.

The following are excerpts from the Memorandum, dated July 14, 2004:

* Summary of testimony by DOD Official, Lt. Gen. William Boykin: “At this point, General Boykin read a prepared statement to the Committee in which he asserted that interrogation is a critically valuable tool, and, citing observations made by service personnel at Ft. Bragg, said that the most (imp)ortant factor in the capture of Saddam Hussein was interrogation.”
* Summary of testimony by member of the CTC (Counterterrorism Center), name redacted: “…Even today long term detainees like Khalid Shayk Muhammed and Zubaydah are providing good information because their histories go back a long way and often a tidbit they provide, while not initially operationally significant, ends up being the piece that completes the puzzle; DC/CTC closed by noting that he was personally persuaded that detainee reporting has saved lives.”
* Rep. Jane Harman: “What do you think of the value of enhanced techniques?” John Pistole, Witness for the FBI: “In my view the benefits are huge and the costs are insignificant. Very few detainees don’t provide us with good information….”
* Rep. Ruppersberger: “Are there procedures that we have stopped that should be resumed?” Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, the Army G-2, (now Director of the National Security Agency (NSA)): “Yes. Diet and sleep management. Those, plus segregation which is still employed, are key…”
* General Alexander also testified that field commanders wanted more “97E’s” (interrogators), “even to the point of trading off some of their combat troops.”
* Saddam Hussein was not subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques, but “friendly discussions with an eye to future public prosecution.”

The document also recounts an allegation by Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) that the CIA had not been giving the committee “full and candid testimony on the detainee issue.” Testimony also suggests that interrogators at Fort Bragg believed that “unobtrusive forms of interrogation are the best.”

“We are now beginning to get a very clear picture of what members of Congress knew about so-called enhanced interrogation techniques and when they knew it,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “Intelligence officials repeatedly informed members of Congress that enhanced interrogation techniques are effective and save lives. It is little wonder why the Obama administration would try to keep these documents hidden, given the administration’s ideological hostility to these effective interrogation techniques”



Read more: http://www.judicialwatch.org/news/2010/mar/judicial-watch-obtains-top-secret-memorandum-detailing-closed-congressional-hearing-en

[OnyxCollie]

1. K&R. nt

[rfranklin]

2. It is TORTURE...for which we executed other war criminals

The same punishment should be applied to those who ordered torture for the U.S.A.

[EFerrari]

3. This seems to be an attempt to shift blame to Congressional Dems

and away from you know who. Judicial Watch is a right wing organization.

(Not that I let anyone off the hook but fyi.)

[Solly Mack]

4. I wonder about their motive as well

and like you, I let no one off the hook.

[hootinholler]

7. And if they couldn't see that this would be shifted coming at the time

They do not deserve to serve.

I leave no one off the hook either.

-Hoot

[EFerrari]

8. There's so many moving parts, it's hard to keep track of them all! n/t

[L. Coyote]

9. away from the LIARS who can still go to jail for their crimes!

"CIA had not been giving the committee “full and candid testimony " ..." is a euphemism for "they LIED" just like we have been saying all along.

The fact we have been saying it all along is why they have to keep the cover operation goin' ..... keeping reality in competition with the fog of LIES is important.

[JDPriestly]

5. These statements prove that military and intelligence officers

believed that enhanced interrogation techniques and/or torture are useful. But while I did not go to the full transcript, the excerpt in the OP does not prove that any information was obtained through enhanced interrogation that could not have been or would not have been obtained through other forms of interrogation.

This information is useless other than to show that Harmon was informed of the torture and did nothing about it.

This is hearsay evidence -- not admissible in court. The head of the CIA can say whatever he wants. That doesn't prove anything.

[alfredo]

11. According to Jane Mayer, Zubaydah was cooperating with FBI

interrogators, but bush/cheney wanted to try torture to see if there was more. He stopped cooperating.

[SlingBlade]

6. Judicial Watch ! That's one step removed from FoxNews

I'm willing to fry Democrats right along with Neo-Cons if it's proven that
they were involved in this. Proven being the operative word. Something not
accomplished in this piece or the many innuendo's since about Harman or other Democrats.
In their minds if they can convince others that we are as bad as them then all is well in fundy land.

In short. It's a hit piece:puke:

[formercia]

10. Boykin...ah, yes, the Crusader himself.

No surprise his ass shows up in this matter.