Revealed: General called Gitmo translators ‘worthless,’ interrogators ‘inexperienced’
Published: July 3, 2009
Updated 4 months ago
Documents show detainee belted, another knocked unconscious A newly released document from 2005 shows that one of the first commanders of the US-run Guantanamo Bay prison said that he found the prison bedeviled by chaotic conditions and that prison interrogators were “virtually inexperienced.”
He also called the military’s Arabic translators “worthless.”
Now retired Maj. Gen. Michael Dunleavy led Guantanamo’s interrogation operation in early 2002.
Detailing the conditions he discovered upon his arrival, Dunleavy attacked the prison for its lack of security and control over detainees — saying they often rioted and threw food, and turned welded rods and magnets into weapons.
He also said he planned to bring “a commonsense way on how to do business” to the camp.
Another general quoted in the documents — which were released to the American Civil Liberties Union under a Freedom of Information Act request — said he was troubled by some of the proposed interrogation techniques.
Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller said that some interrogation procedures proposed “went beyond what I felt comfortable with,” and that he rejected them.
A 2004 memo also says a detainee was knocked unconscious by guards. Another detainee was said to have been belted and handcuffed to the floor.
“These documents provide further evidence of the widespread and systemic abuse of prisoners conducted at Guantanamo Bay and other overseas locations,” Amrit Singh, a staff attorney with the ACLU, said in a statement. “They further underscore the need for a congressional select committee to examine the roots of the torture program as well as an independent prosecutor to investigate issues of criminal responsibility.”
PDF of the DoD release can be accessed at this link.
An Associated Press article regarding the report follows.
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As I have followed this story from the first time it broke (Abu Ghraib) all the way through Gitmo and the CIA “Dark Sites,” etc., I have wondered about the skills of the interrogators and especially since the story broke that the two main ones who advised on water-boarding (Bruce Jessen and Jim Mitchell) had NEVER been an interrogator…
Both men, PhD’s assured the CIA that their methods could ‘break’ a terrorist and would be safe, according to two former high-ranking CIA officials and a collection of recently declassified Bush administration memos.
The major problem, according to those who knew the two retired military psychologists, was that neither Mitchell nor Jessen had ever conducted a real interrogation, or been involved in an intelligence operation.
I am a retired Marine and former Interrogator with over 10 years experience all over the world - I asked to return to active duty and never received a reply from DOD on that…. I know dozens of others who were willing, ready and ABLE to return to active duty and help with this huge issue - all truly professional and very, very expereinced Interrogators.
Aged a bit, yes, but on a case by case by case basis, could have cut the mustard and AGAIN served honorably as professional Interrogtors that yes, we would have prevented this f**king mess…
Dan Francis, 1st Lt., USMC (Ret.)
Good thing fluent arabic translators that happen to be gay weren’t needed.
Our country puts the war on gays over the war on terrorism.
No, no.. You see, we were never out to produce effective interrogations OR faithful translations..
Gitmo was about many things, but not these. Its purpose was:
1 As a symbol.
2 To generate confessions (Primarily inaccurate or incomplete ones obtained by what any sane person would consider torture.) and thus reinforce and provide justification for the Bush administrations policies.
Faithful translations and actual interrogations would have negated its worth in the eyes of the Bush admin, and undermined their efforts to conduct and expand their soft colonialism.
Ever wonder why we wanted Latvia.. Fucking LATVIA! in NATO? Did the gas delivery mess with Georgia and Russia make no sense to you last winter? You know, the one where Europe froze while they squabbled? Do you wonder what’s so evil about Iran, a country that has no history of attacking its neighbors? Puzzle over the decade of worthless sanctions in Iraq? Do you know why we’re bombing funerals in Pakistan?
What we’re doing, and I really wish more people would investigate this for themselves, is absolutely massive.. We’re building a wall of separation across half the world. It’s SO BIG, it’s easy to miss if you’re not looking closely.
Look at the map and, beginning with Latvia, come down (Ignore Belarus, they’re aligned with Russia) and across to the Caucasus. Note Turkey, the key which joins the Middle East to Europe. Move across the Middle east and our current theaters of conflict. Remember NATO, the gas dispute, our missile shield, the sudden falling out with Russia, all of the news you’ve heard for the last 8 years.
What you’re seeing is an unbroken line with only one Missing piece, Iran.
It is an energy and trade corridor which will divide the planet, to the benefit of Europe and North America. Russia will be isolated, their natural resources perhaps dropping in value as is the cast with the Turkmen.. Who’s gas sells for a third the world market rate for lack of a better means to distribute it.
Always be careful not to miss the forest for the trees..
PS: It goes without saying, this could EASILY provoke a war. Even several.
It also goes without saying that coups and internal meddling are, and will continue to be, the order of the day. They are vital to the success of this effort. Don’t expect us to play nice anytime soon. It won’t happen.
The idea that the Bush Administration was incompetent STILL functions as “news”??? When are we going to “move forward” by prosecuting torture, false WMD reasons for a Pre-Emptive invasion of Iraq, outing of CIA officers who are trying to contain nuclear weapons in the world, and domestic spying??? If we can”t settle these questions, we may end up with Palin in 2012 after all.