After September 11, 2001, U.S. officials authorized the cruel treatment and torture of prisoners held in Afghanistan, Iraq, Guantanamo, and the CIA's secret prisons overseas.

This database documents the U.S. government's official experiment with torture. At present, the database contains well over 100,000 pages of government documents obtained primarily through Freedom of Information Act litigation and requests filed by the ACLU, and through litigation of Salim v. Mitchell, a lawsuit brought by the ACLU on behalf of the survivors and the family of a dead victim of the CIA torture program. To learn more about the database, please read the About and Search Help pages. If you're a developer, you can also access this data through our API.

Search Result (1708)

This January 15, 2009 OLC memo from Steven Bradbury discusses the reasons for the withdrawal of nine OLC memos that were issued in the aftermath of 9/11, specifically why the propositions in these memos are not consistent with the current views ...
Aug. 31, 2016
Legal Memo
Steven G. Bradbury
This June 10, 2004 letter from Jack Goldsmith to Scott Muller is a response to Muller's March 2, 2004 letter asking Goldsmith to "reaffirm" bullet points entitled "Legal Principles Applicable to CIA Detention and Interrogation of Captured ...
Aug. 31, 2016
Letter
Jack L. Goldsmith
Scott W. Muller
Scott W. Muller, Jack L. Goldsmith
This June 18, 2004 letter from Jack Goldsmith to George Tenet provides feedback on the Inspector General's report.
Aug. 31, 2016
Letter
Jack L. Goldsmith
George Tenet
Jack L. Goldsmith, George J. Tenet
This July 22, 2004 letter from Daniel Levin to Scott Muller asks Muller to provide a "precise description" of the waterboard interrogation technique, so that the OLC can determine if it is consistent with 18 USC §§ 2340 and 2340A.
Aug. 31, 2016
Letter
Daniel B. Levin
Scott W. Muller
Scott W. Muller, Daniel B. Levin
SERE, Use of water, Waterboarding
The September 2004 memorandum from Daniel Levin to the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General provides an update on the status of interrogation advice. The memo includes previously given and current/pending advice for the CIA and DOD.
An OLC memo from Jack Goldsmith to John Helgerson, the CIA's Inspector General, expressing disagreement with the Special Review's representation of OLC opinions on two points -- whether John Ashcroft (Attorney General) authorized "expanded use" ...
Aug. 31, 2016
Legal Memo
Jack L. Goldsmith
John L. Helgerson
Jack L. Goldsmith, John L. Helgerson, John A. Rizzo
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, Use of water, Waterboarding
This document is testimony given by Steven Bradbury, acting Assistant Attorney General of the OLC before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The testimony contains Mr. Bradbury's summary of the four legal standards that apply to the ...
Aug. 31, 2016
Interview (Statement)
Steven G. Bradbury
Steven G. Bradbury
EIT
In the letter to Acting CIA Director McLaughlin, Attorney General Ashcroft confirms his advice that the use of certain interrogation techniques (other than waterboarding) in the interrogation of a particular detainee outside territory subject to ...
Aug. 31, 2016
Legal Memo, Letter
John D. Ashcroft
John E. McLaughlin
John McLaughlin, David Ayres, John A. Rizzo, Jay Bybee
Use of water, Waterboarding
This letter from Steven Bradbury to the CIA's Associate General Counsel is a response to the CIA's July 24, 2007 letter regarding the interrogation of [redacted]. This letter states that applying the interrogation technique in question for the ...
Aug. 31, 2016
Letter
Steven G. Bradbury
This letter from Steven Bradbury, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, confirms that the legal guidance of the Attorney General's office as stated in a December 14, 2004 letter from Daniel Levin to John Rizzo, still pertains.
Aug. 31, 2016
Letter
Steve Bradbury
John A. Rizzo, Daniel B. Levin, Steven G. Bradbury