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 (6709)

RelevanceDateRelease Date

This documents is Appendix A of the CIA's Special Review.  It describes the procedures and resources for the drafting of the Special review.

Aug. 14, 2004
Oversight Report
John L. Helgerson
George J. Tenet, John McLaughlin

Almost entirely redacted document entitled "Proposal for an enhanced interrogation strategy in the War on Terrorism." [OIG Vaughn # Other-51]

Aug. 14, 2004
Non-legal Memo
Abu Zubaydah

(A CIA affidavit states that this was a 1-page memo dated Aug. 4, 2004 from CIA to OLC and that it contained "communications from the CIA to OLC on a matter in which the CIA requested legal advice from OLC.")  The document ...

July 24, 2008
Legal Memo
Richard J. Durbin
EIT, Waterboarding, Use of water

This is a heavily redacted version of an OLC memo later released in less-redacted form (at ACLU-RDI 4548).  This unredacted portions of this version of the memo from the OLC to the CIA discuss the anti-torture statute 18 U.S.C. 2340, ...

July 24, 2008
Legal Memo
Jay S. Bybee
John A. Rizzo
Jay S. Bybee

A one-paragraph excerpt from the CIA's Special Review.  The paragraph summarizes a 2002 OLC memo's analysis of the anti-torture statute.

Aug. 14, 2004
Oversight Report
John L. Helgerson
Letter from Margaret P. Grafeld, DOS to Amrit Singh, ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request. Letter states that the document production requested is being complied with in some parts and denied or withheld in part.
Aug. 09, 2005
Letter, Judicial
Margaret P. Grafeld
Margaret P. Grafeld
Letter from Margaret P. Grafeld, DOS to Amrit Singh, ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request. Letter states that the document production requested is being complied with in some parts and denied or withheld in part.
Aug. 09, 2005
Letter, Judicial
Margaret P. Grafeld
Margaret P. Grafeld

This is a heavily redacted version of a CIA memo later released in less-redacted form.  The less-redacted version is available at ACLU-RDI 4562.  This version of the document shows that CIA interrogators were permitted to use both ...

July 24, 2008
Non-legal Memo
George Tenet
George J. Tenet
EIT
Letter from Margaret P. Grafeld, DOS to Amrit Singh, ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request. Letter states that the document production requested is being complied with in some parts and denied or withheld in part.
Aug. 09, 2005
Letter, Judicial
Margaret P. Grafeld
Margaret P. Grafeld
State Department email from Nicholas Miscione concerning the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) request to visit the detainees held in Afghanistan. No attachment included.
Letter from Margaret P. Grafeld, DOS to Amrit Singh, ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request. Letter states that the document production requested is being complied with in some parts and denied or withheld in part.
Aug. 09, 2005
Letter, Judicial
Margaret P. Grafeld
Margaret P. Grafeld
State Department memo re: Detainees: Policy and Status. Completely redacted except for "Abu Ghraib: Multiple DoD investigations are currently underway. To date, one of the seven soldiers originally accused of crimes has faced a Special Court ...
State Department talking points Amb. Moley to address questions and concerns of the UN Commissioner for Human Rights de Mello.
Aug. 09, 2005
Non-legal Memo
Kevin Edward Moley
Kevin Edward Moley
Letter from Margaret P. Grafeld, DOS to Amrit Singh, ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request. Letter states that the document production requested is being complied with in some parts and denied or withheld in part.
Aug. 09, 2005
Letter, Judicial
Margaret P. Grafeld
Margaret P. Grafeld
State Department cable - Subject: Conditions for Access to Detainees at Guantanamo Bay. No additional information or comments.
Aug. 09, 2005
Cable
Richard A. Boucher
Richard A. Boucher
Emails between State Department officials concerning the Ban\gram detainees and the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) interest in visiting them in at the Bagram Detention Center in Afghanistan.
Letter from Margaret P. Grafeld, DOS to Amrit Singh, ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request. Letter states that the document production requested is being complied with in some parts and denied or withheld in part.
Aug. 09, 2005
Letter, Judicial
Margaret P. Grafeld
Margaret P. Grafeld
This cable address questions and concerns over the visiting, the status and treatment of Guantanamo detainees. The memo states that the detainees are illegal combatants, and not Prisoners of War (POWs). It states Al Qaeda is a foreign terrorist ...
Aug. 09, 2005
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
Letter from Margaret P. Grafeld, DOS to Amrit Singh, ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request. Letter states that the document production requested is being complied with in some parts and denied or withheld in part.
Aug. 09, 2005
Letter, Judicial
Margaret P. Grafeld
Margaret P. Grafeld
Letter from Margaret P. Grafeld, DOS to Amrit Singh, ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request. The letter states that the document production requested is being complied with in some parts and denied or withheld in part.
May 04, 2005
Letter, Judicial
Margaret P. Grafeld
Margaret P. Grafeld
Letter from David N. Kelley, U.S. Attorney, DOJ to Lawrence S. Lustberg, Megan Lewis, Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione, P.C., attorneys for the ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request (ACLU, et al., v. Department of Defense, et al., No. ...
Aug. 09, 2005
Letter, Judicial
David N. Kelley | Sean H. Lane | Peter M. Skinner
Lawrence S. Lustberg | Megan Lewis
David N. Kelley, Sean H. Lane, Peter M. Skinner
Letter from Margaret P. Grafeld, DOS to Amrit Singh, ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request. Letter states that the document production requested is being complied with in some parts and denied or withheld in part.
Aug. 09, 2005
Letter, Judicial
Margaret P. Grafeld
Margaret P. Grafeld
Letter from Margaret P. Grafeld, DOS to Amrit Singh, ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request. The letter states that the document production requested is being complied with in some parts and denied or withheld in part.
Jan. 12, 2005
Letter, Judicial
Margaret P. Grafeld
Margaret P. Grafeld
State Department memo on key issues covering several areas of State Department concern.
Email requesting input on an attached paper. the comments from Ms. Holman are "Joann: How is the BM on PC Meeting on Detainees coming. This is just remember that it is due today at 3. Thanks, Beverly Holman."
Jan. 12, 2005
Email
Beverly S. Holman
JoAnn J. Dolan
Beverly S. Holman, JoAnn J. Dolan
Email asks for a response to request for guidance regarding Department response to International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) report. Contents completely redacted.
Emails between State Department officials re: International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) request to visit Guantanamo.
Jan. 12, 2005
Email
John A. Buche
Joshua L. Dorosin
John Allen Buche, Joshua L. Dorosin
Email requests clearance for a Q & A on Detainee Issues. the commeents from Ms. Abercrombie is "All, the attached Q&A is 99% the same as one cleared last week. Please review and clear by 1200 tomorrow. This is for D's briefing to the SASC on ...
Email from Cara Abercrombie requesting clearance for an issue paper on detainees. No attachment included.
State Department emails between JoAnn Dolan, James H. Thessin, Todd Buchwald, Waldo Brooks and Others re: Secretary's Meeting with International Red Cross (ICRC) President Kellenberger.
Emails between State Department officials with attachement entitled "DC BM 040604 - MEK Corruption…" no attachment included.
Jan. 12, 2005
Email
Waldo W. Brooks
Aaron W. Jost | Scott W. Busby | Michael Miller
Waldo W. Brooks , Aaron W. Jost, Joshua L. Dorosin, Jonathan S. Carpenter
This email exchange between State Department officials concerns an upcoming meeting to address the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) report on detainees.
Email from JoAnn Dolan to Joshua Dorosin re: Briefing Momorandum - no attachement or comments.
Jan. 12, 2005
Email
JoAnn J. Dolan
Joshua L. Dorosin
JoAnn J. Dolan, Joshua L. Dorosin
Emails concerning a memo on detainees with attachment.
Emails between Cara Abercrombie and Josua Dorosin re: Detainees Policy and Status
Jan. 12, 2005
Email
Cara L. Abercrombie
Joshua L. Dorosin
Cara L. Abercrombie, Joshua L. Dorosin
Letter from Margaret P. Grafeld, DOS to Amrit Singh, ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request. The letter states that the document production requested is being complied with in some parts and denied or withheld in part.
Jan. 12, 2005
Letter, Judicial
Margaret P. Grafeld
Margaret P. Grafeld
Email exchanes concerning the Sec. of State's upcoming testimony. Heavily redacted.
Jan. 12, 2005
Email
Katherine M. Gorove
JoAnn J. Dolan
Katherine M. Gorove, Joshua L. Dorosin
Email exchanges concerning clearance for Q&A for D on release of torture documents "in case arises in context of Iraq testimony".
Emails concerning press guidance regarding the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) and their February 2004 report.
This State Department memo is a partial of a larger memo entitled "Interrogations and Army Regulations". and states "The Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War provides that "no physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be ...
Jan. 12, 2005
Non-legal Memo
Edward R. Cummings, Todd F. Buchwald, James H. Thessin
Email from Robert Harris forwarding an email with and attached news article entitled "Pentagon Report set framework for use of torture."
State Department cable concerning the identification of detainees at Guantanamo. Specifically, the cable states "It was recently discovered that several detainees transferred to Guantanamo who were previously reported to be nationals of ...
Jan. 12, 2005
Cable
Colin L. Powell
State Department cable with talking points to address concerns of foreign governments about their citizens being held at Guantanamo. The cable states; 1) These individuals pose a threat to the United States and international peace and security ...
Jan. 12, 2005
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
State Department cable with talking points to address concerns of foreign governments about their citizens being held at Guantanamo. The cable states; 1) These individuals pose a threat to the United States and international peace and security ...
Jan. 12, 2005
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Letter from Edward Davey Member of the UK House of Commons expressing concerns about the continuing detention of his constituent at Guantanamo and requesting information and access to the gentleman.
Jan. 12, 2005
Letter
Edward Davey
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
This State Department cable provides talking points concerning informing foreign governments about the transfer of their citizens/nationals to Guantanamo after they were picked-up on the battle field of Afghanistan, and policy guidance for ...
State department Memo from Ambassador Pierre-Richard Prosper to Secretary Powell with requesting approval on reply to Edward Davey Member of the UK House of Commons re: his concerns about detainees. Approval was given.
Jan. 12, 2005
Non-legal Memo
Pierre-Richard Prosper
Colin L. Powell
Pierre-Richard Prosper, Colin L. Powell
State Department cable to the London Mission with an attached letter from Sec. Powell to be delivered to Edward Davey Member of the UK House of Commons, briefly explaining U.S. policy regarding access to detainees.
Jan. 12, 2005
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
This State Department cable provides talking points concerning informing foreign governments about the transfer of their citizens/nationals to Guantanamo after they were picked-up on the battle field of Afghanistan, and policy guidance for ...
Jan. 12, 2005
Cable
Pierre-Richard Prosper
Pierre-Richard Prosper