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
Sept. 30, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4627
This is a State Department talking points memo on how to address the issues of detainees and detainee abuse. It references speeches and interviews that President Bush and other administration officials have given to describe and give context as ...
Nov. 23, 2004
Non-legal Memo
George W. Bush, Scott McClellan, Mark Traecey Patrick Kimmitt, L. Paul Bremer, Colin L. Powell, Donald H. Rumsfeld, Condoleeza Rice
Jan. 27, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4624
This state Department cable is a redacted page with no context or information. It shows the U.S. DOS locations it is intended for, but no other text or information.
Apr. 22, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4625
This State department cable concerns a meeting between Amb. Pierre-Richard Prosper and Jakob Kellenberger, President of the International Committee for the Red Cross. The discussion focused on detention issues regarding Guantanamo, Iraq, and ...
Nov. 23, 2004
Cable
Pierre-Richard Prosper, Edward R. Cummings
May 11, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4622
This letter is from William H. Taft, IV, State Department Legal Adviser, to Christophe Girod, the Head of Delegation of the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) concerning the U.S. transfer of Russian nationals from Guantanamo to ...
Nov. 23, 2004
Letter
William Howard Taft, IV
Christopher Girod
William Howard Taft, IV, Christophe Girod
Jan. 27, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4623
This State Department cable is a synopsis of a meeting held at Sec. of State Powell's offices on January 15, 2004. The meeting was attended by: Sec. of State Powell; A/S Arthur E. Dewey; Craig Kelly; JoAnn Dolan and Carrie Santos on the U.S. ...
Nov. 23, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell, Christophe Girod, Arthur E. Dewey , Craig A. Kelly
Nov. 20, 2002 | CIA | ACLU-RDI 4619

Heavily redacted description of the interrogation of Al-Nashiri, nearly identical (if not in fact identical) to ACLU-RDI 4614, but with fewer redactions. [OIG Remand Vaughn #Email-196]

May 04, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4620
This State Department Cable is entitled "Subject: Secretary's May 6, 2004, Conversation with ICRC (International Committee for the Red Cross) President Jakob Kellenberger". There is no other discernible information or context.
Nov. 23, 2004
Cable
Richard A. Boucher
Mar. 16, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4621
This letter is from William H. Taft, IV of the State Department to Jakob Kellnberger, President of the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) concerning an Opinion Editorial a member of the ICRC's legal staff wrote for the Financial ...
Nov. 23, 2004
Letter
William Howard Taft, IV
Jakob Kellnberger
William Howard Taft, IV
CIA | ACLU-RDI 4617

Redacted certification sheet used in CIA interrogation training. [OIG Remand Vaughn #Other-93]

Aug. 24, 2009
Non-legal Memo
EIT, SERE, Use of water, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Stomach/abdominal slap, Attention grasp, Facial hold, Walling, Stress positions, Cramped confinement
CIA | ACLU-RDI 4618

Blank “Enhanced Pressures” sheet used in waterboarding training. [OIG Remand Vaughn #Other-103]

Aug. 24, 2009
Non-legal Memo
EIT, Use of water, Waterboarding