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 (21)

RelevanceDateRelease Date
OLC | ACLU-RDI 4597

Summary of OLC legal advice to the Counsel to the President, the CIA, and the DoD regarding the CIA's and DoD's interrogation programs. [OLC Vaughn Index # 159]

Aug. 24, 2009
Legal Memo
Alberto R. Gonzales
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, SERE, Use of water, Waterboarding, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Walling, General, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation, Isolation
OLC | ACLU-RDI 4600

This undated draft OLC memo summarizes OLC opinions regarding interrogation of detainees. Much of it is similar to the other OLC memos concerning the CIA's interrogation program, with several exceptions. For example, on page 2, the memo notes ...

Aug. 24, 2009
Legal Memo
Alberto R. Gonzales, John L. Helgerson, Scott W. Muller, John D. Ashcroft
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, Use of water, Waterboarding, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Walling, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation
June 18, 2004 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 4601

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 ...

Aug. 24, 2009
Legal Memo, Letter
Jack L. Goldsmith
John L. Helgerson
Jack L. Goldsmith, John L. Helgerson, John D. Ashcroft, John A. Rizzo, George J. Tenet
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, Waterboarding, Use of water
Aug. 01, 2002 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 4548

An OLC memo concluding that the CIA’s proposed interrogation plan for Abu Zubaydah — which contemplates methods including “insects placed in a confinement box” and “the waterboard” — does not violate ...

Apr. 16, 2009
Legal Memo
Jay S. Bybee
John A. Rizzo
Jay S. Bybee, John A. Rizzo
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, SERE, Use of water, Waterboarding, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Attention grasp, Facial hold, Walling, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation
May 30, 2005 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 4551

An OLC memo addressing whether certain enhanced interrogation techniques used by the CIA are consistent with the United States's obligations under Article 16 of the United Nations Convention Agsinst Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or ...

Apr. 16, 2009
Legal Memo
Steven G. Bradbury
John A. Rizzo
John A. Rizzo, Steven G. Bradbury, Daniel B. Levin, Jack L. Goldsmith, Jay S. Bybee, George J. Tenet, William J. Haynes, II
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Abu Zubaydah, Riduan "Hambali" Isamuddin, Majid Khan, Mohd Farik Bin Amin, Jose Padilla
EIT, SERE, Use of water, Waterboarding, Water dousing, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Stomach/abdominal slap, Attention grasp, Facial hold, Walling, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Sleep deprivation, Dietary manipulation, Nudity
Feb. 25, 2009 | DOJ-OIG | ACLU-RDI 6171
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel [Redacted], regarding his knowledge of Department of Defense interrogation techniques used on Detainee #63 at Guantanamo Bay as well as the FBI's involvement.
Interview (Summaries/Notes)
John Ashcroft, Robert S. Mueller, David E. Nahmias
Mohammed al Qahtani, Abu Zubaydah
Feb. 24, 2009 | DOJ-OIG | ACLU-RDI 6149
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel David Nahmias, regarding his knowledge about legal issues raised about the interrogation techniques employed in a redacted detainee's interrogation at Guantanamo Bay. The ...
Interview (Summaries/Notes)
David E. Nahmias, Robert S. Mueller, Alice Fisher, Michael Chertoff, Christopher A. Wray, Larry Thompson, John Ashcroft, David Ayres, Patrick Philbin, Whit Cobb, Condoleeza Rice, Andrew Arena, Pasquale D'Amuro, John S. Pistole
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Abu Zubaydah
Feb. 24, 2009 | DOJ-OIG | ACLU-RDI 6140
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel Michael Chertoff, regarding his knowledge about FBI involvement in the use of legally questionable interrogation techniques for detainees as well as the role and interest ...
Interview (Summaries/Notes)
Michael Chertoff, Pasquale D'Amuro, Robert S. Mueller, John Ashcroft, Larry Thompson, Jay S. Bybee, Condoleezza Rice, John B. Bellinger, III
Abu Zubaydah
Feb. 24, 2009 | DOJ-OIG | ACLU-RDI 6138
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel Pat D'Amuro, regarding his knowledge about the document exploitation group deployed to Afghanistan as well as the use of legally questionable interrogation techniques and ...
Interview (Summaries/Notes)
Pasquale D'Amuro, Robert S. Mueller, Michael Chertoff, Alice Fisher, John D. Ashcroft, George Tenet, Larry Thompson, Michael E. Dunlavey , Marion E. Bowman, Larry A. Mefford, Bruce J. Gebhardt, Andrew Arena, Valerie E. Caproni, Dale L. Watson
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Abu Zubaydah
Aug. 01, 2002 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 6542
This August 1, 2002 OLC memo from Jay Bybee to John Rizzo discusses whether certain proposed conduct in the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah would violate the prohibition against torture found at Section 2340A of title 18 of the U.S. Code. The memo ...
Legal Memo
Jay S. Bybee
John A. Rizzo
Jay Bybee, John A. Rizzo
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, SERE, Use of water, Waterboarding, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation, Isolation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound