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. 22, 2002 | ACLU-RDI 6748
This September 2002 email chain discusses medical coverage and setting up for interrogations, which includes having James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen ready to do an initial psycholohical assessment so that they can get waterboard approval and ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Email
James Mitchell , Bruce Jessen
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, Use of water, Waterboarding
Apr. 01, 2002 | ACLU-RDI 6747
These April 2002 cables sets forth the plans, preparation, and proposed strategy for the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah.
Dec. 20, 2016
Cable
James Mitchell
Apr. 19, 2002 | ACLU-RDI 6746
This April 19, 2002 SPOT Report describes the make up of Abu Zubaydah's interrogation team, his current condition, and plans for his interrogation.
Dec. 20, 2016
Oversight Report
James Mitchell
Abu Zubaydah
June 17, 2002 | ACLU-RDI 6745
This June 17, 2002 email discuses replacing psychologist Jim Mitchell with another SERE psychologist whose name is redacted during the July headquarters meeting. The email also includes the contents of a cable regarding "preparing for [redacted] ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Email, Cable
James Mitchell
Abu Zubaydah
Isolation
June 21, 2002 | ACLU-RDI 6744
This June 21, 2002 email is an invitation to a meeting to discuss the future of the Abu Zubaydah interrogations. Attendees include people from the CTC and the Abu Zubaydah Interrogation Team (including James Mitchell), among others.
Dec. 20, 2016
Email
James Mitchell
Abu Zubaydah
July 01, 2002 | ACLU-RDI 6743
This July 2002 cable is a request for guidance from headquarters on the use of enhanced interrogation techniques. The cable expresses hesitation about using these techniques on subjects being held in solitary confinement without legal ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Cable
EIT, SERE, Use of water, Waterboarding, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Stomach/abdominal slap, Walling, Threat, Mock Burial, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Sleep deprivation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound, Hooding/Goggling
June 16, 2003 | ACLU-RDI 6742
This internal CIA email correspondence from June 2003 discusses the potential tasking for IC psychologists James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen as well as concerns about their role as contractors.
Sept. 20, 2006
Email
Bruce Jessen, James Mitchell
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, SERE, Use of water, Waterboarding
| ACLU-RDI 6741
This CIA cable describes the CIA Counterterrorism Center (CTC)'s contract with Mitchell, Jessen & Associates (MJA), a company started by psychologists James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen. The cable states that Mitchell and Jessen were "instrumental" ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Cable
Bruce Jessen, James Mitchell
| ACLU-RDI 6740
This CIA cable details the amount the agency paid to psychologists James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen for their professional services since 2002. The cable also describes the current status of Mitchell, Jessen and Associates' contract with the CIA ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Cable
James Mitchell , Bruce Jessen
Jose Padilla, Binyam Mohamed
EIT
Aug. 04, 2002 | ACLU-RDI 6739
This CIA cable describes the phase of Abu Zubaydah's interrogation and states that he underwent confinement, walling and the waterboard during his initial cycle of interrogations. The cable also describes his general behavior in his cell as well ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Cable
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, Use of water, Waterboarding, Physical assault, Walling, Cramped confinement