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 (2667)

RelevanceDateRelease Date
Feb. 07, 2003 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 6818
This memo from John C. Yoo, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, to the President of the American Bar Association provides the legal justification for the treatment of U.S. Civilians as Enemy Combatants, specifically regarding their lack of right ...
Jan. 07, 2009
Non-legal Memo
John C. Yoo
William J. Haynes, II
Robert Hirshon , Alfred P. Carlton Jr.
Feb. 28, 2002 | CIA | ACLU-RDI 6804
This memorandum authored by Bruce Jessen and others to Col. Coomey on February 28, 2002 includes specific recommendations for interrogation procedures based on conditions at Camp X-Ray. The memorandum contains "Cardinal Pre-Conditions for ...
Feb. 03, 2017
Non-legal Memo
Bruce Jessen
Bruce Jessen
EIT, Isolation, Environmental manipulation, Other Humiliation
Jan. 22, 2002 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 6568
This Jan. 22, 2002 memo from Jay Bybee (OLC) to Alberto R. Gonzales (Counsel to Pres. George W. Bush) and William H. Haynes II (General Counsel of the DOD) responds to a request for advice on the effect of the War Crimes Act and the Geneva ...
Aug. 31, 2016
Legal Memo
Jay S. Bybee
Alberto Gonzalez | William J. Haynes, II
Alberto Gonzalez, William J. Haynes, II, Jay S. Bybee, George W. Bush
Aug. 25, 2006 | DOD | ACLU-RDI 6477
This is a DOD OIG review of 13 senior-level investigations of detention and interrogation that were initiated as a result of allegations of detainee abuse made in 2004. The purpose of the OIG review "was to evaluate the reports to determine ...
Oversight Report
Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense
Secretary of Defense | Undersecretary of Defense for Policy | Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence | Director of Joint Staff | U.S. Joint Forces Commander | Secretary of the Army
CID | ACLU-RDI 6476
CID Report of investigation regarding alleged assault on two detainees (an uncle, aged 50-52, and his nephew, aged 19) during their transport from Camp War Eagle to Camp Cuervo, Baghdad, Iraq, on May 7, 2004. The detainees were put in the back of ...
Investigative File
Department of the Army
Physical assault, General
Sept. 02, 2004 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 6469
This document is a memo in reference to a NCIS request for the FBI to release information on all people who have had interaction with two detainees who have alleged abuse at the hands of military personnel and their interpreters. The detainees' ...
Oct. 30, 2009
Non-legal Memo
FBI Office of General Counsel
Counter Terrorism Unit
July 02, 2004 | DOD | ACLU-RDI 6455
This document is an email from redacted FBI officials concerning documentation for detained persons.
Apr. 05, 2003 | JCOS | ACLU-RDI 6394
This document is a Memorandum for the Commander of the US Southern Command. The subject is "Counter-resistance techniques in the war on terrorism." Under "Tab A," the document lists an A-X of interrogation techniques.
June 16, 2011
Non-legal Memo
Richard B. Myers
Apr. 05, 2003 | JCOS | ACLU-RDI 6393
This document is a Memorandum for the Commander of the US Southern Command. The subject is "Counter-resistance techniques in the war on terrorism." Under "Tab A," the document lists an A-X of interrogation techniques.
June 16, 2011
Non-legal Memo
Richard B. Myers
May 14, 2002 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 6368
This email concerns the practices and effectiveness of Tiger Teams, which appear to be FBI interrogation units. It mentions that interviews of detainees can range from 1 to 6.5 hours, and emphasizes patience and continuity in interrogation ...