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 (32)

RelevanceDateRelease Date
Dec. 01, 2002 | CIA | ACLU-RDI 6728
This is a moderately redacted cable which summarizes the mechanics and legal basis for use of enhanced interrogation techniques on detainees. The cable states that "our attorneys have presented our legal analysis to the legal adviser to the NSC, ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Legal Memo, Cable
EIT, SERE, Use of water, Waterboarding, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Attention grasp, Walling, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation, Other Humiliation, Sexual
May 06, 2004 | CRIM | FBI | ACLU-RDI 3221
The memo states its purpose to be to request SAC authority to open captioned full field investigation in to accusations that officials of the Executive branch are engaged in public corruption. It provides enclosure(s): (1) original and (2) one ...
Dec. 15, 2004
Non-legal Memo
Thomas G. Kinnally, Kathleen E. Kennedy
May 28, 2004 | CRIM | ACLU-RDI 2716
Email from Peter B. Owen requests estimated time of arrival of Iraq talking points from recipients. Reply from Patrick Rowan attaches two drafts (MEJA jurisdiction and Prison Abuse).
Oct. 15, 2004
Email
Patrick Rowan
Peter B. Owen | Bruce Swartz | Adam Isles | Julie Samuels | David Nahmias | Rena Comisac | William Moschella | Crystal Roberts
Peter B. Owen, William E. Moschella
June 02, 2004 | CRIM | ACLU-RDI 2717

Refers to Revised AG talkers on interrogation. Attaches draft talkers (MEJAStatus, AGtalkers.interrogations3, A3 Enemy Combatants v41, AGtalkers.olcadvice, MEJAjurisdiction, PrisonAbuse status, AG-Issue-Paper-Interrogations, McColter Armstrong ...

Oct. 15, 2004
Email
Peter B. Owen
Jack L. Goldsmith | Steven G. Bradbury | William Moschella | David Nahmias | Patrick Philbin | Judi Garrett | Thomas Kane | Crystal Roberts | Sean McLaughlin | Daniel B. Levin | Daniel J. Bryant
Crystal Roberts, Sean McLaughlin, William E. Moschella, Patrick Rowan, Daniel B. Levin, Daniel J. Bryant, Judith S. Garrett, Thomas R. Kane, Patrick Philbin, Peter B. Owen
July 07, 2004 | CRIM | ACLU-RDI 2719
Email from Jordan Leiter to Julie Samuels referencing an attachment bearing the name "CRIM DIV comment on draft DOJ statement on Interrogation in War Against Terrorism".
Oct. 15, 2004
Email
Jordan Leiter
Julie Samuels
Jordan Leiter, Julie E. Samuels
May 24, 2004 | DOJ | ACLU-RDI 2720
Email from Joseph Jones to Rena Cornisac, Adam Isles, Julie Samuels, Patrick Rowan, David Nahmias, Bruce Swartz, Peter B. Owen, and Terrie Johnson following an email chain. The subject line reads "Briefing Papers" and the text is entirely redacted.
Oct. 15, 2004
Email
Joseph Jones
Rena Comisac | Adam Isles | Julie Samuels | David E. Nahmias | Bruce Swartz | Peter B. Owen | Patrick Rowan | Terrie Johnson | Patrick Philbin | Renee Lerner | William Hall | Crystal Roberts | Sean McLaughlin | Dave Blake | Gena Bernhardt
Joseph Jones, Rena Comisac, Adam Isles, Julie E. Samuels, Patrick Rowan, David E. Nahmias, Bruce Swartz, Peter B. Owen
May 21, 2004 | CRIM | ACLU-RDI 2721
Email from Joseph Jones to Adam Isles, Bruce Swartz, John Richter, and Rena Comisac following an email chain with the subject line "Iraq Corrections Assessment Personnel". The text is entirely redacted.
Oct. 15, 2004
Email
Joseph Jones
Bruce Swartz | Adam Isles | John Richter | Rena Comisac
Joseph Jones, Adam Isles, John Richter, Rena Comisac
June 17, 2004 | CRIM | ACLU-RDI 2722
Emails between Mark Corallo, Bryan Sierra, David Nahmias, and others with the subject line "Passaro". The text of the email chain is entirely redacted.
Oct. 15, 2004
Email
Mark Corallo
David E. Nahmias | Bryan Sierra | Frank Whitney | James Candelmo | Bobby Higdon
David E. Nahmias, Bryan Sierra, Mark Corallo, Frank D. Whitney, James A. Candelmo, Robert J. Higdon Jr.
Aug. 26, 2004 | DOJ | ACLU-RDI 2724
Text entirely redacted. Email Subject: MEJA referral re Abu Ghraib
Oct. 15, 2004
Email
Laura Parsky | Bruce Swartz
Laura H. Parsky, Bruce Swartz, Teresa L. McHenry
Dec. 11, 2002 | DOJ | ACLU-RDI 2725

Text entirely redacted. Subject: Fwd: Legal Issues re: Guantanamo Bay. [The recipient "Mary Bowman" is likely Marion Bowman, a deputy general counsel in the FBI.]

Oct. 15, 2004
Email
Jeffrey Harp
David E. Nahmias | Marion E. Bowman
Jeffrey Harp, David E. Nahmias, Marion E. Bowman