I keep hearing from Conservatives who tell me that torture is actually the only correct method of interrogation. They claim that our only option is to use severe torture because we are fighting “barbarians.” But what they really don’t seem to understand is that now we are also the barbarians. So much for their boasts of “American exceptionalism.”
The
favorite Conservative talking point used to justify and praise torture is their
claim that our horrific techniques are what ultimately led to the killing of
Osama Bin Laden. The problem is that this is patently false.
As the new Torture Report shows, our brutal interrogation methods have proved completely ineffective and this favorite Conservative talking point is just an outright lie.
As the new Torture Report shows, our brutal interrogation methods have proved completely ineffective and this favorite Conservative talking point is just an outright lie.
According to Conservatives, there were 12 prisoners who provided us with information about Bin Laden. But in fact, the report shows that of those 12 detainees, 5 of them actually provided information BEFORE they were ever handed over to the CIA.
The
report also says that 9 of the 12 were subjected to outright torture. There
were actually only 4 detainees who gave up information after they were
tortured. But the CIA admits that the information they obtained following the
torture was proven to be “fabricated” and “intentionally misleading.”
Of
course we could easily argue of the illegal and inhumane factors or quote the
Geneva Convention. But the real fact of the matter is that it has been proven
time and time again that torture simply does not work. Now the big problem that
we are left with is that we still need a competent alternative way to
interrogate enemy prisoners of war.
Well,
as it turns out, when we take a look back at American history we can find some
extremely effective methods of interrogation. One of the best enemy interrogators
of all time was Sherwood F. Moran. Moran was a Marine Major back in WWII and he
is legendary because of his methods of extracting valuable information from
Japanese prisoners. And he did it all without ever using torture. In fact, he
did quite the opposite…he was actually nice to them.
Moran
wrote about his techniques back in 1943 and until recently his writings were
considered the gold standard. Moran’s philosophy, which has been proven
extremely effective for more than 70 years, was basically to know and
understand the enemy’s culture, be fluent in their language, and treat the
enemy prisoner as a human being.
Moran’s method had
basically five directives:
1. Maintain a Human to Human
Attitude.
Moran
considered himself and other interrogators “interviewers” and he believed that
it was better to coax out information rather than using torture to force
confessions. He wrote that the most important thing to always be mindful of was
the interrogator’s attitude toward the POW. He claimed that it was equally
important to have both empathy and understanding of the prisoner’s culture.
Moran found out first hand that a superior or demeaning attitude did nothing
but produce intense antagonism and resistance.
2. Speak the Language of the
Prisoner.
Moran
also believed that it was extremely important to be able to speak directly to
the POW in his own language. He was strongly against the use of translators. He
felt that the best way to get into the mind of the prisoner was to speak to him
directly using common idioms and phrases that were familiar to him.
3. Have a Hidden System.
Although
Moran believed that it was necessary to be able to relate to the prisoner, it
was equally important to always maintain a hidden agenda. He warned that the
interrogator must always be aware of exactly what information was needed and
that he must be relentless in his persistence to achieve the end goal.
4. Be Able to Short-Circuit
Patriotic Defensiveness.
Moran
knew that if the interrogator emphasized American superiority over the captor’s
military or nation that the whole thing would be counterproductive. He believed
that if the prisoner felt that he was talking to a harsh conquering enemy that
prisoner would have absolutely no desire to hand over any useful information.
5. Break All Uncooperative
Obstinate Prisoners.
Moran
also knew that even the best interrogators would come up against stubborn
uncooperative prisoners who would absolutely refuse to give up any useful
information. But he felt strongly that any use of torture in these cases would
produce nothing. Instead he found that he was often able to shame the prisoner
into cooperating.
One
of the great things we can learn from Moran’s technique is that interrogators
must be inherently tough, but also have the confidence to know that they always
have the upper hand….even when being humane. Now I suppose that today’s torture
enthusiasts on the right would find these techniques wimpy or too soft. But the
fact remains that Moran’s tactics have been proven to be some of the most
effective methods of interrogation that we’ve ever seen.