Results of the detainee interrogation program.
The documents, obtained by Judicial Watch
through a Freedom of Information Act
lawsuit filed on
July 14, 2009, include two reports entitled, "Khalid Shaykh Muhammad: Preeminent
Source On Al-Qa'ida" and "Detainee Reporting Pivotal for the War Against Al
Qa'ida."The records, were previously held by the Office of
former Vice President Cheney. On March 31, 2009, Vice President Cheney
personally issued a request to the National Archives Presidential Libraries
section for declassification review of these same documents. The Archives then
passed on the request to the CIA for review on April 8, 2009. Vice President
Cheney has said the reports show the effectiveness of enhanced interrogation
techniques that were used on some detained terrorists, such as Khalid Shaykh
Muhammad and Abu Zubaydah.
• After the use of the enhanced interrogation techniques on the bomber of the USS Cole, “al-Nashiri provided lead information on other terrorists during his first day of interrogation.” pages 35-36, para 76…
• “Results from the first al Qaeda HVT interrogated using the aforementioned enhanced techniques, Abu Zubayda, have been outstanding. . . . This has ultimately led to some instances of the US Government being able to neutralize Al Qaeda capabilities worldwide before there was an opportunity for those capabilities to engage in operations harmful to the United States.” CIA Business Plan discussing RDI program, page 13, March 7, 2003.
The documents released Monday clearly demonstrate that the individuals subjected to Enhanced Interrogation Techniques provided the bulk of intelligence we gained about al Qaeda. This intelligence saved lives and prevented terrorist attacks. These detainees also, according to the documents, played a role in nearly every capture of al Qaeda members and associates since 2002. The activities of the CIA in carrying out the policies of the Bush Administration were directly responsible for defeating all efforts by al Qaeda to launch further mass casualty attacks against the United States. The people involved deserve our gratitude.