Torture and Truth: America, Abu Ghraib, and the War on Terror

Mark Danner

"Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, officials of the United States ... from Bagram in Afghanistan to Guantanamo in Cuba to Abu Ghraib in Iraq, have been torturing prisoners," writes Mark Danner. "This is a simple truth, well known but not yet publicly admitted in Washington." The torture was essentially given institutional approval by the U.S. government, through memoranda from the President's White House counsel, among others, opining that the Geneva Conventions need not apply to prisoners.

In Iraq, at least three different interrogation policies were used. Many soldiers and outside organizations were aware of these torture sessions. Torture and Truth includes documents outlining acceptable interrogation techniques and reports revealing prisoner abuse and torture — including a memo signed by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld concerning "Interrogation Techniques," the reports by Major General Antonio M. Taguba, and the report by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. 20 color photographs are included.

Torture and Truth: America, Abu Ghraib, and the War on Terror is on the Judge Advocate General's Corp list.