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 (2215)

RelevanceDateRelease Date
Feb. 18, 2004 | DOD | ACLU-RDI 6816
This memo from Paul Wolfowitz, US Deputy Secretary of Defense, to the Attorney General and the directors of the CIA and FBI provides notes and talking points on the most dangerous enemy combatants detained at Guantanamo to provide to the press in ...
Dec. 15, 2009
Non-legal Memo
Paul Wolfowitz
Alberto R. Gonzales | John McLaughlin | James B. Comey
Geoffrey D. Miller, Paul W. Butler
Abu Zubaydah
May 27, 2004 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 6798
A letter from Jack Goldsmith to Scott Muller regarding the CIA Inspector General's Special Review of the CIA's interrogation program. The letter expresses concern at the fact that, according to the Special Review, aspects of the CIA's ...
Aug. 31, 2016
Legal Memo
Jack L. Goldsmith
Scott W. Muller
Jack L. Goldsmith, Scott W. Muller, John A. Rizzo
EIT, Use of water, Waterboarding
Sept. 06, 2004 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 6797
Letter from Daniel Levin to John Rizzo discussing whether the use of twelve interrogation techniques in the interrogation of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani would violate any U.S. statute, the U.S. Constitution, or any treaty obligation of the U.S.
Aug. 31, 2016
Legal Memo
Daniel B. Levin
John A. Rizzo
John A. Rizzo, Daniel B. Levin
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani
EIT, Use of water, Water dousing, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Stomach/abdominal slap, Attention grasp, Facial hold, Walling, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Sleep deprivation, Dietary manipulation, Nudity
Sept. 20, 2004 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 6794
An OLC memo to the CIA addressing whether the use of "twelve particular interrogation techniques (attention grasp, walling, facial hold, facial slap (insult slap), cramped confinement, wall standing, stress positions, sleep deprivation, dietary ...
Aug. 31, 2016
Legal Memo
Daniel B. Levin
John A. Rizzo
John A. Rizzo, Daniel B. Levin
Sharif al-Masri
EIT, Use of water, Water dousing, Face slap or insult slap, Stomach/abdominal slap, Attention grasp, Facial hold, Walling, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Sleep deprivation, Dietary manipulation, Nudity, Physical assault
Sept. 20, 2004 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 6793
An OLC memo to the CIA addressing whether the use of "twelve particular interrogation techniques (attention grasp, walling, facial hold, facial slap (insult slap), cramped confinement, wall standing, stress positions, sleep deprivation, dietary ...
Aug. 31, 2016
Legal Memo
Daniel B. Levin
John A. Rizzo
July 28, 2004 | CIA | ACLU-RDI 6782
This is an email which provides electronic copies "of the CTC/RDG Interrogator Course Critiques." This course was taught by Mitchell, Jessen, and one other redacted official, and the critiques come from "interrogator graduates" and an OMS ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Email, Other
James Mitchell , Bruce Jessen
May 12, 2004 | CIA | ACLU-RDI 6775
This CIA memorandum for the Deputy Director of Operations is a review of the CIA Detainee Program with particular focus on the guidelines for detention and interrogation on May 12, 2004. The memorandum is heavily redacted and states that the CIA ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Non-legal Memo
Henry A. Crumpton
Jan. 13, 2004 | CIA | ACLU-RDI 6731
This memo is a response from a redacted doctor to a request from the CIA Inspector General for comments on the "Draft Special Review--Counterterrorism Detention and Interrogation Program" report (2003-7123-IG). Everything but the envelope ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Non-legal Memo
John L. Helgerson
John L. Helgerson
June 18, 2004 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 6623
An OLC memo from Jack Goldsmith to John Helgerson, the CIA's Inspector General, expressing disagreement with the Special Review's representation of OLC opinions on two points -- whether John Ashcroft (Attorney General) authorized "expanded use" ...
Aug. 31, 2016
Legal Memo
Jack L. Goldsmith
John L. Helgerson
Jack L. Goldsmith, John L. Helgerson, John A. Rizzo
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, Use of water, Waterboarding
May 07, 2004 | CIA | ACLU-RDI 6617
Report from the Office of Inspector General on Counterterrorism Detention and Interrogation Activities from September 2001-October 2003, specifically focusing on the use of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques (EITs). In September 2016, a version ...
Sept. 29, 2016
Oversight Report
CIA Office of Inspector General
Bruce Jessen
Gul Rahman, Abu Zubaydah, Abd Al-Rahim Al-Nashiri
EIT, Use of water, Waterboarding, Physical assault, Threat, Mock Burial, Sleep deprivation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound, Temperature, Nudity