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 (8)

RelevanceDateRelease Date
June 27, 2002 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 4545

An OLC memo concluding that the “the President’s authority to detain enemy combatants, including U.S. citizens, is based on his constitutional authority as Commander in Chief” and that the Non-Detention Act cannot interfere ...

Mar. 02, 2009
Legal Memo
John C. Yoo
Daniel J. Bryant
John C. Yoo, Daniel J. Bryant, Timothy E. Flanigan, William J. Haynes, II, Jay S. Bybee, Jennifer K. Elsea, Patrick Philbin, Abner J. Mikva
Jose Padilla
Apr. 08, 2002 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 4543

An OLC memo concluding that Congress cannot interfere with the President's exercise of his authority as Commander in Chief to control the conduct of operations during war, including his authority to promulgate rules to regulate military ...

Mar. 02, 2009
Legal Memo
Patrick Philbin
Daniel J. Bryant
Patrick Philbin, Daniel J. Bryant, John C. Yoo
June 02, 2004 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 2772
An email distributing "AG talking points on interrogations" in anticipation of a meeting. An attachment is included but not provided with the document.
Oct. 15, 2004
Email
Steven G. Bradbury
Patrick Rowan | David E. Nahmias | Peter B. Owen | William Moschella | Jack L. Goldsmith | Patrick Philbin | Daniel J. Bryant | Daniel B. Levin | Crystal Roberts | Sean McLaughlin | Rena Comisac | Robert B. Parmiter | Renee Lerner | Rebecca Seidel
Steven G. Bradbury, Patrick Rowan, David E. Nahmias, Peter B. Owen, William E. Moschella, Jack L. Goldsmith, Patrick Philbin, Daniel J. Bryant, Daniel B. Levin, Crystal Roberts, Sean McLaughlin, Judith S. Garrett, Thomas R. Kane, Julie E. Samuels, Rena Comisac, Renee Lerner, Paul P. Colborn, David Blake, Rebecca Seidel, Robert B. Parmiter, Patrick Rowan
June 07, 2004 | DOJ | ACLU-RDI 2773
Emails refer to AG's Iraq follow-on briefing and talking point papers. Attached documents are referenced, but not provided.
Oct. 15, 2004
Email
Patrick Rowan
Peter B. Owen | David E. Nahmias | Crystal Roberts | Daniel J. Bryant | Daniel B. Levin | Jack L. Goldsmith | Patrick Philbin | Sean McLaughlin | William Moschella | Judith S. Garrett | John Richter | Angela Brown | Rena Comisac | David Blake | Thomas R. Kane
Patrick Rowan, Peter B. Owen, David E. Nahmias, Crystal Roberts, Daniel J. Bryant, Daniel B. Levin, Jack L. Goldsmith, Patrick Philbin, Sean McLaughlin, William E. Moschella, Thomas R. Kane, Judith S. Garrett, Bruce Swartz, Julie E. Samuels, Rena Comisac, John Richter, Angela Brown, David Blake, Paul P. Colborn, Rebecca Seidel, Renee Lerner, Robert B. Parmiter, Pete Jones
June 04, 2004 | DOJ | ACLU-RDI 2742
Document fully redacted. Email Subjects: "Final(?) Iraq papers""Revised AG talkers on interrogation for today's meeting."
Oct. 15, 2004
Email
Peter B. Owen
Patrick Rowan | David E. Nahmias | Crystal Roberts | Daniel J. Bryant | Daniel B. Levin | Jack L. Goldsmith | Patrick Philbin | Sean McLaughlin | Steven G. Bradbury | William Moschella | John Richter | Bruce Swartz | Judith S. Garrett | Angela Brown | David Blake
Peter B. Owen, Patrick Rowan, David E. Nahmias, Crystal Roberts, Daniel J. Bryant, Daniel B. Levin, Jack L. Goldsmith, Patrick Philbin, Sean McLaughlin, Steven G. Bradbury, William E. Moschella, Judith S. Garrett, Thomas R. Kane, Angela Brown, John Richter, Rena Comisac, Julie E. Samuels, Bruce Swartz, David Blake, Paul P. Colborn, Rebecca Seidel, Renee Lerner, Robert B. Parmiter, Pete Jones
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
June 01, 2004 | DOJ | ACLU-RDI 2715

Refers to Draft talking points. Attachments seem to be redacted.

Oct. 15, 2004
Email
Peter B. Owen
Patrick Rowan | David Nahmias | William Moschella | Jack L. Goldsmith | Patrick Philbin | Crystal Roberts | Sean McLaughlin | Thomas Kane | Judi Garrett | Daniel B. Levin | Daniel J. Bryant
Peter B. Owen, William E. Moschella, Crystal Roberts, Sean McLaughlin, Jack L. Goldsmith, Patrick Philbin, Daniel B. Levin, Daniel J. Bryant, Judith S. Garrett, Patrick Rowan, Thomas R. Kane
June 02, 2004 | DOJ | ACLU-RDI 2711
Refers to Revised AG talkers (talking points) on interrogation for a discussion. The attached documents are "McCotter mstrong Points," "Iraq Points," "Iraq Corrections Points," and "Afghanistan."
Oct. 15, 2004
Email
Peter B. Owen
Patrick Rowan | Steven G. Bradbury | William Moschella | Jack L. Goldsmith | Patrick Philbin | Daniel J. Bryant | Daniel B. Levin | Crystal Roberts | Sean McLaughlin | David Nahmias | Judi Garrett | Thomas Kane
Peter B. Owen, David E. Nahmias, Steven G. Bradbury, William E. Moschella, Jack L. Goldsmith, Patrick Philbin, Daniel J. Bryant, Daniel B. Levin, Crystal Roberts, Sean McLaughlin, Judith S. Garrett, Thomas R. Kane