Memos shed light on CIA use of sleep deprivation

LATimes ^ | May 10, 2009 | Greg Miller

[CutePuppy]

As President Obama prepared last month to release secret memos on the CIA's use of severe interrogation methods, the White House fielded a flurry of last-minute appeals.

One came from former CIA Director Michael V. Hayden, who expressed disbelief that the administration was prepared to expose methods it might later decide it needed.

"Are you telling me that under all conditions of threat, you will never interfere with the sleep cycle of a detainee?" Hayden asked a top White House official, according to sources familiar with the exchange.

From the beginning, sleep deprivation had been one of the most important elements in the CIA's interrogation program, used to help break dozens of suspected terrorists, far more than the most violent approaches. And it is among the methods the agency fought hardest to keep.

The technique is now prohibited by President Obama's ban in January on harsh interrogation methods, although a task force is reviewing its use along with other interrogation methods the agency might employ in the future.

Because of its effectiveness -- as well as the perception that it was less objectionable than waterboarding, head-slamming or forced nudity -- sleep deprivation may be seen as a tempting technique to restore.

But the Justice Department memos released last month by Obama, as well as information provided by officials familiar with the program, indicate that the method ... was more controversial within the U.S. intelligence community than was widely known.

... The memos said that more than 25 of the CIA's prisoners were subjected to sleep deprivation. At one point, the agency was allowed to keep prisoners awake for as long as 11 days; the limit was later reduced to just over a week.

According to the memos, medical personnel were to make sure prisoners weren't injured.

.....

[CutePuppy]

In the period of last month I've had two stretches of no sleep over 60 hours each, voluntarily (well, not exactly, but without help of CIA or other government agency) and, while I have been even less efficient than under normal circumstances, this is far from what I would consider a torture.

However, the method does seem to work because I can't keep secrets any longer... Osama is dead; Obama is a "trojan horse"; Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are not Great Americans...

What would be interesting is for intelligence service to bring a Gitmo detainee in front of the full House or Senate, or just Intelligence Committees, and have the "smart and tough" Congress critters interrogate him and get any information with non-"torture" methods. And stream that on C-SPAN, after which the entire charade of "torture" would be over and Congress and liberals would become even bigger laughing stock than they are now.

[HiTech RedNeck]

When you’re freeping, it isn’t torture....

[HiTech RedNeck]

The most promising approach would be to make their usual bloviating speeches.

[CutePuppy]

That would qualify, but would they “filibuster” the detainees?

[MaxMax]

I haven't had a good nights sleep in six years. And I'll prove it in court
when someone can prove they're gay. I need reparations for losing sleep worrying about my Country,
and the future of the wealthy who employ legal citizens..

[Daisyjane69]

Torture?

These people don’t know torture. If the safety of one of my familiy members was threatened, I’d START with pulling out their eyeballs with tweezers and go from there!

[R. Scott]

Congress and the administrations have long known that they have only to issue orders and they will be carried out. Our politicians have long held to the motto, “Anything can be accomplished by giving an order.”
Our military and CIA have long held to the motto, “The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer.”
Our “esteemed” politicians (collectively) primarily concern themselves with what will appeal to the voters, that’s their only reality.

[CutePuppy]

“The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer.”

Something similar, from different service:

"We, the unappreciated,
working for the unknowing,
led by the unqualified,
have been doing the unbelievable,
so much, for so long, with so little;
we are now being asked to do the impossible,
with nothing,
forever."

[SeminoleSoldier]

I’ve been staying awake 2 and 3 days at a time all through this semester. Who knew that not getting 8 hours of sleep a day is a human rights violation? I think I’m gonna sue my college. /sarc

[Raycpa]

CIA:Lets wake him up and ask him what he knows.

Obama: No can do. We have to wait until his natural sleep cycle is over.

[tobyhill]

Sleep deprivation doesn’t mean they didn’t get sleep, it just means that through REM cycles they were awoken which acts as a natural truth detector.

[FDNYRHEROES]

"We, the unappreciated, working for the unknowing, led by the unqualified, have been doing the unbelievable, so much, for so long, with so little; we are now being asked to do the impossible, with nothing, forever."

At the end of the day amigo, it can also be said that, "the cemeteries are full of indispensable people."

[R. Scott]

That’s familiar, and I think I saw it on a sign in Viet Nam.
Yep - that’s what’s expected.

[CutePuppy]

At the end of the day amigo, it can also be said that, "the cemeteries are full of indispensable people."

True that, mi amigo. It can also be said, to paraphrase, that "some people are more indispensable than others."