Successful Prisoner Interrogation [Archive]

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high fly

02-26-2007, 08:22 PM

Nice article on a WW II USMC interrogator whose methods are in use today.Check the February 2007 issue of Leatherneck magazine, the article titled, "The Gold Standard, Major Sherwood Moran and the Interrogation of Prisoners of War," by LtCol James B. Wilkinson, USMC (Ret) with Dick Camp on page 45. [bold emphasis added by me] In World War II, "Pappy" Moran landed on Guadalcanal with the 1st Marine Division as their Chief Interpreter. Here are some highlights from the article: "Moran used his experiences in the campaign to write "Suggestions for Japanese Interpreters Working in the Field," which has become one of the "timeless documents" in the field and a "standard read" for insiders, according to the Marine Corps Interrogator Association (MCITTA), a group of active-duty and retired Marine intelligence personnel. MajGen Michael E. Ennis, former director of Marine Corps Intelligence, has gone even further, saying Moran's reports are the "gold standard" of interrogation techniques... Moran believed that "despite the complexities and difficulties of dealing with an enemy from such a hostile and alien culture, some American interrogators consistently managed to extract useful information from prisoners. The successful interrogators all had one thing in common in the way they approached their subject. They were nice to them."he firmly believed "stripping a prisoner of his dignity, treating him as a still-dangerous threat, forcing him to stand at attention and flanking him with armed guards... invariably backfired." In 1943, Moran wrote, "Without exception it has been demonstrated time and again that a 'human approach works."... "...Capt. Moran forbade strong-arm methods, threats and contemptuousness. "You can get a 'confession' out of a man by bullying him, by practicing 'third degree' methods - but an intelligence officer is not interested in confessions," he said. "He is after information, and it has been demonstrated time and again that a human approach works best." "Herbert C. Merillat, 1stMarDiv historian, described Moran as "a delightful man, full of bounce and verve at God knows what age. Bald, blue-eyed, wearing thick-rimmed spectacles, which often rested halfway down his nose as he peered at the person he was talking to, he had a penetrating voice crackling with energy. He admired the subtleties of the Japanese language. His own mastery of it and his sympathetic manner seemed to put at ease the prisoners he interrogated." Merillat observed that Pappy occasionally interrupted a captured soldier to compliment him: "How well [you] said that. What a nice phrase [you] used," which often surprised the prisoner, who expected to be killed.... ".... He considered "a prisoner as out of the war, out of the picture, and thus, in a way, not an enemy. When it comes to the wounded, the sick ... I consider that since they are out of combat for good, they are simply needy human beings, needing our help, physically and spiritually. This is the standpoint of one human being thinking of another human being. But in addition, it is hard business common sense, and yields rich dividends from the intelligence viewpoint." "..... Moran's philosophy of interrogation was proven time and again in the form of actionable intelligence that saved lives on the battlefield." The article gives as an example that Moran verified the 3,000+ man Japanese force that attacked Edson's Ridge, a crucial battle in the campaign and further states Moran's reports were widely distibuted in the Pacific Theater as models to train interrogators. "Moran left us with an enduring philoso

reeshy

02-26-2007, 08:26 PM

I think I read the same article when I went to a class on hostage interrogation....amazing but if you think about it....if you treat someone nice...you get nice back!!!

Marc with a c

02-26-2007, 08:27 PM

reeshy wrote: amazing but if you think about it....if you treat someone nice...you get nice back!!! mod quote?

epo

02-26-2007, 08:35 PM

If our government followed these principles a little more we wouldn't have half the issues we have now.  Only if....

high fly

03-01-2007, 04:30 PM

reeshy wrote: I think I read the same article when I went to a class on hostage interrogation....amazing but if you think about it....if you treat someone nice...you get nice back!!! We have  number of dolts out there who have seen too much 24 who somehow think abusing prisoners will get the results we want.Perhaps you were quoted the following in that class:"Experience indicates that the use of prohibited techniques is not necessary to gain the cooperation of interrogation sources. Use of torture and other illegal methods is a poor technique that yields unreliable results, may damage subsequent collection efforts, and can induce the source to say what he thinks the interrogator wants to hear. Revelation of use of torture by US personnel wil bring discredit upon the US and its armed forces while undermining domestic and international support for the war effort. It also may place US and allied personnel in enemy hands at a greater risk of abuse by their captors. Conversely, knowing the enemy has abused US and allied PWs does not justify using methods of interrogation specifically prohibited by the GWS, GPW, or GC, and US policy..."I copied that out of the US ARMY INTELLIGENCE AND INTERROGATION HANDBOOK The Official Guide on Prisoner Interrogation (Lyons Pres, 2005)Another intersting book is THE INTERROGATORS Task Force 500 and America's Secret War Against Al Qaeda, by Chris Mackey and Greg Miller. Mackey commanded interrogators in Afghanistan, and his experiences are what the book is about. On pages 31-32, Mackey describes his training at Fort Huachuca, Arizona: "Staff Sergeant Casey, our senior instructor, hammered home the idea that prisoners being tortured or mentally coerced will say anything, absolutely anything, to stop the pain. All of the instructors told us stories of the experiences of Army interrogators working in Vietnam alongside South Vietnamese units that would do the most unspeakable things to prisoners - take two of them up in a helicopter and shove one out the door, torture one of the prisoner's relatives right in front of him - and the squeals of anguish and false information that would flow. The goal of interrogation isn't just to get prisoners to talk, our instructors stressed, it's to get them to tell the truth." Mackey goes on to say the famous photo of the Saigon police chief shooting the VC prisoner in the head with a revolver. "This just hardens the enemy against us......This is not the way we do business" Mackey goes on to say:"The reason the United States should not torture prisoners is not because it doesn't work. It is simply because it is wrong. It dehumanizes us, undermines our cause, and, over the long term, breeds more enemies of the United States than coercive interrogation methods will ever allow us to capture."

DarkHippie

03-01-2007, 04:40 PM

you catch more terrorists with honey than vinegar