This report, offering an executive summary and conclusions, was released by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman; it is the result of an 18-month inquiry into the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody.

Executive Summary

"What sets us apart from our enemies in this fight ... is how we behave. In everything we do, we must observe the standards and values that dictate that we treat noncombatants and detainees with dignity and respect. While we are warriors, we are also all human beings. " -- General David Petraeus, May 10,2007

The collection oftimely and accurate intelligence is critical to the safety of U.S. personnel deployed abroad and to the security ofthe American people here at home. The methods by which we elicit intelligence information from detainees in our custody affect not only the reliability ofthat information, but our broader efforts to win hearts and minds and attract allies to our side.

(U) AI Qaeda and Taliban terrorists are taught to expect Americans to abuse them. They are recruited based on false propaganda that says the United States is out to destroy Islam. Treating detainees harshly only reinforces that distorted view, increases resistance to cooperation, and creates new enemies. In fact, the April 2006 National Intelligence Estimate "Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States" cited "pervasive anti U.S. sentiment among most Muslims" as an underlying factor fueling the spread ofthe global jihadist movement.

Former Navy General Counsel Alberto Mora testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee in June 2008 that "there are serving U.S. flag-rank officers who maintain that the first and second identifiable causes of U. S. combat deaths in Iraq - as judged by their effectiveness in recruiting insurgent fighters into combat - are, respectively the symbols of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo."

(U) The abuse ofdetainees in U.S. custody cannot simply be attributed to the actions of "a few bad apples" acting on their own. The fact is that senior officials in the United States government solicited information on how to use aggressive techniques, redefined the law to create the appearance oftheir legality, and authorized their use against detainees. Those efforts damaged our ability to collect accurate intelligence that could save lives, strengthened the hand ofour enemies, and compromised our moral authority. This report is a product ofthe Committee's inquiry into how those unfortunate results came about.

Download Senate Armed Services Committee Inquiry Into the Treatment of Detainees in U.S. Custody, Final Report

PDF format, 15MB, 263Pages.

UNCLASSIFIED
Note on Source Material Used in the Preparation of the Report

(U) Over the course ofthe its inquiry into the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody, the Committee reviewed more than 200,000 pages of classified and unclassified documents, including detention and interrogation policies, memoranda, electronic communications, training manuals, and the results of previous investigations into detainee abuse. The majority ofthose documents were provided to the Committee by the Department of Defense. The Committee also reviewed documents provided by the Department ofJustice, documents in the public domain, a small number of documents provided by individuals, and a number ofpublished secondary sources including books and articles in popular magazines and scholarly journals.

(U) The Committee interviewed over 70 individuals in connection with its inquiry. Most interviews were ofcurrent or former Department ofDefense employees, though the Committee also interviewed current and/or former employees ofthe Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Committee issued two subpoenas and held two hearings to take testimony from subpoenaed witnesses. The Committee also sent written questions to more than 200 individuals. The Committee held public hearings on June 17, 2008 and September 25, 2008.

(U) Military personnel referred to in the report are identified by their rank at the time the events in question took place.

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