2004.06.23 - PEGC Special ========================= THE DAMAGE CONTROL BLITZ: STATEMENTS & DOCUMENTS I'm not sure if this is everything, but it's what I've been able to gather so far, and incorporates the White House documents posted by the Washington Post this morning. I plan to add everything to the PEGC archive folders and link each document on the PEGC history page. I think I will also create a single folder that has all the detainee documents in one place. Not sure how long it will take as I have a couple of other tasks going right now. --CBG ========================== STATEMENTS - JUNE 22, 2004 ========================== The White House / PR Newswire -- June 22, 2004 PRESS BRIEFING BY ALBERTO GONZALES, WILLIAM HAYNES, DANIEL DELL'ORTO AND GENERAL KEITH ALEXANDER http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/06-22-2004/0002198282&EDATE= The White House -- June 22, 2004 PRESS BRIEFING BY SCOTT MCCLELLAN The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/06/20040622-3.html DoD-- June 22, 2004 Press Release No. 596-04 DoD PROVIDES DETAILS ON INTERROGATION PROCESS http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2004/nr20040622-0930.html CNN -- June 22, 2004 BUSH: 'I HAVE NEVER ORDERED TORTURE' ADMINISTRATION RELEASES MEMOS ON DETAINEE TREATMENT http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/22/prisoner.memos/index.html Los Angeles Times -- June 22, 2004 WHITE HOUSE RELEASES DOCUMENTS DETAILING INTERROGATING TACTICS By Richard A. Serrano, Times Staff Writer http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-062204torture_lat,1,1576639.story New York Times -- June 22, 2004 WHITE HOUSE RELEASES DOCUMENTS RELATED TO PRISON ABUSE By David Stout http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/22/politics/22CND-ABUS.html?hp Washington Post -- June 22, 2004 WHITE HOUSE RELEASES DOCUMENTS ON DETAINEES MEMOS SAY BUSH CLAIMED RIGHT TO WAIVE ANTI-TORTURE LAWS; JUSTICE DEPT. DISAVOWS 2002 MEMO By Curt Anderson, The Associated Press http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60719-2004Jun22.html ===================== WHITE HOUSE DOCUMENTS ===================== San Diego Union / AP -- **** TEXT OF BUSH ORDER ON TREATING DETAINEES, FEBRUARY 7, 2002 **** The lies behind the "Fact" sheet... HTML (AP): http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/terror/20040622-1708-prisonerabuse-bushorder.html PDF SCANNED ORIGINAL (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2004/images/06/22/bush.memo.pdf PDF TEXT (PEGC): http://pegcno-ip.info/archive/White_House/bush_memo_20020207_ed.pdf Washington Post -- June 23, 2004 BUSH ADMINISTRATION DOCUMENTS ON INTERROGATION http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62516-2004Jun22.html The following is a summary of White House, Pentagon and Justice Department documents about interrogation policies. The documents were released by the Bush administration on June 22. Some files are presented as PDF files, which require the Adobe Acrobat Reader, and may require high-speed Internet connections to download. * Jan. 22, 2002: Justice Department Memo to the White House and Pentagon Counsels (3.3MB) A 37-page memo written by Assistant Attorney General Jay S. Bybee and addressed to White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales and the Pentagon's general counsel, William J. Haynes II. Bybee argued that that the War Crimes Act and the Geneva Convention did not apply to al Qaeda prisoners and that President Bush had constitutional authority to "suspend our treaty obligations toward Afghanistan" because it was a "failed state." Bybee, then head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, has since become a federal judge. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/documents/012202bybee.pdf * Feb. 1, 2002: Letter to President Bush From the Attorney General (49KB; from FindLaw) The memo by Attorney General John D. Ashcroft summarized the Justice Department's position on why the Geneva Convention did not apply to al Qaeda and Taliban detainees. The memo was Ashcroft's personal response to the State Department position that, as a matter of law, the Geneva Conventions protected Taliban soldiers. Ashcroft warned that if the president sided with the State Department, American officials might wind up going to jail for violating U.S. and international laws. http://news.findlaw.com/wp/docs/torture/jash20102ltr.html [ PDF at: http://pegcno-ip.info/archive/DOJ/20020201_ashcroft.pdf ] * Feb. 7, 2002: Justice Department Memo to the White House Counsel (49KB; from FindLaw) A memo written by Jay S. Bybee, then head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, advised White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales that the president had "reasonable factual grounds" to determine that Taliban fighters captured in Afghanistan were not entitled to prisoner of war status. http://news.findlaw.com/wp/docs/torture/bybee20702mem.html * Feb. 7, 2002: Memo Signed by President Bush (130KB) Bush's presidential memorandum to members of his national security team said he believed he had "the authority under the Constitution" to deny protections of the Geneva Conventions to combatants picked up during the war in Afghanistan, but that he would "decline to exercise that authority at this time." The memo settled the dispute between the State and Justice departments over the issue. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/documents/020702bush.pdf * Feb. 26, 2002: Justice Department Memo to the Pentagon's General Counsel (2.5MB) A memo to the Pentagon's general counsel, William J. Haynes II, written by Assistant Attorney General Jay S. Bybee examined constitutional questions related to detainees captured in Afghanistan, including the admissibility of statements made in interrogations. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/documents/022602bybee.pdf * Aug. 1, 2002: Justice Department Memo to the White House Counsel (864KB; from FindLaw) A memo to White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales from Jay S. Bybee of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel concluded that techniques used to interrogate al Qaeda operatives would not violate a 1984 international treaty prohibiting torture. Bybee also concluded that the interrogation of al Qaeda members was outside the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, but warned that a "rogue prosecutor" could choose to investigate U.S. interrogation techniques because the international court "is not checked by any other international body, not to mention any democratically-elected or accountable one." http://news.findlaw.com/wp/docs/doj/bybee80102ltr.html * Aug. 1, 2002: Justice Department Memo to the White House Counsel (27.5MB; from FindLaw) The memo from Jay S. Bybee, head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, to White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales found that torturing terrorism suspects might be legally defensible. Bush administration officials said on June 22, 2004 -- when the document was publicly released -- that the memo's conclusions were overbroad and would be rewritten. http://news.findlaw.com/wp/docs/doj/bybee80102mem.pdf * Dec. 2, 2002: Defense Department Memo Regarding "Counter-Resistance Techniques" (780KB) A memo written by the Pentagon's general counsel, William J. Haynes II, on Nov. 27 and approved by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Dec. 2 summarized specific interrogation techniques that could be used at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; this document also includes a series of related memos on interrogation techniques. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/documents/dodmemos.pdf * A related one-page summary document (56KB) issued to reporters by Bush aides on June 22, 2004, reviewed which specific techniques were approved and used. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/documents/062204GTMOslide.pdf * Jan. 15, 2003: Rumsfeld Memo to the Head of U.S. Southern Command (47KB) Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's memo rescinded his approval for some interrogation techniques for Guantanamo Bay. The memo allowed commanders to seek Rumsfeld's direct approval to use the tougher techniques if they are "warranted in an individual case" but would require a "thorough justification." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/documents/011503rumsfeld.pdf * Jan. 15, 2003: Rumsfeld Memo to the Pentagon Counsel (53KB) The defense secretary's memo to William J. Haynes II, the Pentagon's general counsel, asked Haynes to convene a working group to examine all aspects of interrogation policies. The memo also was referenced in Rumsfeld's memo to the head of U.S. Southern Command dated the same day. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/documents/011503rumsfelda.pdf * Jan. 17, 2003: Memo From the Pentagon Counsel to the General Counsel for the Air Force (56KB) Pentagon general counsel William J. Haynes II designated Mary L. Walker, the general counsel for the Air Force, to head the working group Rumsfeld requested in his Jan. 15 memo. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/documents/011703haynes.pdf * April 4, 2003: Report of the Pentagon Working Group (6.7MB) The 85-page report requested by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld in January reviewed "legal, historical, police and operational considerations" and made recommendations to the Pentagon on what techniques should be approved. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/documents/040403dod.pdf * April 16, 2003: Rumsfeld Memo to the Head of U.S. Southern Command (1.6MB) The defense secretary, acting on the working groups' recommendation, restates which specific interrogation techniques are approved for Guantanamo Bay and which require his direct approval. The document also includes excerpts from the Army Field Manual. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/documents/041603rumsfeld.pdf [ Compiled by Mark Stencel, The Washington Post, and Ryan Thornburg, washingtonpost.com ] ============= DoD DOCUMENTS ============= * Document 1: Status of Taliban and Al Qaida, Dated: 19 January 2002 http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2004/d20040622doc1.pdf * Document 2: Status of Taliban and Al Qaida message from Chairman, Joint Chief of Staff to Unified Commands and Services, Dated: 21 January 2002 http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2004/d20040622doc2.pdf * Document 3: Memo for Commander Joint Task Force 170, Dated: 11 October 2002 http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2004/d20040622doc3.pdf * Document 4: SOUTHCOM’s endorsement of the CJTF-170’s request, Dated: 25 October 2002 http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2004/d20040622doc4.pdf * Document 5: Secretary of Defense memorandum ref: approving counter resistance techniques, Dated: 02 December 2002 http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2004/d20040622doc5.pdf * Document 6: Secretary of Defense memorandum for Commander, SOUTHCOM ref: Counter Resistance Techniques Dated: 15 Jan 2003 http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2004/d20040622doc6.pdf * Document 7: Memorandum for the Department of Defense General Counsel Ref: Detain interrogations Dated:15 Jan 2003 http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2004/d20040622doc7.pdf * Document 8: Working Group Report ion detainee operations Dated: 04 April 2003 http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2004/d20040622doc8.pdf * Document 9: Memo for Commander, SOUTHCOM: Counter Resistance Technique in the War on Terrorism Dated: 16 Apr 2003 http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2004/d20040622doc9.pdf Regards, Charly * * * Charles Gittings Oakland, California cbgittings@sbcglobal. net +1-510-923-1688 PROJECT TO ENFORCE THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS (PEGC) http://PEGC.no-ip.info PEGC Update http://PEGC.no-ip.info/PEGC_Update.html