CIA urges judge to keep detainee papers secret

WASHINGTON — CIA Director Leon Panetta told a federal judge Monday that releasing documents about the agency's terror interrogations would gravely damage national security.

Panetta sent a 24-page missive to New York federal judge Alvin Hellerstein, arguing that release of agency cables describing tough interrogation methods used on al-Qaida suspects would tell the enemy far too much about U.S. counterterrorism work.

The CIA director filed the papers in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union. The suit has already led to the unveiling of Bush administration legal memos authorizing harsh methods _ among them waterboarding, a type of simulated drowning, and slamming suspects into walls _ and a fight over releasing long-secret photos of abused detainees.

"I have determined that the disclosure of intelligence about al-Qaida reasonably could be expected to result in exceptionally grave damage to the national security by informing our enemies of what we knew about them, and when, and in some instances, how we obtained the intelligence," Panetta wrote.

Panetta acknowledges in the court papers that the CIA destroyed 92 videotapes of detainee interrogations that took place in 2002. Officials have previously said that a dozen of those tapes showed the so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques," which critics call torture. The destruction of the videotapes has spurred a criminal investigation into why they were destroyed.

The tapes _ and the interrogations _ are also an issue in the ACLU's lawsuit.

The CIA is fighting efforts to force release of the documents, including dozens of agency cables. The cables, Panetta said, describe in detail the methods used on terror suspects, the information gleaned from them and what U.S. officials still did not know at the time the suspects were being questioned.

The CIA last month denied a request by former Vice President Dick Cheney to declassify secret memos that detail whether valuable intelligence was gained from the use of the harsh interrogation techniques. Cheney said the documents show that the tactics prevented terrorist attacks and saved lives, contrary to the Obama administration's criticism of the Bush-era policies.

President Barack Obama also said last month he would try to block the court-ordered release of photos showing U.S. troops abusing prisoners, reversing his position out of concern the pictures would "further inflame anti-American opinion" and endanger U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Comments

[LooktotheLeft]

Each day that passes that we continue to have a discussion of the vices vs. virtues of t0rture or ask questions such as "Is waterboarding t0rture"?, we lose a bit more of our soul. Call me pitifully naive, but I just can't believe there are people who would, in the name of defending this past President and in the name of their continued seeking of refuge under the name of 9-1-1, actually defend causing pain to another human being in order to, ostensibly, extract information. If we're having that discussion in 2009, I can only imagine what we'll be talking 25 years from now. Either way, if we're continuing to have such a discussion, it only serves as a diversionary obstacle for countless other actives of far greater consequence.

[shylove2]

The real question is what sort of abuses of power were undertaken by the CIA within the secret programs in our own country and against our own citizens?? The rest of the world knows about these things from the people who have been released and the press about the rape pictures etc. If the facts aren't revealed the imaginations of most people will do just as well in imagining what taking gloves of civilization off mean to the genitals of the prisoners.

Which inexorably brings us to the David Carradine genitalia and possible CIA involvement!!!

[ProfessorDuh]

The US is not the richest, most powerful nation in the word. It is a sadistic beggar with a bazooka.

[CigarGod]

“Should any American sold-ier be so base and in-famous as to in. jure any [prisoner]. . . I do most earnestly enjoin you to bring him to such sev-ere and exemplary pun-ish/ment as the enormity of the cri. me may require. Should it extend to de. ath itself, it will not be disproportional to its gu-ilt at such a time and in such a cause… for by such conduct they bring sha-me, dis-grace and ru. in to themselves and their country.” - George Washington, charge to the Northern Expeditionary Force, Sept. 14, 1775

[CigarGod]

“Should any American soldier be so base and infamous as to injure any [prisoner]. . . I do most earnestly enjoin you to bring him to such severe and exemplary punishment as the enormity of the crime may require. Should it extend to death itself, it will not be disproportional to its guilt at such a time and in such a cause… for by such conduct they bring shame, disgrace and ruin to themselves and their country.” - George Washington, charge to the Northern Expeditionary Force, Sept. 14, 1775

[Michael Valentine]

I can see their point, if we just ignore it, it will go away.

[jmpurser]

No. If we ignore it it will come again and again and again.

[ProfessorDuh]

The use of torture corrupts the society that permits it, swiftly or gradually, but inevitably and completely.

[jmpurser]

Ditto for the nation that decides it "can't afford" justice.

[casianoj]

Harboring war criminals by suppressing detailed evidence of war crimes will not improve our standing in the world. Prosecuting the war criminals who engineered and facilated the abuse will improve our standing and lessen Al Qaida influence. This is a period of cleansing that we cannot avoid.

[TJCole]

The CIA is literally admitting that they and their actions increased membership in al-Qaeda, you realize that..?

That's just incredible...

[sauceruney]

If our national security is to be damaged by the truth, then it's those who contributed to that truth, and not those who reveal it, who are responsible. If the CIA did something which will be our undoing, then they should bear that responsibility in the eyes of the world.

[rmwarnick]

So we're afraid of revealing details of torture methods that were illegal and horribly misguided in the first place, and the CIA has been ordered never to use again? That makes no sense. The CIA ought to be disbanded-- we have 16 other intelligence agencies that do a better job.

[ProfessorDuh]

The road to justice does not run through the valley of covering up the evidence of crimes. We've taken a wrong turn, and we're going to pay for it.

[StL]

People who are calling for the photos should also call for the photos of late term abortion . If we want to be fair. Abortion is funded by tax dollars so our hands are dirty in this area also. Who decideds which recipient of cruelty is more justified? At least the prisoners LIVE to tell the tale. We only have pieces of the dead baby to tell the tale.

[ProfessorDuh]

We're talking about real human beings, not potential ones. And many of the prisoners have been murdered, as well.

[gladys46]

Oh please ... women chose to abort ... they are NOT "subjected" by any government agency forcing them ... it is the legal right of any woman in this country to have equal protections .. safe medical care !!!

[NedroidPrime]

Hey, your side had power for most of the past 12 years. We still have abortion. Now, what does it tell you when your own representatives (R) don't do the job they say they will?

[conniedogs]

Secrets.....

[vietveter]

paganmist

I don't know the answer to your question.

If the people that do this for a living would be truthful with us about what works we would all know the answer to your very good question.

As to using the same tactics with domestic and foreign interrogations;

whatever it is that works should always be used at all times.
If it turns out that waterboarding is what it takes............
1. I would never put myself in that position = good deterrent
2. We need to make the laws fit the reality
3. We need to get off of the backs of other countries that act as we do - not as we say we do

[HyperInfluential]

We are not free, as Americans, to do just whatever we want to do to whoever we want. We are a nation of laws. The United States Constitution, Amendment VIII forbids any American from using any form of cruel or unusual punishment against any person, any time, anywhere, for any reason, no matter who they are, where they're from, how they were captured, or what they have done.

It doesn't matter whether it would have worked to have done it, we don't do it because we are forbidden to do it as part of the basic fabric of our society. Our Founders held it to be self-evident that torture was wrong. They'd seen a lot of it, it was standard operating procedure pretty much everywhere in their day, that's why they were so careful to draft the 8th Amendment so broadly, to make it clear there were never any exceptions to this rule.

[CigarGod]

"Excessive administration secrecy... feeds conspiracy theories and reduces the public's confidence in government." Sen. John McCain, candidate for US president, 2008.