Camp X-ray memos tell of life in the cagesBy Scott Higham in Washington and Penelope Debelle
June 14, 2004
On the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, newly arriving detainees thought they were about to be executed.
The jumpsuits they were given to wear were made from reddish cloth - in the Arab world, a colour reserved for condemned men.
US officers noted their fear, and wondered if it could work in their favour. "Should we continue not to tell them what is going on and keep them scared?" one officer noted in one of a series of US Defence Department memos written at the base and obtained by The Washington Post.
The memos provide one of the most complete pictures to date of life behind the wire at Guantanamo, including for David Hicks, one of two Australians held there. The detainees wanted an extra pair of shorts to wear in the shower, for privacy. They asked that the call to prayer be broadcast in camp, but a CD player could not be found. They asked for tea with "lots of sugar". The response: "Not now. However, we will reconsider in the future."
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Sydney Morning Herald
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