(New) Memo lists acceptable 'aggressive' interrogation methods (waterboard

[UpInArms]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-06-27-cia-interrogation-methods_x.htm

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department spelled out specific interrogation methods that the CIA could use against top al-Qaeda members in a still-classified August 2002 legal memo, issued as the spy agency pressed terrorism suspects about possible strikes on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, current and former Justice officials said.

CIA officials had demanded specific guidance for handling "high-value al-Qaeda captives," said a former Justice official who worked on the memo. The techniques discussed were "aggressive" but "lawful," the former official said. A current Justice official who knows the memo's contents said it specifically authorized the CIA to use "waterboarding," in which a prisoner is made to believe he is suffocating.

The memo has not been made public in the ongoing investigations of abuse of prisoners by military and intelligence officials. Because the document is classified, the former and current Justice officials spoke on condition of anonymity. The memo is far more detailed and explicit than another August 2002 document generated by Justice's Office of Legal Counsel concerning U.S. obligations under anti-torture law. That document has been made public.

...more...

More leaking out from former and current Justice officials.

[struggle4progress]

1. I finds meself wantin' to quote Cheney right often nowadays. eom