Exclusive Text: What Waterboarding Revealed

Not one of the liberal pundits decrying the use of enhanced interrogation techniques (EITs) appears to have read the complete set of memos released by President Obama. I know this because I cannot find a single, plain-text version of the scanned memos anywhere on the web. And, the most critical section -- the results obtained from EITs -- is nowhere to be found.

Most of the anti-American leftists seem strangely incurious regarding the key question asked even at The Huffington Post: what did the enhanced interrogations reveal?

I herein present the actual results of the EITs as described in the partially redacted 5/30/2005 memo (U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel, MEMORANDUM FOB JOHN A. RIZZO, SENIOR DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL, CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, "Re: Application of 'United States Obligation; Under Article 16 of the Convention Against Torture to Certain Techniques That May Be Used in the Interrogation of High Value al Qaeda Detainees'", originally classified TOP SECRET/NOFORN).

What follows is my transcription of the critical sections of the scans.

The CIA used the waterboard extensively in the interrogations of KSM and Zubaydah, but it did so only after it became clear that standard interrogation techniques were not working. Interrogators used enhanced techniques in the interrogation of il-Nashiri with notable results as early as the first day. See IG Report at 35-36. Twelve days into the interrogation, the CIA subjected al-Nashiri to one session of the waterboard during which water was applied two times...

Indeed, before the CIA used enhanced techniques in the interrogation of KSM, KSM resisted giving any answers to questions about future attacks, simply noting, "Soon, you will know"...

...Zubaydah himself explained with respect to enhanced techniques, "brothers who are captured and interrogated are permitted by Allah to provide information when they believe they have 'reached the limit of their ability to withhold It' in the face of psychological and physical hardships." ...indeed, we understand that since the use of enhanced techniques, "KSM and Abu Zubaydah have been pivotal sources because of their ability and willingness to provide their analysis and speculation about the capabilities, methodologies, and mindsets of terrorists..."

...You have informed us that the interrogation of KSM — once enhanced techniques were employed — led to the discovery- of a KSM plot, the "Second Wave," "to use East Asian operatives to crash a hijacked airline into" a building in Los Angeles, Effectiveness Memo at 3...

...You have informed us that information obtained from KSM also led to the capture of Riduan bin Isomuddin, better known as Hambali, and the discovery of the Guraba Cell, a 17-member Jemaah Islamiyah cell tasked with executing the "Second Wave" See id. at 3-4: CIA Directorate of Intelligence, Al-Qa'ida's Ties to Other Key Terror Groups: Terrorists Links In a Chain 2 (Aug. 28, 2003). More specifically, we understand that KSM admitted that he had [REDACTED] large sum of money to an al Qaeda associate See Fax from [REDACTED]... DCI Counterterrorism Center, Briefing Notes on the [REDACTED] Reporting at 1 (Apr. 1 5, 2005) ('Briefing Notes")...

Khan subsequently identified the associate (Zubair), who was then captured. Zubair, in turn, provided Information that led to the arrest of Hambali Set id. The information acquired from these captures allowed CIA interrogators to pose more specific questions to KSM, which led the CIA to Hambali's brother, al-Hadi. Using information obtained from multiple sources, al-Hadi was captured, and he subsequently identified the Guraba cell. See id at 1-2 With the aid of this additional information, interrogations of Hambali confirmed much of what was learned from KSM...

Interrogations of Zubaydah — again, once enhanced techniques were employed — furnished detailed information regarding al Qaeda's "organizational structure, key operatives, and modus operandi" and identified KSM as the mastermind of the September 11 attacks. See Brieflng Notes at 4. You have informed us that Zubaydah also "provided significant information on two operatives, [including] Jose Padilla[,] who planned to build and detonate a 'dirty bomb' in the Washington DC area." Effectiveness Memo at 4. Zubaydah and KSM have also supplied important information about al-Zarqawi and his network...

[Ed: important footnote, partially redacted, reads: We discuss only a small fraction of the important intelligence CIA interrogators have obtained from KSM.]

More generally, the CIA has informed us that, since March 2002, the intelligence derived from CIA detainees has resulted in more 6,000 intelligence reports and in 2004 accounted for approximately half of CTC's reporting on al Qaeda. See Briefing Notes at 1; see also... report at 86 (noting that from September 11, 2001 through April 2003, the CIA "produced over 3,000 intelligence reports from" a few high value detainees). You have informed us that the substantial majority of this intelligence has come from detainees subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques...

...In addition, the CIA advises us that program has been virtually indispensable [unreadable] actionable intelligence than other forms of collection [REDACTED].

The terrorists who KSM ratted out include: Majid Khan, Hambali, Rusman “Gun Gun” Gunawan, Yazid Suffat, Jose Padilla, and Lyman Faris.

Hambali, to choose only one of these animals, coordinated the first Bali nightclub bombing on October 12, 2002. It killed 202 and injured 209, including 89 Australians and seven Americans.

Hambali also led the bombings of 30 churches across Indonesia in 2000 during Christmas Eve services -- which killed 17 -- and helped fund the August 5, 2003, Jakarta Marriott Hotel attack that killed 11 and wounded 150.

And now even columnists at the Huffington Post are asking "What would you not do to stop a nuke"?

To put things in simple terms for any "progressives" reading along, here's what the EITs revealed after 3,000 American civilians were slaughtered in cold blood by Al Qaeda:

• FACT: EITs produced 3,000 of the 6,000 critical counter-terror intelligence reports only after normal techniques had proven fruitless;

• FACT: EITs used on Zubaydah revealed KSM's identity as a mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks;

• FACT: KSM ratted out a number of mass-murderers including Hambali;

• FACT: Hambali's brother ratted out a cell bent on "9/11 Wave 2" on the West Coast;

• FACT: Zubaydah also revealed Padilla and his plan to detonate a simplistic dirty bomb in Washington, DC;

So, drones, you can either believe the CIA forged 3,000 documents and magically captured mass-murderers without EITs... or you can believe the truth. And here's a warning:

Any attempts to investigate or prosecute attorneys or officials in the Bush administration will be exposed for what they are: political witch-hunts, motivated by Obama's endless campaign against George W. Bush that masks his complete, utter inability to govern the United States of America.

And what goes around, comes around.


Related: Obama's director of national intelligence affirms the value of EITs (Hugh Hewitt) and Rogue's Gallery (NRO). Linked by: Gateway Pundit and Jawa Report. Thanks!