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THE TORTURE PAPERS
The Torture Papers consists of the
so-called "torture memos" and reports that the U.S. government officials
wrote to authorize and to document coercive interrogation and torture in
Afghanistan, Guantanamo, and Abu Ghraib. This volume of documents
presents for the first time a compilation of materials that prior to
publication have existed only piecemeal in the public domain. The
Bush Administration, concerned about the legality of harsh interrogation
techniques, understood the desirability of establishing a legally viable
argument to justify such procedures. The memos and reports in this
volume document the systematic attempt of the U.S. government to
authorize the way for torture techniques and coercive interrogation
practices, forbidden under international law, with the concurrent
express intent of evading liability in the aftermath of any discovery of
these practices and policies.
Karen J. Greenberg is the Executive
Director of the Center on Law and Security at the New York University
School of Law, and editor of the NYU Review of Law & Security.
Joshua L. Dratel is President of the New
York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and serves on the
Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense
Lawyers and is lead defense counsel for David Hicks, an Australian
detainee at Guantanamo.
[Back Jacket]
"THE TORTURE PAPERS may well be the most
important and damning set of documents exposing U.S. government
lawlessness ever published ... Each page tells the story of U.S. leaders
consciously willing to ignore the fundamental protections that guarantee
all of us our humanity. I fear for our future. Read these
pages and weep for our country, the rule of law and victims of torture
everywhere." -- MICHAEL RATNER, President of the Center for
Constitutional Rights
"With this superb collection of
documents, we can begin to see the contours of our new post-9/11 world:
from the reinterpretation of laws and treaties that once seemed
immutable, to the pressure on soldiers and CIA officers in the field to
set aside old rules in the hunt for useable intelligence. The
papers speak for themselves and readers can decide whether the
trade-offs are worth it or not." -- DANA PRIEST, National Security
Reporter, The Washington Post
"Not since the Pentagon Papers have we
seen such an important set of classified documents as the memoranda,
reports and orders on detention and interrogation that began emerging
into public view in the United States. Cambridge University Press
is serving an important need in providing these papers in one
authoritative and well-organized collection." -- MARY-ELLEN O'CONNELL,
Professor of International Law, Ohio State University
"This book is a must read for anyone who
cares about the role the United States plays on the world scene.
It describes the steps in an ominous path leading from the high road
down to the low road in the words of those who took that journey.
Throughout our history, the United States has taken justifiable pride in
our adherence to the Rule of Law and our strong advocacy for human
rights. Read THE TORTURE PAPERS and see for yourself if that is
still true. If we do not have the courage and wisdom to confront
this shameful episode, then we are bound to repeat it." -- JOHN D.
HUTSON (Rear Adm. Ret.), Dean & President, Franklin Pierce Law Center
"The memos and other material collected
in this book reveal how political lawyers in the Administration adopted
an 'ends justify the means' policy, and tailored their advice to justify
torture and avoidance of obligations under the Geneva Conventions.
They lost their own moral compass in the process and created a brief for
the enemies of America to use the tactics they sought to justify against
present and future American servicemen and women captured by our
enemies." -- JAMES CULLEN (Brig. General U.S. Army Ret.)
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