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MODERATOR: Due to the fact that
one of the men has to leave very shortly, Nathan Hale, I'd like to let
him testify to the interrogation procedures at this time.
NATHAN HALE: I arrived at the base camp of the
1st Cav. which is Hill 29. When I arrived there my S-2, a captain, told
me that my job was to illicit information. This meant that I could
illicit information in any means possible. He told me that I could use
any technique I could think of and the idea is, "Don't get caught."
And what he meant was I could beat these people, I could cut 'em, I
could probably shoot 'em -- I never shot anyone -- but I could use any
means possible to get information. Just don't beat them in the
presence of a non-unit member, or person. That's someone like a visiting
officer, or perhaps the Red Cross.
And I personally used clubs, rifle
butts, pistols, knives, and this was always done at Hill 29. And in the
field it even gets better. On this particular operation the National
Field Police also hanged two men, just because they thought they were
VC.
The important point here is that
everything I did was always monitored. An interrogator is always
monitored. I was monitored by an MP Sergeant at Hill 29 who often helped
me in my interrogations -- he and his squad. One other incident on Hill
29 -- there was a man who was kicked to death by the ARVNs -- the South
Vietnamese. They called me the next morning and they said, "You have a
dead prisoner." So I had to take a doctor over to confirm that he was
dead. My S-2, instead of going through the necessary paper work, had him
put in two 500 pound rice sacks and the troops took him out that day and
dumped him. He was added to the previous day's body count.
I can tell you that Americal Division
has the ideal interrogation location. There are MPs on the hill watching
you, but this doesn't mean you can't kick prisoners under the table. We
used to take knives into the interrogation huts and use the guys hands
as a means of terror.
I might also add that I learned
everything I know from the South Vietnamese and from my Americal
cohorts.
This is a group of detainees being
brought in.
Okay, there's an interrogation going on
right here. This is the way it's conducted. It's a big production. There
are all the Marines sitting around giving the various cheers. At all
times during these interrogations there were officers present. At one
time there was a Lt. Colonel present.
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