Nov. 16, 2006 - 09:59 PST

NOW FOR THE DETAILS

Most of which we suspected all along, I suppose. An article in the Eugene, Oregon Register Guard Nov. 15, 2006 by David Johnston of The New York Times has this to say, quoted in full. (Most caps and italics in body mine)

CIA ADMITS EXISTENCE OF SECRET PAPERS

Two documents, one signed by President Bush, detail interrogation methods used on detainees

WASHINGTON -- "The CIA has acknowledged for the FIRST TIME the existance of two classified documents, including a directive signed by President Bush, that have guided the agency's interrogation and the detention of terror suspects."

"The CIA referred to the documents in a letter sent Friday from the agency's associate general counsel, John McPherson, to lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union."

The contents of the documents were not revealed, but one of them is "a directive signed by Prsident Bush granting the CIA the authority to set up detention facilities outside the United States and outlining interrorgaion methods that may be used against detaineees," the ACLU said, based on its review of published accounts."

"The second document, according to the group, is a Justice Department legal analysis "specifying interogation methods that the CIA may use against top al-Qaida members."

"ACLU lawyers said they would urge public disclosure of the contents of the documanets, "We intend to press for release of both of these documents," Jameel Jaffer, a lawyer for the group, said in a statment. "If President Bush and the Justice Department authorized the CIA to torture prisoners, the public has a right to know."

"The documents had been sought by the ACLU in a suit filed in a New York Federal court under the Freedom of Information Act. The suit has previously led to the disclosure of thousands of documents from the Pentagon, the FBI, the Justice Department and other agencies."

"In the past, CIA lawyers have sought to avoid any discussion of whether the agency had documents related to its interrogation and detention practices, the ACLU said. The group added that the agency had said national security would be jeopardized if it were compelled to disclose in any way its involvement in interrogations."

"In the CIA letter, McPherson confirmed the existence of the documents but declined to release them, saying that essentially all of their contents were exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act because would damage national security and violate attorney-client privilege."

"The documents are withheld in their entirety because there is no meaningful nonexempt information that can be reasonably segregated from the exempt material," he wrote."

"The ACLU sought the documents based on references to them in various news accounts. While both documents have been written about before, the CIA had not previosuly acknowledged their existence."

"The directive from Bush is thought to hae been issued shortly after the attack of Sept. 11, 2001, and the Justice Department memo about a year later. The administration has acknowledged the agency's role in handling detainees."

"Bush said in September that 14 high-level terrorism suspects had been moved from secret prisons overseas to the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."

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Through the years the ACLU has fought for unpopular things that raise the hackles of many of us -- but there is no doubt in my mind that the ACLU has also accomplished much for all of us. I do wish them success in fighting for people's rights.

Surety of the existence of such documents has existed in the minds of the media, thus in our minds (those of us who read the newspapers, etc.). At least that is the way it looks to me. The admission has been made, but information withheld on the usual grounds of national security, blah, blah, blah. It would clarify things (possibly a total embarassment to the administration) a bit to know exactly what that second document -- Justice Department's legal analysis, specifying interrogation methods that can be used actually says. Also, I would like to know Mr. Bush's justification for out of the country detention centers - what earthly purpose they served. So now we know these are actual facts, the existence of both documents. Now hopefully the ACLU can press further, or the media itself, and pry loose the nitty-gritty, then -- NOW FOR THE DETAILS . . . . . . . . . .

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