Army Field Manual Offers Guide for Intel Community

May 22, 2009
Press Release
For Immediate Release:
May 22, 2009 		Contact: Trevor Kincaid
(202) 226-6898

Army Field Manual Offers Guide for Intel Community

Schakowsky Bill Bans Torture Permanently; Establishes Army Field Manual as Interrogation Standard
WASHINGTON, DC (May 22, 2009) — President Barack Obama's Executive Order to ban torture could potentially be overturned after he leaves office, which is why Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, has introduced legislation that would make the ban law and adopt the Army Field Manual as the guide for all intelligence operations. The Legal Interrogations Procedures Act of 2009, H.R. 2544, would send a signal to the world that the United States does not, and will not torture.
"The use of torture has provided al-Qaida with a tool to recruit and is fanning the flames of anti-Americanism around the world. President Obama has stopped that practice and when this bill becomes law, his policy will apply to all Presidents who follow,... said Rep. Schakowsky, Chairwoman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
General David Petraeus, said in a May 2007 memo to members of the Armed Forces in Iraq, "Our experience in applying the interrogation standards laid out in the Army Field Manual on Human Intelligence Collector Operations that was published last year shows that the techniques in the manual work effectively and humanely in eliciting information from detainees....
The Legal Interrogation Procedures prohibits the use of torture by the United Stops and provides that the Army Field Manual serve as the standard for interrogation. The AFM specifically outlines "prohibited actions... including:
  • Forcing the detainee to be naked, perform sexual acts, or pose in a sexual manner.
  • Placing hoods or sacks over the head of a detainee; using duct tape over the eyes.
  • Applying beatings, electric shock, burns, or other forms of physical pain.
  • "Waterboarding."
  • Inducing hypothermia or heat injury.
  • Conducting mock executions.
  • Depriving the detainee of necessary food, water, or medical care.
In instances not specifically covered under the "prohibited actions... section, the AFM says: "If the proposed approach technique were used by the enemy against one of your fellow soldiers, would you believe the soldier had been abused?...
"Ending the Bush Administration's policy of torture improves our standing in the world and makes America more secure. It is the right thing to do and in our national interest. It restores our moral authority and provides an opportunity for the United States to be a leader in human rights,... said Rep. Schakowsky.