Nobody is talking

international | crime and justice | other press Friday February 18, 2005 18:40 by R. Isible

Guardian special report on US torture and it's antecedents in UK torture in Northern Ireland

Excellent Guardian summary of the history of US torture and how widespread it is.

"The infliction of pain or suffering per se, whether it is physical or mental, is insufficient to amount to torture." Jay Bybee, Assistant US Attorney General (now a federal judge in Las Vegas)

Guardian review of the evidence published in two new books detailing the widespread use of torture by the USA. Draws upon evidence from Reagan era and considers Afghanistan as well as Iraq. Mentions the extensive creation of US torture bases outside of the USA.

Includes treatment of the unreliability of torture, the discussion of the subject at the close of WW2 by the Brits and talks about how the US was inspired by the Brit actions in Northern Ireland.

"Britain, the US and Canada had begun talking about psychological warfare together at least as early as June 1951, when Sir Henry Tizard, the Ministry of Defence's senior scientist, met Canadian scientists and Cyril Haskins, the senior CIA researcher, in Montreal. Among the Canadians was Donald Hebb of McGill University, who was looking for funds to research "sensory deprivation" - blocking out sight, sound and touch to affect people's personality and sense of identity."