U.S.ARMY TORTURE MANUALS

Virtual Truth Commission

Project X

In 1965, the U.S. intelligence community ... [commissioned] a top-secret program called Project X. Based at the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and School at Fort Holabird, Maryland, the project drew from field experience and developed teaching plans to "provide intelligence training to friendly foreign countries," according to a Pentagon history prepared in 1991 and released in 1997.

Called "a guide for the conduct of clandestine operations," Project X "was first used by the U.S. Intelligence School on Okinawa to train Vietnamese and, presumably, other foreign nationals," the history stated. Linda Matthews of the Pentagon's Counterintelligence Division recalled that in 1967-68, some of the Project X training material was prepared by officers connected to the Phoenix program. "She suggested the possibility that some offending material from the Phoenix program may have found its way into the Project X materials at that time," the Pentagon report said. Peter Dale Scott, "Two Indonesias, Two Americas" , June 9, 1998, The Consortium for Independent Journalism.

In the 1970s, the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and School moved to Fort Huachuca in Arizona and began exporting Project X material to U.S. military assistance groups working with "friendly foreign countries." By the mid-1970s, the Project X material was going to armies all over the world. [In its 1992 review, the Pentagon acknowledged that Project X was the source for some of the "objectionable" lessons at the School of the Americas where Latin American officers were trained in blackmail, kidnapping, murder and spying on non-violent political opponents. But disclosure of the full story was blocked near the end of the Bush administration when senior Pentagon officials ordered the destruction of most Project X records. -- See Robert Parry's Lost History: Contras, Cocaine & Other Crimes, and Washington Post, Feb. 22, 1997] . Peter Dale Scott, "Two Indonesias, Two Americas", June 9, 1998, The Consortium for Independent Journalism.

During the mid-1970's, after moving to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, the U. S. Army Intelligence Center and School (USAICS) began exporting, on request, Project X materials to U. S. military agencies participating in the U. S. advisory-training effort in friendly countries. Joseph P. Kennedy, Report on the School of the Americas, March 6, 1997, p. 5. LINK NO LONGER WORKS

Torture Manuals in use at School of Americas, 1982-1991

On Sept. 20, 1996, Pentagon officials announced that U.S. Army training manuals used to instruct Latin American military officers and soldiers at the SOA from 1982 until 1991, advocated torture, blackmail, and executions as counter insurgency measures. Father Roy Bourgeois Gets Peace Award. LINK NO LONGER WORKS. The Pentagon snuck out an admission that the students at the notorious School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia, once used manuals advocating torture, assassination, and kidnapping as tactics to be used against dissidents in Latin America. While the Army minimized the importance of the manuals, saying they "contained passages that did not represent U.S. Government policy," others, such as Rep. Joseph Kennedy (D-Mass.), believed the manuals confirmed that the school's congressional supporters have blood on their hands. The New York Times editorialized that an "institution so clearly out of tune with American values should be shut down without further delay." Aaron Galegos and Jim Rice, Manual for Horror, Between the Lines, Sojourners, November-December 1996, Vol. 25, No. 6.

7 U. S. Army intelligence training manuals used by School of the Americas from 1982-1991 which advocated executions, torture, blackmail and other forms of coercion, inclding the kidnapping of a target's family members. The Pentagon began a review of these in 1991. Robert Parry, "Lost History: 'Project X' and School of Assassins. The Consortium for Independent Journalism

1983 CIA Interrogation Manual -- "Human Resource Exploitation Training Manual", was "put together with material from notes from the Honduran training course, lesson plans used inthe course, and the 1963 KUBARK manual. Its existence surfaced at a Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on June 16, 1988, prompted by allegations by James Le Moyne in his 1988 New York Times Article, "Testifying to Torture," that the U. S. had taught Honduran military officers who used torture. ... "The most graphic part of the Interrogation Manual is the section discussing "coercive techniques." This section recommends arresting suspects early in the morning by surprise, blindfolding them, and stripping them naked. Suspects should be held incommuicado and deprived of any kind of normal routine in eating and sleeping. Interrogation rooms should be windowless, soundprrof, dark and without toilets. Joseph P. Kennedy, Report on the School of the Americas, March 6, 1997, p. 3. LINK NO LONGER WORKS.

1983 Contra Training Manual -- compiled by John Kirkpatrick a CIA advisor to the Contra rebels; recommends the hiring of professional criminals to carry out 'selective jobs', creating a 'martyr' by arranging a violent demonstartion that leads to the death of a rebel supporter, and coercing Nicaraguans into carrying out assignments against their will The document also states that unpopular government officials can be 'neutralized' with the 'selective use of violence.' Joseph P. Kennedy, Report on the School of the Americas, March 6, 1997, p. 4. LINK NO LONGER WORKS.

In 1982 the U. S. Army Intelligence Center and School was tasked to provide unclassified lesson plans to the School of the Americas... The working group decided to use Project X materials because they previosuly had been cleared for foreign disclosure.

In March 1991 the Defense Intelligence Agency discovered the objectionable materials and alerted Secretary of Defense Cheney. Joseph P. Kennedy, Report on the School of the Americas, March 6, 1997, p. 8. LINK NO LONGER WORKS

June 28, 1996 Intelligence Oversight Board Report: The School of the Americas and the U. S. Army's Southern Command used instruction materials in training Latin American officers, including Guatemalans, that "appeared to condone practices...such as executions of guerrilas, extortion, physical abuse, coercion, and false imprisonment" (p. 32 of the 67 page IOB Report on human rights cases and the CIA's role in Guatemala, released June 28, 1996. Linda Haugaard, "Admissions and omissions--the CIA in Guatemala,"July22, 1996, In These Times Magazine.

In September 1996, the Department of Defense finally admitted that the SOA also actively taught torture techniques using training manuals that advocated executions, extortion, physical abuse, and paying of bounties for enemy dead. One SOA graduate, I revealed, testified that when he was at the school while it was based in Panama, homeless people were used as guinea pigs for the torture training. Carol Richardson, " What Does God Require? Working to close the 'School of Assassins.', Sojourners, January, 1997. CAROL RICHARDSON, who has pastored United Methodist churches in Ohio and Maryland, directs the SOA Watch Washington, D.C. office. For information, contact SOA Watch, P.O. Box 3330, Columbus, GA 31903; (706) 682-5369.

Pentagon Inspector General's Report on Toture Manuals

Congressman Kennedy's response -- Report issued by Congressman Kennedy:
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Body of Report
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Congressman Kennedy, a longtime advocate of shutting the school down, pointed out that many of the SOA graduates were trained using manuals that advocated the use of murder, torture and blackmail to intimidate government opponents. "The SOA manuals blurred the line between lawful civilian opposition and armed terrorists. And the people of Latin America continue to reap our whirlwind," said Rep. Kennedy. "As Colombia moves forward to establish peace and political stability, U.S. assistance should shore up rather than undermine respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Shutting down the School of Americas will send an important signal to our Latin American neighbors that the American people stand on the side of justice not only at home but everywhere in our hemisphere." "Colombian Human Rights Abuses Tied to School of Americas Graduates, Wednesday, July 29, 1998
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Manuals still in use today

The FY 98 Foreign Operations Act requires that the Secretary of Defense must certify to Congress that "instruction and training provided by the School of the Americas is fully consistent with training and doctrine, particularly with respect to the observance of human rights, provided ...to United States military personnel.

On February 12, 1998, the Latin America Working Group, a project of the National Council of Churches, issued an analysis of the Secretary of Defense's School of the Americas Certification Report. LAWG objected to the Secretary's continued certification of the SOA, noting its "severe, ongoing problems in curriculum oversight, few changes in the school's standard curriculum and a complete lack of monitoring of SOA graduates. The LAWG provides excerpts from manuals currently in use at the SOA organized into three categories:

"Excerpts, typical of the manuals as a whole [which] recommend that Latin American militaries preemptively infiltrate opposition parties, yough groups, unions, civil society organizations; use children, doctors and clergy as sources; take advantage of humanitarian aid programs; and view legal political campaigning as potentially subversive;"
"Excerpts [which] recommend that Latin American militaries institute repressive, controlling measures over the local population, making black lists of suspected civilians, instituting checkpoints, ID cards, curfews and rationing systems, and enforcing measures through arrests and exile. There is absolutely no discussion in any of the manuals about a state of seige or other legal measures that would make such suspension of civil liberties and democratic guarantees lawful."
"Excerpts [which] cite as indicators of guerrila control normal civilian activities such as celebrating religious festivals or hosting visitors to a town. if villagers are involved in any kind of protest or simply complain about the government or armed forces, or if they are fearful of sharing intelligence with or being associated with Latin American or U. S. military, they are viewed in these passages as being influenced by guerrilas. Many of the indicators listed are ways civilian population would normally act when afraid of a repressive military."

SOA Commandant denies use of Torture Manuals

As a longtime advocate for the closure of the School of the Americas, I feel compelled to respond to the interview with the school's new commandant, Col. Glenn Weidner, by Ledger-Enquirer journalist Dusty Nix. There are at least 14 points in the article I'd like to address, but space available limits me to the following.
Col. Weidner expressed disrespect for what the article referred to as "intellectual dishonesty." Current events relative to the president's problems indicate that the American people share the colonel's sentiments about intellectual dishonesty. We have been deluged with intellectual, and some not so intellectual, dishonesty by people in high places in and out of the military. So much so that we scarcely have anyone in or out of the military whom we can trust without significant reservation. The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer printed an article about the lies of past U.S. presidents, beginning with President Truman and ending with President Clinton. It was written by noted and respected historian Howard Zinn. Coincidentally, the article was positioned immediately above part of Col. Weidner's "True Believer'' interview (Sept. 27, Viewpoint section, P. F4).
One of the most shocking lies by a military officer in recent history was told by Marine Col. Oliver North before a Senate investigating committee on the Iran-Contra scandal. He openly admitted that he had lied to Congress, a felony offense for which he did not spend one hour in jail nor pay one dollar in fines.
In September 1996 major newspapers all over the nation carried the story released by the Pentagon that U.S. Army intelligence manuals used to train Latin American military officers contained passages advocating the use of a variety of methods of intimidation, including assassination and torture. The School of the Americas is credited with the use of the manuals.
Now Col. Weidner is telling us that torture was never taught at the SOA. This is the first time I've seen a public denial of the use of the torture manuals at the SOA. What is a citizen, trying to inform himself in order to participate in the democracy of his country, to do? Whom can we believe? Politicians? Military spokesmen? The press? We have to sift through all the facts available and make our own decisions about what is being done in our name with our tax money.
Secrecy abounds in our government today. The CIA breaks national and international laws with impunity and when the U.S. government is called by the World Court on its illegalities, it simply ignores it. Secrecy makes hypocrisy of our democracy.
In my opinion, the School of the Americas has a serious credibility problem relative to what has been and is being taught to foreign military students from Latin America and more recently Mexico. There is no such thing as restoring its credibility, which from its inception has been going downhill. As a result of the activities of its graduates in Latin America, it has been labeled "School of Assassins,'' "School of Dictators'' and "School of Coups.'' Since September 1996, when the manuals containing torture instructions were released, the SOA has been given yet another terribly negative title: "School of Torture.''
Unfair? Exaggerated? I don't think so, given the evidence released by the Pentagon and the average person's revulsion for torture.
Graduate crimes against humanity aside, the most compelling argument for closing the School of the Americas is its historical and current record of training soldiers from countries like Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Colombia and others during their peak periods of human rights abuses.
The movement to close the SOA cannot do anything but grow in numbers and intensity. Opposition will continue until the school is closed. The sooner the better for the reputation of the U.S. Army, the city of Columbus and the nation.
Source: Charles J. Liteky, "a Vietnam veteran who lives in Columbus", Special to the Columbus Ledger-Inquirer"School of the Americas foes have their turn", Friday, October 16, 1998.

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Updated November 8, 1998