Guide Note

On October 4, 2007, The New York Times reported that, while Alberto Gonzales was attorney general, the U.S. Justice Department issued secret memos that authorized the CIA to implement harsh interrogation tactics when questioning suspected terror suspects. According to reports, The first memo was issued months after the Justice Department had issued a statement saying that "torture is abhorrent."¹

On July 24, 2008, a released 18-page memo, with ten pages blacked out, indicated that "the waterboard", or simulated drowning, does "not violate the Torture Statute," according to the U.S. Justice Department. The documents were made public by the American Civil Liberties Union and conveyed that interrogators would be safe from anti-torture prosecution if they acted in good faith.²

Fast Facts

1. Three secret CIA-related memos were released on July 24, 2008
2. Released by the American Civil Liberties Union
3. Memos were originally drawn up in 2002
4. Memos included signed documents by former Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee and former CIA Director George Tenet
5. 18-page document
6. Were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act