This is an official communication
from the Office of Senator John Ensign. Any tampering or alteration of
this communication is prohibited and may result in criminal
investigation or prosecution.
September 3, 2008
Dear [Constituent]:
Thank
you for contacting me regarding the Intelligence Authorization Act and
interrogation techniques. I appreciate your taking the time to share
your thoughts with me, and I value the opportunity to address them.
The
provision in the Intelligence Authorization Act that you support would
require all executive branch agencies to use the Army Field Manual for
interrogations. This provision would officially end the CIA's
interrogation program which, in addition to those in the Army Field
Manual, uses other interrogation methods that are humane, appropriate,
and effective.
These other interrogation methods were
used against the "worst of the worst" because our intelligence agencies
knew that these people had time-sensitive information about future
terrorist attacks against Americans. The intelligence collected from
these methods yielded thousands of pieces of information that we used
to disrupt at least 15 separate, serious Al-Qaeda terrorist plots
including the "West Coast Plot" in which Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the
9-11 mastermind, attempted to recruit Asians to fly commercial
airliners into the U.S. Bank Tower in California.
In
my opinion, all of our interrogation methods should be classified.
Unfortunately, this is not the case. Because of this, terrorists who
want nothing more than to kill Americans know what our techniques are
and train to resist them. I believe that maintaining some secrecy about
our interrogation methods would be a valuable weapon in this war
against Islamic extremism and keep our enemies off balance after they
are captured.
Currently, some of the world's most
dangerous individuals are being held and provided ample protections
that exceed our obligations under the Geneva Conventions. We ensure
that all defendants being tried are allowed to view the evidence used
for prosecution, are considered with a presumption of innocence, and
are safeguarded against defendant self-incrimination. Additionally, we
ban evidence obtained through unapproved methods of interrogation and,
in cases where classified evidence is involved, the judge has the
prerogative to use redacted or summarized versions, if necessary. The
current standard of Military Commissions allows for the protection of
vital national security interests, ensures that the identities of our
covert operatives remain classified, and safeguards our intelligence
collection methods during a time of war.
Thank you
for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. If you should have
further questions or comments or would like to sign up for our weekly
newsletter, please feel free to write or e-mail me via my website at http://ensign.senate.gov.
Sincerely,
JOHN ENSIGN
United States Senator
JE/RT
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Sen. Ensign's Position on Torture
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By US Senator John Ensign
Letter to a Constituent, September 3, 2008