How far do we go to keep America safe? | Forensic Files

what we were trying to do was to move individuals from a zone of defiance into a zone of cooperation and then the
intelligence gathering began under CIA supervision detainees would be slapped and grabbed deprived of
sleep forced onto liquid diets even confined in a coffin-like box with l and six there was nudity uh there was water
dousing cramped confinement stress positions and then there is the infamous technique known as water
boarding the body responds as if the body thinks it's drowning am I happy we had to do it of course
not the president looked at the techniques and decided he was going to take two techniques off the table himself I do
not know or nor do I recall what techniques were taken off the table but there are some inside the CIA
who have grave [Music] doubts there were a number of those techniques that I personally uh felt
were uh inappropriate not necessary beyond the pale as a senior CI officer at the time
and I had expressed my my discomfort and my um my concerns about uh these techniques believing that they were
going to um come back to haunt us a CIA I did that with individuals colleagues at the agency did he ever come and
complain to you about the enhanced interrogation techniques no he never came to you and said hey you know what
George I think this is wrong no he never did no early on in the program there were
terrible mistakes made and two people did die and it's regrettable one detainee severely
injured during his capture is left untreated during a CIA interrogation in an Iraqi prison and
dies another is Shackled half naked on a cold floor at a CIA black site in Afghanistan he is found dead of
hypothermia no charges are ever brought against the officers involved it's awful
that those things happen but happen but it happens you know I mean you know we were at
War the fog of War

In the documentary, "48 Hours Presents: The Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs," CIA directors are not unanimous when it comes to the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques." To hear more, watch Saturday, May 21, 9-11 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

Brief Summary

CIA officers discuss controversial interrogation techniques and ethical dilemmas during the War on Terror.

Key points

The Dilemma of Interrogation Techniques. A senior CIA officer reflects on the controversial methods used during interrogations.

Episode highlights

The Dilemma of Interrogation TechniquesA senior CIA officer reflects on the controversial methods used during interrogations.“I had expressed my discomfort... believing that they were going to come back to haunt us.”1:40May 17, 2016

Episode quotes

Am I happy we had to do it? Of course not.

Reflecting on the use of interrogation techniques.

0:55WatchMay 17, 2016

More from 48 Hours

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.