First, by forcing detainees to make unreliable statements, coercive interrogation proved to be a poor vehicle for intelligence gathering.
Thus the American troops who found Saddam Hussein did not kill him but took him prisoner and will eventually deliver him for trial, hoping that something he says under interrogation may prove useful.
Even if it did, it would be wrong as policy, because it is immoral; but during the investigation former C.I.A. leaders said that the interrogations had proved very valuable and would withstand history's judgment.
The Kurds turned him over to Americans for further interrogation, which is proving fruitful.
They found that it had produced little valuable intelligence, and pointed out that the CIA's own experience prior to 9/11 had shown that 'coercive interrogation' had 'historically proven to be ineffective' and would 'probably result in false answers'.
Does the interrogation raise any legal issues?
Daniel J. H. Greenwood Brooklyn, April 23 , 2009 To the Editor: "Interrogations' Effectiveness May Prove Elusive" (news analysis, April 23) claims that the value of harsh interrogation methods used by the Bush administration will be hard to determine.
Mr. Cheney was referring specifically to the administration's surveillance and interrogation programs that have proved so controversial but that in his view were "absolutely essential" in preventing any terrorist attack on American soil after Sept. 11, 2001.
But even short of that, the revelations and public debate on the CIA's interrogation programme may yet prove to be a powerful deterrent.
For the three men, it could mean exposing the direct role played by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service CSISS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in their interrogation and torture, and proving that their detention was the result of little more than post-9/11 hysteria.
