Department of Defense

The Schlesinger Report: an Investigation of Abu Ghraib Department of Defense

"The events of October through December 2003 on the night shift of Tier 1 at Abu Ghraib prison were acts of brutality and purposeless sadism. We now know these abuses occurred at the hands of both military police and military intelligence personnel. The pictured abuses, unacceptable - even in wartime, were not part of authorized interrogations nor were they even directed at intelligence targets. They represent deviant behavior and a failure of military leadership and discipline." Released to the public in August 2004, The Schlesinger Report provides a detailed account of how U. S. policy processes at the U. S. Department of Defense directly contributed to abuses carried out by U. S. military personnel during detention and interrogation operations at Abu Ghraib prison. This shocking report makes available - for the first time - an official chronology of the release of horrific abuse photos to the American public as well as the evolution of interrogation policies and techniques used in Iraq. Includes a comprehensive summary of the psychological stresses and ethical issues that resulted from the Abu Ghraib fiasco. JAMES R. SCHLESINGER, secretary of defense for Presidents Nixon and Ford and secretary of energy for President Carter, served as the panel's chairman.