Charlotte, SC -
While the so-called "more reputable" news agencies have been focussing exclusively on charges against enlisted military prison guards for the abuse of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, TheRealTruth has obtained a copy of a Defense Department memo that authorizes the use of questionable interrogation practices there. That memo is signed by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and a notation at the top indicates that it was forwarded by Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, to several officers including Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, commander of detention operations in Iraq.

According to the Defense Department memo, a copy of which was obtained by TheRealTruth from a source inside the Allied command in Iraq who wishes to remain anonymous, a long list of special interrogation techniques previously used only at Guantanamo Bay, including food and sleep deprivation, humiliation by stripping the prisoners naked, and the use of un-muzzled police dogs for intimidation, were authorized by Defense Secretary Rumsfeld for use on prisoners in Iraq suspected of terrorist activities. The only stipulation is that prior written authorization has to be obtained from the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq.

According to our source, approval to use the new interogation techniques was requested last fall by the military intelligence officer at Abu Ghraib, Col. Thomas Pappas, on at least three occasions of which he is aware, and on at least two of those occasions, a signature of approval was received from Lt. Gen. Sanchez. It is not known by our source whether those occasions involved any of the cases in which several enlisted men and a woman were charged with abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib, but the humiliation of prisoners by stripping them naked is one of the charges against the enlisted men and woman.

This is THE REAL TRUTH !