Guessing Game Results: The Memo, Part 2

Last week's guessing game involved the anonymous sources quoted in Jane Mayer's New Yorker article about Alberto J. Mora and the stand he took against torture. Earlier today, we shared some guesses with you about two of the three sources mentioned. This item remains outstanding:

“Another military official, who worked closely with [David] Brant and who has been denied permission to speak on the record, told me that the news [of how Mohammed al-Qahtani was interrogated] 'rocked' Mora. The official added that Mora 'was visionary about this. He quickly grasped the fact that these techniques in the hands of people with this little training spelled disaster.'”

After the jump, some above-average speculation about the identity of this anonymous source.

Here's what one source — at the Pentagon, as it turns out — had to say:

Two names come to mind. First, Rear Admiral James E. McPherson is the head Navy JAG, and Rear Admiral Bruce E. MacDonald is his top deputy. My guess is it is one of them. Vice Admiral Albert Church is also a possibility: he led the DoD investigation of practices in Gitmo, and would have worked closely with Brant when he did.

Another well-informed source suspects a different individual: Dr. Michael Gelles, chief psychologist of the Navy Criminal Investigative Service. This source directs our attention to this report by Human Rights Watch, which talks about how Sen. Carl Levin “outed” Mora and Brant over a year ago:

According to the classified sections of the Church report as described by U.S. Senator Carl Levin, Dr. Michael Gelles, the chief psychologist of the Navy Criminal Investigative Service, completed a study of Guantánamo interrogations in December 2002 (when the harsh Rumsfeld-approved techniques were in effect) that included extracts of interrogation logs. Gelles reported to the service director, David Brant, that interrogators were using ''abusive techniques and coercive psychological procedures.” According to Levin, Gelles’ report prompted Brant to argue that if those aggressive practices continued, the Navy would have to ''consider whether to remain” at Guantánamo.

Our tipster theorizes: “Mayer's source is probably Gelles. As the HRW report explains, he's the NCIS psychologist who discovered the abuse while reading Gitmo interrogation logs and took his concerns to Brant, who then went to Mora. One giveaway: Meyer mentions Gelles by name a few paragraphs earlier in her piece as the source of Brant's information about the abuse, but never says whether or not she tried to talk with him.”

In addition, our correspondent points out that “In March 2005, Gelles gave an on-the-record interview about his opposition to coercive interrogation techniques like the ones used at Gitmo. After that, Gelles's superiors apparently gagged him, because he's not been heard from since.”

The Memo [The New Yorker]
Split Seen on Interrogation Techniques [Boston Globe]
Getting Away With Torture? [Human Rights Watch]

READ MORE: Defense Department, Department of Defense, Pentagon, albert church, alberto mora, anonymous sources, bruce macdonald, carl levin, human rights watch, james mcpherson, jane mayer, michael gelles, new yorker, senior administration official guessing game, torture

Guessing Game Results: The Memo, Part 1

Last week, we asked for your guesses about the identities of the anonymous sources quoted in Jane Mayer's intriguing New Yorker article about Alberto J. Mora, the former general counsel of the U.S. Navy who took a stand against what he viewed as torture of detainees. We received some interesting speculation — some of which appears after the jump.

First we asked you about this item:

“[Alberto Mora] agreed to confirm the authenticity and accuracy of the memo and to be interviewed. A senior Defense Department official, whom the Bush Administration made available as a spokesman, on the condition that his name not be used, did so as well.”

A source proffers this analysis:

Mr. Mora was the Navy's GC, and officials who work for one of the Service Secretaries (e.g. Secretary of the Navy) would be described on background as a “Navy official” — not a “Defense official”. That is reserved for someone who works for SECDEF [Secretary of Defense]. “Senior” means the guy holds a job that requires Senate confirmation. Who would be in a position to confirm the memo? Could be the Department of Defense general counsel or deputy general counsel — but I bet the Department would shy away from having lawyers talk to the press. That is either going to be done by the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Gordon England, or the Assistant SECDEF for Public Affairs, Dorrance Smith. Mr. Mora worked for Mr. England for a long time while England was Secretary of the Navy, the two are close, and the quote and article in general are favorable to Mr. Mora. Sounds to me like the quote came from a Mora friend, so I will guess Mr. England is the source.

Then we inquired into this source's identity:

“A former Administration official told me that [Donald] Rumsfeld was unconcerned [about the torture allegations]; he once more joked that he himself stood eight hours a day, and exclaimed, 'Torture? That’s not torture!' ('His attitude was “What’s the big deal?”' the former official said.)”

Hmm, we're a bit at a loss — as is our source, who punts as follows:

“A former administration official”… This could be anyone who used to work in DoD. I will guess Paul Wolfowitz because I am a dedicated neo-con who likes seeing the blogosphere explode at the mention of his name.

Well, that's as good a reason as any! We like seeing the blogosphere explode too.

(There's one outstanding item from the guessing game, which we'll be getting back to you about a little later. We may have some more solid information about it than the typical random speculation that we serve up around here.)

READ MORE: Defense Department, Department of Defense, alberto mora, anonymous sources, donald rumsfeld, dorrance smith, gordon england, jane mayer, new yorker, paul wolfowitz, senior administration official guessing game, torture

Senior Administration Official Guessing Game: The Memo

This fascinating article, by Jane Mayer for the New Yorker, describes the efforts made by Alberto J. Mora, outgoing general counsel of the U.S. Navy, to ban the abuse and torture of detainees in U.S. custody. It got a fair amount of media attention earlier in the week; we just got around to reading it now. (Cut us some slack! It's a long article, and we have lots of other things to read — like stupid headlines on CNN.com.)

The article is full of fodder for a Senior Administration Official Guessing Game. After the jump, a few items that caught our eye.

Here they are:

1. “[Alberto Mora] agreed to confirm the authenticity and accuracy of the memo and to be interviewed. A senior Defense Department official, whom the Bush Administration made available as a spokesman, on the condition that his name not be used, did so as well.”

2. “Another military official, who worked closely with [David] Brant and who has been denied permission to speak on the record, told me that the news [of how Mohammed al-Qahtani was interrogated] 'rocked' Mora. The official added that Mora 'was visionary about this. He quickly grasped the fact that these techniques in the hands of people with this little training spelled disaster.'”

3. “A former Administration official told me that [Donald] Rumsfeld was unconcerned [about the torture allegations]; he once more joked that he himself stood eight hours a day, and exclaimed, 'Torture? That’s not torture!' ('His attitude was “What’s the big deal?”' the former official said.)”

Do you have any speculation — or, better yet, actual knowledge — as to the identities of these sources? If so, please email us.

Annals of the Pentagon: The Memo [The New Yorker]

READ MORE: alberto mora, anonymous sources, donald rumsfeld, jane mayer, new yorker, senior administration official guessing game, torture