Approved For Release 1 CIA-RDP65-UDT5ER000400050004-9 WASHING from A Paychulogical Viewpoint. February 1955 Approved For Release 199910910? CIA-RDP65-09T56R000400050094-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 canbemde todoexactly anything It's all a. queetien of finding the right mane. If calla;r we take enough trouble and go sufficiently slowly, we can make him kill his aged parents Meet them in e. stew." (Jules Romaine. W. A. A. Knopf, 1939, P. 156..) Approved For Release 1999f09107 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 mm? comm Page FOREHORD :1 3 10 10 ?Ihercmlationovaidenoe 11 The Arrest Procedure . . . . . 13 The Detention Prison . . . . 1h The Regimen Within the Detention Prison . . 15 The Effects of the Regimen in the Isolation Cell . . . 18 Other Aspects of the Isolation Regimen . . . . . . . . 23 26 Pressures Applied. by the Interrogter . . . . . . . . . 31?. 'meCoureeoftheInterrogation 39 The Interrogator'e Point of View and obJectiv'e1?1 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004Punishent Commistrracticea A Hypothetical Schedule at munching 67 memth q- . I a) Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Approved For Release 19990907 I CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 WORD Brainuashing, as a term, was originated by a reporter who was interviewing Chinese refugees. It has gained world- wide currency and has been applied to a wide range or tech- education of a Commie-tic country or citizens, though control in Soviet and satellite countries, techniques of eliciting information, as well as the intensive indi- vidualised re-edncation of beliefs of a few selected individuals. Such uncritical use of the torn has done nothing to reduce the impact on the public and officialdm generally of the confessions of such men as Cardinal liindszenty and especially of the. results of treatment of prisoners?of?uar by the chinese Commists, The tern itself is anxiety producing. Its connotation of special oriental knowledge of drugs, hypnosis, and other exotic and derious means of controlling hm "behavior creates creldslilitggr among the uninformed. A more prosaic View is that the techniques used in producing confessions and l"conversions? are readily msemencebie in terms of ordinary principles and have been used, especially by police states, for centuries. It is nosP clear that Russian methods of 1 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 obtaining infomtion end have been developed by IND and earlier rereione or thie orgenicetion over the etenmriee;r but especially during the poet 35 were of systematic effort to elicit infomt-ion or The have their tradition of tolerance for brutality, They are influenced by the Russians, but place more empheeie on converting the prisoner to Gomnmnietic beliefs, at timee behaving as typical ?eager-w beet-er" revolutionaries. In cm, the methods are police methods- developed by trial and error to emit the needs of the police state? No scientists, no druge, no hypnocie, no more:r principles have as yet been involved? Early in the review of the diverge information catalogued. under the term "browning?, even in eerieue scientific articles; it become evident there me a. need for better coordina- tion of the work on this topic and more work directed at specific problems and It m3 therefore, concluded that this limited effort wee beet devoted to (1.) clarifying the concepts Iconnoted by the term hmimreehing; relating these to such basic principlee leeming; perception, and motivation; and specifically diecneeing the brainwashed person no on involuntarilx roaeduceted pereom All people are being maednceted continuoicelya New information changes one'e beliefeg Everyone bee experienced to 11 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OOT56RDOO400050004-9 mean? som degree the conflict tint ensues when new informetion is not consistent ?with a prior belief, especially a basio om concerned with each problem as religion, sex mores, anti political irieclogy. this is a normal experience. Most individuals are able to resolve the con?ict by one new or another; many do so by integrating the new with the old. lhe experience of the brainwashed (in our sense) differs in that the inconsistent information is forced upon him sneer relatively controlled conditions after the possibility of critical Judment has been reduced or removed by such measures as production of excessive fatigue, isolation, dapr?'ation of various sorts, one sometimes physical torture. When re?nes-d to extreme dependency and. confusion, the individual is ready to react throrably to any person or which promises to end his painfully confused state. At this point, the remeducation begins, as described in the M513 OF CONTROL FRESHERS. How individmls will react to attempts to elicit information, to confess falsely, to brainwashing as we have defined it depends on the intelligence, personality and experience of the individnal and on the knowledge and willingiess of captors to persist in techniques aimed at 111 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 deliberately destroying the integration of a personality. 1iuilith such 1I'Irz'Lllingaeess, there appears little doubt that an individual can be brought to the point when involuntary re-cdncation 1will take place. Up to new, police methods developed by trial and error have not fully exploited the basis for results thus far obtained; nor have all restraints in treatment of prisoners been cast aside. - Ilote, too, that the restraints referred to need not concern direct physical torture. It is not necessary to use direct physical neans to reduce a person to a state where involxmtary rue-education can take place. Brainvashing conceived as involuntary rec-education, then, represents one extreme or a continuum of treatuent by, and resistance to, captors. At the other end of this scale is active voluntary collaboration with the enemy. In between are varying degrees of brutality and subtlety of treaunent and degrees of resistance thereto. Clearly, policies concerning treatment of repatriated captives will depend on 1I?lhere the individual is placed on this scale. it one end, there is the legal jurisdiction for treason; at the other, treatment. The viev presented herein has several implications. First, the public should be given information 1which will iv Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-00756RDOO400050004-9 CW dispel the water; which appears to have surrounded the concept of brainwashing. Second, those responsible for establishing policy for- returned prisoners have as a first problem the denomination where on the scale between involuntary re?edncation and voluntary collaboration a particular individual stands. Third, the lam organism need not he a complete pan of his environment until extreme conditions are created, Mn is adaptive, and with arms lmo?edge of ?at to expect from his captors and an understanding of his own reactions, he can develop means of resisting. He can be helped in this by prior knowledge of the treatment he can expect and his own reactions to it, Fourth, the tn?y brainwashed is a not a legal problem. His treatment should be therapeutic, not punitive. Recovery can be anticipated since the brainwashed person placed in his normal environment will tend. to revert to his prior beliefs, Fifth, brainrashing can be successfully on the basis of present knowledge by anyone sufficiently interested in acquiring an understanding of the principles insulted, Sixth, it is possible that the best long range defense 1" Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 CIA-RDP65-00756RDOO400050004-9 against. brainwashing 1: to 11: politically disadvantageous for emtry to pennit its use. 1ill'hiils this paper focuses its attention on brainleshing as defined, the political nature of its effects mites it Ila-26838.17 to eeneider the effects of military and other policy, where certain in the context, they are mentioned, The major purpose, however, is to brainwashing from a pay-- ehological point of View. It ie not preemed that this View takes into account all the factors needed in detemi- 111113 policy. Y1 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 CIA-RDP65-00756RDOO400050004-9 INTRODUCTIGH Scope and his The purpose of this study is to increase understanding or the "brainwashing process". There are probably sell over 1000 classified and unclassified. doements, articles and books directly related to Soviet and Satellite techniques of interrogation and. brainwashing. Approximately one-third of the available classified. and. unclassified were examined. to provide the findings of this studyu By far the greatest proportion of this mterial has come from prisoner-ohm sources of World. War II and. the Korean conflict. Considerable additional material has come from refugees, intelligence sources and civilian nationals who have been released from incarceration behind the Curtain. A number of research studies have been completed or are not:r in process by various agencies of this Government and other friendly governments. Ellie obtainable findings of all research studies of imediste relevance 1were utilised. a considerable bout}.r of professional research dealing 1with conditions that result in changes in the perceptual and Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved Release 1999f09i'07 I CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 intellectml organisation of the individual personality has emanated from universities and other private research inst i- tutions curing- the past decadeo Appropriate selections from- this material have been applied to brainwashing. General Orientation this study has been written as a general analysis of the available material. It is recognised that agencies engaged in intelligence collection have unique operational winer- abilities in dealing with Soviet interrogation and brain- 1washing, Individuals forced to confess to having engaged in espionage or sabotage embarrass national policy planners, While these problems are recognized, no attempt has been made in this study to provide specific practical guidance. This study is 1written from the viewpoint of professional is a systematic approach, this has not been done before, althongn many previous analyses have, of course, mde some use of ideas? The present approach attempts to make full use of current principles in explaining the process of breinuashingu It is reasonable to expect that the Soviets 1will continue to refine their methods, and that we shall continue to secure more knowledge about the subject, ?mere should, therefore, be periodic reappraisals of brainwashing in the future, Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 SEW OF PROBIEM As we shall shewr later in this chapter, the- tern "brain?- washing" hassveryusefulueaning-fmthe standpoint ofwhat goes on inside the person she is brainwashed. If the process had been viewed in this light from the beginning, no doubt we by new!r have achieved a greater and more widespread under- standing of it. Actually, it has not been confronted in so simple a runner as that. It has been used by the Soviets and the Chinese on quite different kinds of people and for quite a variety of reasons. It has had a wide range of consequenees, some intended and perhaps some unintended. It has faced intelligence, military and political leaders with a remarkably wide range of problems with which each such group had to cope. All these variations of objectives, con? sequences, and problems have made for confusion in our efforts to understand what 1Has really going on. 1Western usage of the term brainwashing has caused it to be applied from time to time to each of the following situations: (1) Individual or group indoctrination of the "masses" behind the Iron curtain. (2) Indoctrination of key personnel inside Commut- controlled comtries to maintain their political reliability. Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 i Approved For Release 199909?)? (3) The interreption process by which positive intonation of intelligence value is obtained from individuals. Group indoctrination of prisoners-ef-m. Besides an attemyt to obtain defectiene and dennralize military personnel, this process appears to have been used as a selective device to ascertain which "progressives? or "opportmists" might subsequently be amenable to snore intensive process as defined in (5) below. (5) me intensive individual process during which are daprived of their critical faculties and subsequently cone to believe as true that which, prior to the brainwashing, they would have designated as false. The fact that the term "brainwashing" has been applied to so mater situations has caused a great deal or confusion in attempting to learn more about it and in attempting to develoP sound practices and policies for coping with its As we shall. explain more fully in this study, we find the term "brain- washing? to be most useful when it is applied strictly to denote the involmtary reweducation of an individual during which a change is developLed in the Erceptual and intellectual Weation of his personalitx so that he will: Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 (1) Accept as true certain.ideo1ogical principles which he would not have accepted as true prior to the change, andfor (2) Admit that certain events have a true and factual basis vhich he would not have admitted formerly. These false beliefs may he?transitorya In fact, there is good reason to believe that the false beliefs resulting from brainwashing 1:111 break down spontaneously when the individual has been.removed.for a period of time from the oppressive controlso It should he noted.that hrainrashing, so defined, does not emphasize what happens to the individual, but that happens gigginbhinl The change represents a nore or less couplets re-ednoation of his This change is brought about in a rigidly controlled environment using pressures designed to create and.sharpen internal conflict within.the individual? The individual is forced.to resort to problemusolving be? havior, and the net effect is the brainwashed states Two simultaneous processes are presento The first is characterised by a progressive deterioration and demobilization of the and.Judging capacitiesa In a true sense the individual loses all sense of perspective. The second process is the learning of beliefs he would previously have Approved For Release 199909?)? CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 rejected, as he seeks to @133. com etructure for his personality. The criteria. of of laminae-china are: (1.) The obeerved conviction and emcerity with which the indiviacal me his changed ideolog' and. beliefs concerning palpable events? (2) The length cf time hie changed. beliefs are mintnined. after the in?ividnel hee been removed. from the control environment I (3) me amount of eurpriee and confusion that eccmaenice hie W?ecomry" that he hne been brain- unehed. during hie eubecquent recover-yo Indoctrination, anal even education, can lead to false beliefeo These em meet effective when the in: dividnal bee gape in hie hamrledge, cr hie un?erctending of the meaning of certain. evente ie eufficien?cly tenucue that he has little difficulty in accepting new and different interpretetiom Braeinmhiugj hcwever; involree the re= education of wellueetn?bliehed'beliefe; nucl implies that the individual resisted the Heeducctiono It ie thie new resistance with its interml we win-- tain, which is the very core of hmimehingo In the of securing infcmetion of intelligence value, the pmcednree need. ?by the Ccmmiete, although 6 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 CIA-RDP65-00756RDOO400050004-9 m- admittedly harsh, do not appear to- differ substantially from those customarily used in eliciting military informtion. The systematic denomination of captives does not appear to be a maor objective. An understanding of brainwashing is important in several contexts, among which are the following: Intelligence might be more fully protected 11' military and other personnel subject to capture could understand brainwashing and could be trained as sell as possible to cope with it. (2) Dealing properly with brainwashed individuals depends heavily on understanding their condition. For the truly brainwashed, treatment is in. order for the deliberate defector, legal processes are appropriate. (3) ihe propagandaeiralne of false confessions has been great, and the feareproducing impact or ?brain- washing? in the public mind is a utter worth considerable concern. Public understanding of the process should help considerably. A clear understanding of the process is important if governmental agencies are to make rapid progress toward research and and Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756R000400050004-9 to develop consistent policies to net. the problems of breinweshing._ Each of "these semi-m of greater understanding is important. EEhe propegendemmlne of false confessions end the public anxiety concerning brainwashing loom, however, as under preoccupation. Statements of brainwashed individuals have been sharp-edged tool in the Commies propaganda 1111;, Everything fro- the purges of the brainwashed. "old. revo- lutionaries" in the late ?30?s to the Korean germ mini-e admissions has advanced the Soviet streteg line. Possibly one of the greatest advantages for-the Communists in the Far East has been to lower Comm pres-high Another end even more effective propaganda goal my be the erection of as state of fear within the populace of Hestemmbloc nations; The concept. of brainwashing is frighteningo Mothers of sons, who go into military service against the Soviets or Chinese, nest. concern themselves with the fact, not only then their sons my be killed or womded, me that their mental processes may be distorted. if they are captme Just as howledge that the Soviets have thermonucleer sespons has dampened the national feeling of security, so breimhing has created the belief ?that our opponents are mysteriously formidable. The "men-inathe-s'breet? is not. so removed. from preescientii?io 3 Approved For Release 1999f09107 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 beliefs that such processes as brain-Hashing fail to arouse emotions bordering on superstitions see, We turn now to a intone detailed explanation of Just what happens to the mind and body of the dmralised and dis- organized person who can properly be described as brain- washed, and to a consideration of hesr this state can he brought about. We shall describe the general processes involved in changing the behavior and the beliefs of an individlul when his enviromnt can be My controlled. Emcee processes are complex and they involve the basic principles of learning, perception, motivation, and physio- logical deprivation. Implications of these findings for policy and practice in various areas will not be spelled out in detail. done such implications, of course, would need to be integrated 1with other considerations in arriving at a final. policy. Some, on the other hand, appear to point overwhelmingly toward certain specific policies and practices, For example, the treatment of brainwashed repatriates should clearly be supportive rather than punitisea 1111s study should provide useful guidance and helpml points of view in a member of important areas . Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 CONTROL TECHNIQUES Understanding brainwashing as a phenonenon -- a phenomenon which culminates in a false confession, delirered with conviction and. hunility, to antisocial intent and. specific criminal acts requires both a knowledge of Cmist control te?hniques and. an analysis of their impact upon the normal personality. 'lhis section describes the battery of pressures applied. to the prisoner and. his behavioral reactions to these control pressures. In the following section an attempt is made to analyze the logical impact of these assaults upon the personality during the course of the brainwashing? The SusEct moss who fall under the suspicion of the usually have some reason for exciting its suspicions Although the suspect may not know why he is suspected, the use has some reason for singling him out. Because of the broad nature of Soviet laws, and, the free manner in vhich the END can interpret these, any "suspect" has committed sine "crime against the state" as the we defines the term. the implications of this statement are significant? In a nation in which the state one all preperty, where everyone 10 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 I CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 works for the state, and where only approved Opinions may be held, a person who has accidentally broken or lost some of the "people?s property", who has made a mistake, 1who has not 1reunites]. hard enough, who has talked to a foreigner, or 1Inrho has merely expressed what he interred was an innocent opinion, my be 3m ?3,559 guilty of a "crime against the state." In practice, this means that almost anyone within the Soviet Union may ?be suspected by the at any time, and that when- ever he is suspected the MD is always able to assign a specific reason for its suspicions. ihe Accumulation of Evidence According to Cmist ideology, no one may be arrested unless there is evidence that he is a criminal, According to the practice of the this means that when an individual falls under the suspicion of an IND officer, this officer must "evidence" that the individual is a "criminal" and take this evidence to the state prosecutor, who met then issue a warrant before the arrest can be carried out. Elbe investi?ting officer accmnulates evidence showing that the victim had a reason to be a criminal (ioeu, that he 1was a number of a suspect group) by accmulating the statements of spies and informants with regard to If this evidence is not sufficient to satisfy the officer he places 11 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 the suspect and his friends and associates under surveillance. ihese friends and associates may be arrested and held for interrogation in.order to supply evidence against the suspect, the reason for their arrest being that they are associates of a suspect, and therefore suspect themselves. Covert surveillance and the arrest of associates are carried out carefully, but they cannot always be concealed from the suspect. as may'become sears of it or his friends may tell him. As he becomes a.marked.man in the eyes of his friends, they begin to avoid him? Their demeanor sometimes indicates to him that he is wider suspicion. The knowledge that he will be arrested, without knowledge of when this will occur, obviously creates anxiety in the intended victhu. Although RFD officers know about the effect which surveillance has upon suspects, snd.make use of it, they probably do not use it with the calculated cunning that the victim sometimes supposes. lhe poorly concealed surveillance and the arrest of friends an?.associates, followed by an.indefinite period.hefore the arrest of the main suspect, are not necessarily'stage maneurers to frighten the victhn. They are often evidences of rather slow and clumsy police activities. Heaters or the with each other in trying to turn up suspects and secure their conviction. To a certain 12 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 extent, officers are .jn?ged by the masher of arrests which the}r obtain. Since Comoist theonr was that no person be arrested. except when it is clear that he is a criminal, officers who arrest men who must later he released are subject to censure. They have made a mistake, because they have arrested a man who is not a criminal. The consequences are important from the point of View of the victim. In effect, any man who is arrested. is automatically in the position of ?being guilty. Anyone arrested. by the mo must know that in the eyes of the Soviet state and in the eyes of those who have arrested him, he is a "criminal". Ehe only question to he settled after the arrest is the extent of his criminal activity and the precise nature of his crimes. The officers in charge of his case, both those 1ivirho have made the arrest and those who will carry out the interrogation, have a personal interest in seeing that the arrested man makes a prompt and.extensive confession, for their own reputations are at stake. The Arrest Procedure According to Commist theory, men should be arrested. in such runner as not to cause them and. the police should carry out arrests in a manner 1ina'hich does not unduly disturb the population. For more than twenty years it has been 13 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 19990907 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 the practice of the Russian State Police to seize their suspects in the middle of the night. ?Ihe "midnight knock on the door? has become a standard episode in fiction about Russia. me police are well aware of the fact that the intended victim, forewarned by his previous surveillance and the changing attitude of his friends, is further terrified by the thought that he may he awakened from his sleep almost any night and taken any. It is for the arresting officer to be accompanied ?by several other men. He reads to the prisoner the arrest warrant if there is one. It does not, of course, specifa.r the details of the crimes omitted. {the prisoner is then taken to 'a detention prison. The Detention Prison In most of the large cities of the Soviet Union the operates detention prisons. These prisons contain only persons under "investigation", whose cases have not yet been settled. Elbe nan-st modern of these prisons are separate institutions, well built and spotlessly clean. In addition to the cells for the prisoners, they contain offices for the MD units, rooms in 1which interrogations are carried out, and other rooms, in the basement, in which prisoners are executed 1when such punislnnent is decided upon. There are attached medical facilities, and rooms for the care of the sick detainees. An exercise yard is a standard facility. 11+ Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 199909?)? mm Elbe typical cell is a small cubicle, about 10 feet 1mg by 6 feet wide, containing a. single him]: and a slop Jar. It usually has no other furnishings. Its walls are barren, and it is lighted by a single electric lamp in the ceiling. One wall usually contains a small window above level, which the prisoner can see nothing of his outside environment. The door contains a peephole through 1which the guard in the corridor outside may observe the prisoner at will withouh the prisoner?s knowledge. Such typical cells will not of course, he found. in all prisons and especially not in those which are old or improvised, but the general aspect of harrenness and complete lack of access to the outside world is characteristic. ?hie Regimen within the Detention Prison Ellie arresting officers usually do not give the prisoner the reason for his arrest beyond that in the warrant which theyr read to him. ihey usually scorch him and also search the place in which he lives. ihey then take him directly to the prison. Here he is asked a fenr questions about his identity, and personal valuables and his outer clothing are taken him. These are carefully catalogued and put awaygiven a prison uniform. He is usually emined by a. prison physician shortly after his incarceration. 15 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-00756RDOO400050004-9 its entire introduction to the detention prison is brief and. is carried. on without explanation. Within a few hours after his arrest the prisoner finds himself locked up within a cell. Prisoners within detention cells follow a rigid. regimen. With some variations this regimen is throughout the Soviet union, and has been adepted by nearly all Columnist countries. {the rigidity of the regimen may be relaxed or tightened by the dimotion of the intemtor. I An almost invariable feature of the mneganent of any important suspect under detention is period of total isolation in a detention cell. 'Jhe prisoner is placed within his cell the door is shut, and for an indefinite period. he is totally isolated. from contact except by the speoific direction of the officer in charge of his ones. He is not allowed to 1:.th to the guards or to omnicste with other prisoners in any manner. lWhen he is taken from his cell for any reason he is accompanied by a guard. If another prisoner eppmohes through the corridor he turns his face to the eel]. Lentil the other prisoner has passed. its hours and. routine of the prisoner are rigidly organised. He is awakened. early in the morning end. given short period in which to wash himself. His food is brought to him. He has a short and fixed time in which to set it; the standard diet is 1.6 Approved For Release 1999f09107 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 just adequate to maintain nutritiono He must clean himself and police his own cell; "but he is not allowed enough time to keep it spotlessly clean. At some time in the morning he usually has an exercise period. Typically, his exercise consists of walking alone in the exercise yard. If he is in rigid isolation, he my not be allowed to exercise at all, He is usually allowed a slop Jar in his cell which he can utilize for defecation and urination, but sometimes this is taken away. Eben he call the guard and perhaps nait for hours to he taken to the latrine. I At all times except when he is eating, sleeping, exercising, or being interrogated, the prisoner is left strictly alone in his cell. He has nothing to do, nothing to read, and no one to talk to. thder the strictest regimen he may have to sit or stand in his cell in a fixed position.all day, He may sleep only at hours prescribed for sleep, Then he go to bed when told and must lie in a fixed position upon his back with his hands outside the blanket, If he deviates from this position, the guard outside will aeahen him and,mnke him resmne it. She light in his cell trans constantly. He must sleep with his face constantly toward it. If the prisoner becomes 111, he is taken to a prison physician by when he is treated.with the best medical care avail- able according to the practices common to Soviet medicine. If 1? Approved For Release 1999f09107 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 CIA-RDP65-00756RDOO400050004-9 necessary, he may he placed under hospital care; but as soon as he has recovered the regimen will he resumed. Prisoners are not allowed to commit suicide. Clhose who attempt to do so are thwarted and carefully nursed until they recover; then the regimen is resumed. Deviations from the prescribed regimen ere noticed. by the guards and are punished; Disturbed behavior is punished also. If this behavior persists and the officer in charge of the case is convinced that the prisoner has become mentally ill, the man may he placed under medics]. care until his health has returned; then the regimen is resunedn ihis regimen within the detention cell is in itself a. most potent weapon in the hands of the HUD: It has been developed and refined over a period of many years and used on liter-any thousands of prisoners. It is highly effective in ?treeking the 1will" of prisoners -- so much so that many 1m: officers are convinced that there is litemlly no man who cannot be brought to do their bidding. 'me Effects of the Regimen in the Isolstion dell [the effects of this seamen upon prisoners are striking. It has been mentioned that the men who has been arrested by the is usually intensely apprehensive? Often he hes known for weeks that he 1some ?be arrested but has had no clear knowledge of when 18 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 or for what reason. He has been seized in the middle of the night and taken without explanation to prison. as knows that no friend can help him and that the MUD-may do with him what they please. A.maJor aspect of his prison experience is isolation. man is a social animal; he does not live alone. From.hirth to death, he lives in the company of his fellow man. His relations with other people and, especially with those closest to him, are almost as important to him as food or drink. Hhen a man is totally isolated, he is removed from all of the interpersonal relations which are so-important to him.and taken out of the social role which sustains hims His internal as well as his external life is disrupted. Exposed for the first time to total isolation in an prison, he develops a predictable group of which might almost be called a "disease The guards and HVD officers are quite familiar with this ihey watch each new prisoner with technical interest as his spm?xmn develop. The initial appearance of an srrested prisoner is one of bewilderment. For a few halite, he may sit quietly in his cell looking confused. and. dejected. But within a short time most prisoners become alert and begin to take an interest in their environment. they react with expectancy when anyone approaches 19 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 m? .- as - the door to the cell. 'Ihey show interest and. sneeze-tar as they are exposed to each newr feature of the prison routine. {they any ask questions or begin conversations. Some make demands; theyr demand to know why they are being held, and protest that they are innocent. If theyr are foreign nationals, they may insist upon seeing their consular officers. Some take a "you can't do this to me" attitude. Some pass through a brief period of shouting, threatening, and demudihg. All of this is always sternly repressed. If need be, the officer in charge of the case will see the prisoner, remind him of the routine, threaten him with punishment, and punish him if he does not subside. Dining this period the prisoner has not yet appreciated. the full import of his situation. He tries to fraternize with the guards. He leaves part of his food if he does not like it. He tries to speak to prisoners 1whom he passes in the corridors and reaches back to close the door behind him when he is taken to the latrine. The guards refer to this as the period of getting "acclimtized" to the prison routine. After a fewr days it becomes apparent to the prisoner that his activity avails him nothing and that he will be punished or reprimnded for even the smallest breaches of the routine. He 1murders When he will be released or questioned. His requests "have been listened to but never acted upon. He becomes 20 Approved For Release 1999:9919? Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 increasingly anxious and restless and his sleep is distwbed. He begins to look up alertly when anyone passes in the corridor. He 1I?vhen the guard comes to the door? He becomes adjusted to the routine in his cell and goes through it ptmotiliouely but he still leaves some of his food and occasionally reveals by small gestures his lack of ounplete submission to his environ- sent. its period of anxiety, Imperactivity and apparent adjust- ment to the isolation routine usually continues from one to three weeks, As it continues, the prisoner becomes increasingly dejected and dependent. He gradually gives up all spontaneous activity 1within his cell and loses all care about his personal appearance and actions. Finally, he sits and stares with a vacant expression, perhaps endlessly twisting a button on his cost. He allows himself to become dirty and disheveled. Hhen food is presented to him, he no longer bothers with the nineties of eatingbuthe eats it all. Hemaymixit intoamshand stuff it into his mouth like an animla He goes through the motions of his prison routine automatically as if he were in a daze. ?Ihe slop Jar is no longer offensive to him At this point, the prisoner sew to lose many restraints of ordinary behavior. He may soil himself, he seeps, setters and prays aloud to himself. He follows the orders of the guard with the Approved For Release 1999:0910? . . Approved For Release 199909?)? docility of a trained animal. Indeed, the guards say that prisoners are "rednoed to animals". It is estimated.that in the average case it takes from four to six weeks of rigid, total isolation.to produce this phenomenon. The man who first experiences isolation in prison is, of course, experiencing far more than simple isolation. He usually feels profoundly'snxious, helpless, frustrated, dejected, and entirely uncertain about his future. His first reaction to the isolation procedure is indeed one of bewilderment and some numbness st the calamity which has hefallen him? This is followed-by a period of interest and apprehension shout every detail of the prison regimen, sccompanied.by hope that he can explain everything as soon.as he gets a chance, or an expecta- tion thet he will he released vhen the proper authorities hear about his plight. Such hopes last but a few days, but they keep him alert and interested during that time. As hope disappears, a reaction of anxious waiting super- venes. In this period, the profound boredom and complete loneliness of his situation gradually overwhehm.the prisoner. ?bers is nothing for him to do except ruminate. Because he has so much to worry about, his rumination are seldom pleasant. Frequently, they take the form of going over and over all the possible causes for his arrest. His mood becomes one of 22 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 dejection. His sleep is disturbed by nightmares. He ultimtely reaches a stage od? depression in which he ceases to care about his personal appearance and behavior and pays little attention to his surroundings. In this stage the prisoner my have illusory experiences. A distant sound. in the corridor sounds like someone calling his name. 'Ihe rattle of a footstep may be interpreted. asakey in the lockopeningthe cell. Godmyseemto speakto him in his prayers. He may see his wife standing beside him. His need for ccmpanicnship and his desire to talk to anyone about anything becomes a gnawing appetite like the hanger of a starving nan. Other Aspects of the Isolation Regimen Not all of the reaction to this imprisomnent emerience can be attributed to isolation alone. Other potent forces are acting upon the newly imprisoned man. its prisoner's anxiety about himself is cmponnded by sorry about what my happen to his friends and associates, and, in the case of those 1who possess infomtion which they wish to hide, apprehension about has me]: the Milli-moss or will find out. Even in the absence of isolation profound and uncontrolled anxiety is disorganizing. lhcertainty adds to his anxiety. Ellie newly arrested prisoner does not know hen:r long he will be confined, how he will be punished, or with what he will be charged. He does tales that his punishment may 33 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 CIA-RDP65-00756RDOO400050004-9 be anything In: to death or permanent imprisonment. may prisoners say that meertainty is the most unbearable aspect of the whole esperience. Sleep disturbances and. 1113th lead to further fear and fatigue. The effects of isolation, uncertainty and. anxiety are usually sufficient to make them eager to talk to their interro- gator, to seek some method of escape from a situation which has becme intolerable, If these alone are not enough to produce the desired effects, the officer in charge has additional simple and. highly effective ways of applying pressure. Two of the most effective of these are creating fatigue and. preventing the prisoner adeqmte sleep. ins constant light in the cell and. the necessity of maintaining a rigid position in bed. produce sleep disturbances; and. the guards can awaken the prisoner at intervals. We is especially effective if the prisoner is awakened Just as he drops off to sleep. Continued. loss of sleep produces clouding of consciousness and. a loss of alert- ness, both of which impair the victim's abilityr to sustain isolation. Another simple and. effective type of pressure is that of maintaining the temperature of the cell at a level which is either too hot or too cold. for con?orto Continuous heat, at a level at which constant sweating is necessary in order to maintain at Approved For Release 1999f09107 Approved For Release I CIA-RDP65-00753R000400050004-9 dim body tamerature, is enervating and fatigue producingo Sustained cold is uncomfortable md poorly toleratedo Still another pressure is to reduce the food ration to the point to which the prisoner experiences constant hunger. Deprivation or food produces lassitude, loss of general interest and some hrealndosn of courage. fibers is usually a loss of 1weight, often. associated with weakness and asthenia. Sane individuals become profoundly depressed when deprin of food, Both in prison camps and in hm experiments, it has been observed that chronically hungry people can. be induced to break down their culture-bound inhibitions and carryr out antisocial acts in order to relieve their hunger. the effects of isolation, anxiety, fatigue, lack of sleep, inconfortable temeratiaes, and. chronic hunger produce disturb- ances of mood, attitudes, and behavior in nearly all prisoners? ?Ihe living organism cannot entirely withstand such assaults. ihe Cmunists do not look upon. these assaults as "torture". thdoubtedly, they use the methods which they;' do in order to conform, in a typical legalistic manner, to Economist theory which that "no force or torture be used in extracting infomtion from prisoners," Bart these methods do constitute torture and physical coercion and. should never be considered othenise. All of then lead to serious disturbances 25 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 of mnar bodily processes and. to Mobilization of the personality. Slime Interrogator 'Bze ms officer who has charge of a case during the period of suspicion, surveillance and arrest is now supplanted by another officer who is charged. with the interrogation of the prisoner and the preparation of the deposition. Hithin the m, assignments to interrogation are not highly regarded. Such work is not looked upon as glamorous or exciting. Very often it involves assignment to outlying and relatively dull regions of the Soviet union, and. usually it is hard and. thankless. Ihe interrogation of prisoners is a tiring and. an emotionally trying procedure. It canhe assumed that a majority of those involved in the investigation and interrogation of mimortant prisoners are men of average ability with no great enthusiasm for their Jo?s. However, the me does also possess highly skilled, well-educated, knowledgeable, experienced and able interromtors 1who are devotee to their profession and proud of their abilities. The interrogator assigned. to an important prisoner can be expected to he a man of such high caliber. Some of those who go into political police activity receive only a sort of "on-the-Joh" training tender the guidance of more senior and. enmerienced men; but a fair proportion of these police 26 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 officers are especiallyr trained at an school near Moscow. lThis school has been in existence for at least 15 years. It gives a course of two years dnration. madness are allowed to observe a timstration interrogation but do not conduct intemgations themselves. No formal training in pharmacolog or physiologr is included. in the curriculum 'mere are no representatives or any of these sciences on the faculty and, as far as can 'be ascertained, there never have been. hairless do receive information from experi- enced police officers on: how to prepare a dossier, how to "size-up? a man, and. how to estimte what sort. of methods to use in "breaking" him; but the instructors draw entirely upon police experience. ?ier have a for theoretical and Intemtion when the prisoner has been ems-ted. and. incarcerated in his cell the officer in charge of his case submits to his sweriors a plan for the intemgation of the prisoner. 'Ihis plan is drawnuponthehasisofwhat prisoner. It describes the methods to be used upon him, the attitudes to he taken toward. him, the type of inromtion which it is expected that he will reveal, and. the type of crimes which he is believed. to have omitted. and the accused motivation for them. 27 Approved _For_Release 1999:0910? Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 The purpose of this plan appears to be primarily that of making the interrogator appoosch the prisoner with a definite conception of what he wants to do, and how he is going to proceed.in doing it. Soviet law specifies that, if a man is detained on suspicion, the first protocol of his interrogation must be given to the state prosecutor-within ten days so that an arrest warrant may be issued, or the man.may he released. In general, interrogators are con- strained to comply with this regulation, and.they try to produce enough evidence to obtain an arrest within ten days. Because they have little except suspicion to guide their questioning, they are necessarily vague in describing the prisoner's crimes to him. They must be cautious lest the prisoner get wind or what they want him.to say and refuse to say it. It is probably this more than any calculated cunning which causes them to make to the prisoner such enigmatic statements as:"tell you what your crimes are; it is up to you.to tell me" statements which lead the perplexed.prisoner to rack his brain for an answer. The prosecutor is not hard to satisfy, and.the interrogator nearly always Obtains enough evidence to make an "arrest". If not, he can apply for an extension of the detention period. Ehe law provides no real protection for the prisoner. It has been estimated that more than 995 of those who are seized are ultimately convicted.and punished. 26 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 19990907 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 Interrogations, once hegnnt are continued until the cane is complete, bot in.eone circnnetancee they ere-intentionally ?eleyee. It appears that this delay 1e W6. when the prieoner is defiant, when he is thought to he withholding information, when the is seeking a to crime other than thoee for which it has evidence, and.eapecially when it wants to nee the prieoner for a public trial or to ohte-in a prom from bin? In such cases, the interrogation hegine when the officer in charge feels that the prisoner in riye for ito Ehie 1e neuelly when he observes that the prisoner bee become docile and. compliant and shove evidence of deterioration in hie need ano.pereonal apnearance. Interrogations are elmoet nnifonely carried out at night. It is said that thie practice of night interrogation originated not from any preconceived idea of ite but becauee the early Ghekiete were so overhnroenee vith police dntiee enring the any that they could find time for interrogations only at night. For one reason or another, it hoe become Standard procedure, poeeibly because the phyeioel end peychelogicel effect of night interrogatione prodeoee upon the prisoner. He is deprived. of sleep and placed in a etate of added uncertainty by never knowing when he will be awakened en? oneetioned. Typically, he will he awakened economy by the guard. shortly after he has dropped off to ole-op. Hithont explanation he is Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 CIA-RDP65-00756RDOO400050004-9 taken from- his cell me down several corridors to a small and barren interrogtion rooms equipped 1with a dash and chair for the interrogator and a stool for the prisoner. The lighting is arranged so that the prisoner can. he placed in a bright light while the interrogator sits in relative darkness. Sometimes a stenographer is present in one corner of the room to take notes. More often the interrogtor mixes his own notes, writing as the prisoner speaks. Usually only one interrogator is present but ?:u::oasionall:,r other officers are introduced. Smtines inteer gators alternate, for reasons 3 one being "friendlier" and the other "hostile". If his work is successful, the original interrogator may cam-y the case through to a conclusion, but if he does not achieve the desired goal, he my be replaced. The atmosphere of the interrogation room generally has some degree of formality about it. ?ue interrogator may be dressed in full uniform. If he wishes to impress the prisoner, he 11:anP take out a pistol, cook it, and lay it on the desk before him; but this gambit does not. seem to be a required part of the protocol. The interrogtor adjusts his attitude toward the prisoner according to his estimate of the kind of man he is facing. If the dossier indicates that the prisoner is a timid and fearful nan, the interrogator may adopt s. fierce and threatening demeanor. If 30 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 the prisoner is thought to be prowl anti sensitive, the interrogator my be insulting and degrading. If the prisoner has been a man of prestige and importance in private life, the interrogator may call him by his first name, treat him as an inferior and. remind him that he has lost all rank and. privilege. If it is known that the prisoner has been unfaithful to his wife or has omitted some crime such as embezzlement, the interrogator mag,r blackmail him by threatening exposure or punishment miless he cooperates. All these and many other tricks may be employed. They are not based. upon a scientific theory of human behavior; the3r are tricks of the trade so to speak, developed out of police experience and applied on a "mile of thumb", comon sense basis. Almost invariably the interrogator takes the attitude that the prisoner is guilt}r and acts as though all of his crimes are known. Almost invariahl}r he points out to the prisoner that he is completely helpless, and. that there is no hope for him unless he cooperates fully and confesses his crimes completely. Almost never does the interrogator state specifically what the prisoner's crimes actually are. This is left up to the prisoner who is told, in effect, that he knows the extent of his own crimes, and need only to make a complete statement of them. Almost invariably the interrogator does not accept the early statements of the prisoner. No utter what crimes he confesses, the interrogtor forces the 31 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 199909?)? prisoner to repeat his statements again and again, and to elaborate on then.endlesshy. Almost always he uses any discrepancies as indications of lying and questions the prisoner at length about them- The first interrogation sessions are nearly always concerned with a complete review of the entire life experience of the prisoner; The interrogator wishes to know about the prisoner's background, his class origin, his parents, brothers and sisters, his friends and associates and everything that he has done throughout his life. If the case is of?any importance, no detail is overlooked, and.everp'period of the prisoner's life must he accounted for. This review of the prisoner's life may occupy several interrogation sessions. It has several purposes. Its first purpose is to complete the prisoner's dossier. It gives the interrogator a thorough picture of the type of man he is dealing with and further guides him to the man's weaknesses which can be exploited. Furthermore, requiring a.man to account for every detail of his life produces such a voluminous and involved story that the prisoner can scarcely avoid being trapped into inconsist- encies if he is concealing anything. mhe information obtained from.the life history can.a1so he compared.with that already in the police files, which is usually extensive. From.the police 32 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09i'07 CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 point of view, it is also important to-know the associates of the prisoner because this may reveal his "accomplices", who then become suspects and can he interrogatedr Host inportant, it reveals many "criminal" features of the prisoner such as reaction- ary class origin, membership in reactionary organisations and association with enemies of the state which are by Communist definition "crines" no matter how long ago they were committeda The prisoner, taken from his cell after a long period of isolation, anxiety and despair, usually looks upon the first interrogation as a welcome break. The mere opportunity to talk to someone is intensely gratifying. many prisoners have reported that after long periods of isolation they eagerly anticipate interrogation sessions and try to prolong them simply for the companionship which they-afford. Not infrequently, the prisoner- also regards interrogation as an opportimity to Justif;r himself and feels false assurance that he can explain everything if given a chance. Usually he is much taken aback by the fact that his crimes are not specified, and that his guilt is assumed. as is further distressed when his protestations of innocence are greeted as lies. But the opportunity to talk about his life experiences is generally looked upon, especially by a person from Western society, as an opportunity to justify his behavior. Many men willingly divulge 33 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 all they can remember about themselres because they feel quite-sure that they have done-nothing which may he regarded.as criminal. They are unaware that, from the point of view of Communist theory and of the HYD, much of their past behavior undoubtedly will be construed as "criminal". If the interrogator offers then.the opportunity to here paper and-pencil in their cells and.to write out their biographies, they seine upon this avidly as a means of relieving the boredom of the tedious, lonely routine to which they are exposed. Pressures Applied by the Interrogator As the interrogation proceeds, the interrogator changes his behavior according to his previous plan and the development of the case. If the prisoner is cooperating and.talking freely, the interrogator continues to show a relatively friendly attitude. But sooner or later he invariably expresses dissatisfaction with the information which the prisoner has given, no matter how complete it may be. He demands new details, and shows an especially great interest in the accomplices of the prisoner and the ?organisation" to which he is supposed to have been attached. when the prisoner protests that he has told all, and denies any other crimes or accomplices, the interrogator becomes hostile and begins to apply pressure. at Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Some of the pressures which can be applied simply by altering the routine within the cell have been described. The interrogator has many others at his command. Continuous and repetitive interrogation is an effective and.very common form.of pressure. Another which is widely used is that of requiring the prisoner to stand throughout the interrogation session or to maintain some other physical position which becomes painfUl. This, like other features of the HVD procedure, is a form of physical torture, in spite of the fact that the prisoners and MVD officers alike do not ordinarily perceive it as such. Any fixed position which is maintained over a long period of time ultimately produces excruciating pain. Certain positions, of which the standing position is one, also produce impairment of the circulation. Hany'men can withstand the pain of long standing, but sooner or later all men succumb to the circulatory failure it produces. After 13 to at hours of continuous standing, there-is an accumulation of fluid in the tissues of the legs. This dependent "edema? is produced by the extravasation of fluid from the blood vessels. The ankles and feet of the prisoner swell to twice their normal circumference. The edema may rise up the legs as high as the saddle of the thighs. The skin becomes tense and intensely painful. Large blisters develop which break and exude watery serum. The accumulation of the body fluid in the legs 35 Approved ForlRelease 1999:0910? Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 produces an.inmedrment of the circulation. The heart rate increases and fainting may occur. Eventually there is a renal shutdown, and.urine production ceases. urea and other metabolites accumulate in the blood. The prisoner becomes thirsty, and may drink.a good deal of vater, which is not excreted, but adds to the edema of his legs. Men have been known to remain standing for periods as long-as several days. Ultimately they usually develop- a delirious state, characterised by disorientation, fear, delusions, and visual hallucinations. This is produced by a combination of circulatory impairment, lack of sleep, and uremia. Isriods of long standing are usually interrupted from.time to time by interrogation periods during_vhich the interrogator demands and threatens, vhile pointing out to the prisoner that it uould.be easy for-him to end his misery merely by cooperating. hardly ever uses mausoles or chains, and.rarely resorts to physical beatings. The actual physical heating is, of course, contrary to HFD regulations. The ostensible reason for these regulations is that they are contrary to Communist theory. The practical reason for them is the fact that the MVD looks upon direct physical brutality as an ineffective method of obtaining the compliance of the prisoner. Its opinion in this regard is shared by police in other parts of the world. In general, direct physical 36 Approved For Release 1999f09107 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-00756RDDO400050004-9 brutality creates only resentment, hostility and further defiance. It is a general policy that the interrogator must obtain the written possession of his superiors before using extreme- coercive measures of any sort upon prisoners. In actual practice such permission is sought only if the officer in charge of a case feels that there is a need for direct brutal assault. The MVD recognises that some men who are intensely afraid of physical assault may break down ir'beaten once or twice, and it does use this procedure deliberately, though uncommonly. Generally speaking, when an interrogator strikes a prisoner in anger he does so ?unofficially?. The set is usually an expression of his exasperation and evidence that he, himself, is under emotional strain. It can be taken for granted that some period of intense pressure and coercion will be applied to every prisoner, no matter how cooperative he tries to be at first. This period of pressure 1will be accompanied by expressions of displeasure and. hostility from the interrogator, and sometimes from the guards also. The?Friendly Approach" The interrogator will continue this-pressure until he feels that the prisoner is nearly at the end of his rope. At this point he introduces a gambit which is probably the most Approved For Release 1999f09107 Approved For Release 199909?)? CIA-RDP65-00756RDOO400050004-9 successful of any of the tricks at his comand. He changes his demeanor. The prisoner, returned once again to an interrogation session that he expects will be a repetition of torture and vilification, suddenly finds that the entire scene has changed. The interrogation room is lightedi The interrogator is seated behind his desk, relaxed.and smiling. Tea and cigarettes are waiting on.the table. He is ushered.to a comfortable chair. The guard is sent away and sometimes the secretary also. The interrogator remarks about his apmearance. He is sympathetic about the discomfort which he has been suffering. He is sorry that the prisoner has had such a diffi- cult time. The interrogator himself would not have wished to do this to the prisoner -- it is only that the prison regula- tions require this treatment, because of the prisoner's can stubbornness. "But let us relax and be friends. Let us not talk any more about crimes. Tell me about your family" -- and so on. The usual line is to the effect that, "After all, I am a reasonable nan. I want to get this business over as much as you do. This is as tiresome to me as it is to you. we already know about your crimes; it is a mere formality for you to write out your confession. Why don't we get it over with so that everything can be you can he released?" 38 Approved For Release 1999f09107 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 Prisoners find this sudden friendship and.release of pressure almost irresistible. nearly all of them avidly seize the oppor- tunity to talk about themselves and their feelings, and then go on to talk about their falilies. Host of them proceed.from-this almost automatically to giving the information which the interro- gator seeks. Even if they do not provide everything the interro- gator wants at this time, he may continue his friendly demeanor and the relaxation of pressure for several more sessions before resuming the old regimen.of torture. But if the prisoner does reveal significant information and cooperates fully, the rewards are prompt and gratifying. The interrogator smiles and congratu- lates him. Cigarettes are forthcoming. There is a.large meal, often excellently prepared and served; and after this the prisoner returns to his cell and.sleeps as long as he likes, in any position.that he chooses. The Course of the Interrogation Such-friendly and rewarding behavior will continue for several days -- usually as long as the interrogator feels that a significant amount of new information is being produced. it this point the prisoner may conclude that his ordeal is over; but invariably he is disappointed. For as soon as the interrogator decides that no new information is being yielded, the regimen of constant pressure-and.hostile interrogation is resumed. Again it 39 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 is carried to the point at which.the prisoner is near-breakdown. Again it is relaxed, and.again the prisoner is rewarded if he cooperates. In this manner, proceeding with regular steps, alternating punishment with reward, the prisoner is constantly pressed to revise and rewrite the protocol until it contains all the statements which the interrogator desires, and is in a final form which meets with his approval. when it has at last been agreed upon and signed, the pressure is relaxed "for good?, but the prisoner continues to live in his cell and continues under the threat of renewed pressure until such time as he has been taken.hefore a court, has confessed, and has been sentenced, Throughout the entire-interrogation period, the prisoner is under some form of?medicsl surveillance. Prison physicians are familiar with all the effects produced by HVD procedures, and evidently they are skilled at Judging Just how far the various procedures can he carried without killing or permanently damaging the prisoner. Prisoners who have heen.heaten hare their wounds carefully dressed. Those who are forced to stand for long periods of time are examined periodically during the procedure. Sometimes the physician intervenes to call a halt if he feels the prisoner is in danger. The unintended death of a prisoner during the interrogation procedure is regarded.as a serious error on the part of the prison officials. to Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 The Interrogator?s Point of View and Objectives It has been said that the interrOgator approaches the prisoner with the assumption that he is guilty. It is important- that we define this statement precisely. It does not mean that the interrogator is not aware of the "true facts" of the situa? tion but that he interprets them in the light of Commie-t ideology. The ms officer is a Communist. He has selected this prisoner from one or the groups of suspects described earlier. The man was arrested because the m, which represents the Communist State, regarded him as a menace to the Party or its program. Anyone who is a menace to the Party is, by definition, guilt}:r of threatening the security of the Commist State. Ergo, from the Commist point of view, the man is "guilty". In other words, the has decided that this man must be dealt with in some manner, "for the good of the State.? Once the man has been arrested this point is no longer open to question. This is the true though esoteric meaning of the frequently,r repeated Commist statement that, "In a Communist state, innocent people are never arrested." If one accepts their definition of "guilt" and "innocence", this is indeed a fact. I However, the interrogator does not know just what specific "crimes" the man may have committed. In fact, it is quite clear that most of the people arrested by the have not really 3-1-1 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 committed-any specific serious crimes at all. But the police do know that the prisoner has committed some acts which are contrary to the broad Soviet laws against political crimes, as well as minor "actual? crimes. Furthermore, experience has taught them that if they put enough pressure upon the prisoner, sooner or later they will get him to confess to acts which can be inter- pretcd as a "major crime". Once this confession has been obtained, the HFD can demand from.the court a punishment equivalent to that which it intended that the prisoner should receive when it arrested.himi Much of the activity of the interrogator can he looked.upon as a process of persuasion. Ihe primary work of an interrogator is to convince the prisoners that what they did was a crime. Having gotten evidence from.his informers and from the prisoner, it is up to the interrogator to persuade the prisoner that certain actions which he has carried out constitute a crime. The prisoner is usually prepared to admit that the acts have been carried out. Often as not, he revealed them freely'because he did not consider them.to he criminal. It is up to the interrogator to make the prisoner see that these acts do constitute a serious crime, and.acknosiedge this by signing a deposition and.making a confession in court if necessary. The Communist legal system requires that this be done before a case can he settled. he Approved For Release 1999f09107 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 The fact that the interro?tor is a dedicated Comonist mkes his task of persuasion somewhat easier. The interrogator approaches the prisoner-with the knowledge that the man is actually a criminal by Commist definition; and he has a large body of convenient Communist definitions and.rationaliuations to help him in non- wincing his victim of this, For example, according to Communist theory, acts are judged by their "objective effects" rather than by the motives of those who committed them. mhns, if a prisoner, through an honest mistake, has damaged a piece of machinery belonging to the State, he is a ?wrecker". GbJeetiwely, he has wrecked an piece of property belonging to the State. The fact that he did this with innocent motives is not a considera- tion. Thus a "mistake?, and "accident" and a "crime? all become the sane thing. Likewise, according to Communist theory, a man's acts and thoughts are Judged "consequentislly". Thus, if a prisoner is blown to have said that the was too powerful, the fact that he has said this may make him a "traitor" and "saboteur". The Communist reasoning is that a man who says that the MVD is too powerful, believes that it is too powerful and Will ultimately act upon this belief. This ultimate set will constitute sabotage and treason; therefore, the nan is a saboteur and a traitor. Similarly, a. man who has friendly association with foreign 1+3 Approved For Release .: CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09107 CIA-RDP65-00756RDUO400050004-9 nationals nest have some friendly feeling toward them; foreign governments are capitalist and imperialist; a man who is friendly to foreign nationals is giving help to the agents of capitalist imperialist; therefore, the man is a Spy 1ssh-ether he realises it or not. Such peculiar twists of Communist logic are difficult for Hestern prisoners to accept at first, Usually theyr strenuously to these definitions of ?treason? ?wrecking", and "sabotage"; hut ultimtely, under constant pressure and persua- sion, a prisoner usually agrees to some statement to the effect that, "By Comment laws I an a spy.? Thereafter, there follows further argument and persuasion to the effect that a person is Judged by the laws of the comtry in which the crimes are omitted. Ultimately the qualifying phrase is omitted, and the final deposition contains the simple statement, as: a spy." Many officers impress the prisoner by the sincerity of their dedication to Comanisn and its ostensible ideals. The interrogator often displays a patient sympathy which becomes apparent to the prisoneru His attitude that, "This is something we must go through 1with and neither you nor I can stop until you have cooperated and. signed a proper confession", is to some extent a genuine attitude. The system allows of no other solution from the interrogator's point of view. It is in fact 14h Approved For Release 1999f09107 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 true that the interrogations will have to go on until a proper deposition has been signed. The prisoner often comes to recognize this sincerity. ?any see that indeed the interrogator must follow the system, and there is nothing which he can do about it. Thus, the prisoner, in his need for companionship, may displace his hostility from the interrogator to the "crates?. Many interro? gators genuinely plead with the prisoner to learn to see the truth, to think correctly, and to cooperate. The Reaction of the Prisoner to the Interrogation The Hay in which a prisoner reacts to the whole process of interrogation is to a great extent dependent upon the manner of man he is, his pre-existing attitudes and beliefs, and the circumstances surrounding his arrest and.imprisonment. All prisoners have this in common: They have been isolated and.have been under unremitting pressure in an atmosphere of hostility and uncertainty. They all find themselves in a dilemma at the time that the interrogation begins. The regimen of pressure and isolation has created an overall discomfort which is well nigh intolerable. The prisoner invariably feels that something_must be done to find a way out. Death is denied.hims Ultimately, he finds himself faced with the choice of continuing interminahly under the intolerable pressures of his captors or accepting the way out which the interrogator offers. The way out is a 1&5 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-00756RDDO400050004-9 rationalization. It allows the prisoner to meet the demands of his interrogator ?by (leases. while at the some time retaining within himself sane shred of belief that by his own standards he has not cspituleted. lhe rationalization may be .. and very often is -- so potently shame. and. untrue that the victim, in his "right mind?, 1nuroulh?l. be utterly of accepting it. But he is not in his right mind. His (releasing!r to distinguish true from false, or good. from bed, has been deliberately undermined. 1[11131:] rare exceptions prisoners accept this my out, provided the pressures are prolonged and intense and the interrogator can effectively adjust his persuasiveness. Various categories of prisoners respond to different types of percussion. Persons who have ?been lifelong members of the Communist party are familiar with the Economist concept of "crisis? and. the functions of the 1WD. Furthermore. they here all been trained in the ritual of self-criticism, confession; punishment and. rehabili- tation 1which has been part of Cmnnist procedm since before the revolution. Many Cmist? can rationalise belief that they are sctunny criminals as specified. by the and come to see their punishment as necessary for the gone. of the State end the Party. To the true Party member, such carries with it an sir of tritmph. Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 CIA-RDP65-00756RDOO400050004-9 hon-Communist prisoners of idealistic beliefs or socialist sympathies apparently make ready targets for the logic of the interrogator. Such persons are usually compelled.to agree that the ostensible and idealistic motives of the Communist forty are "good", and that those who oppose these ideals are "bad?. The rationalization.in.thia case takes the form of getting the prisoner to say that the Communist Party has the same value system.that he does; something which the prisoner agrees is "bad" by his own definition. From this point the prisoner proceeds through the usual steps to the ultimate signing of the deposition. Parsons who carry with then strong feelings of guilt associated with highly organized systems of moral values likewise become ready targets for the persuasion of the interrogator. very few people are entirely free of guilt feelings, but, inappropriate as it seems, sueh feelings often are found in the highest degree in those whose objectives and_hehavior are beyond reproach. For example, many strongly religious people have a profound sense of sin. They feel guilty of shortcomings of their own which.are much smaller than those found in most of their fellou'men. They constantly see themselves as transgressing their own moral code and in the need of?forgiveness for doing so. Skilled.interro- gators make use of this. Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 19990907 2 CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 In?ividmls with so-calle?. sociopathic or personalities 1who have few moral sorcples are vulnerable hem the}.r can be bribed, in a sense, to take the easyr way out. Obviously, individuals actually "caught with the goods" receive short shrift at the hands of the interrogator. The maze in which any prisoner fines himself has so many ramifications that it is almost impossible for him to escape from it without signing a protocol and. being convicted. Anything he has done may be a crime. He has been adjudged. guilty before his arrest. He is put in a situation of intolerable pressure. It is made clear to him that his only way out of this situation is to cooperate with the interrogator. He is offered a reasonable mtionalisation for doing so. Sooner or later, under these circumstances, the prisoner and. the interrogator almost inevitably come to an agreement upon a deposition union satisfies both of them. The Trial 1When the prisoner has reached. the point of admitting his crimes and. he and. the interrogator have agreed upon a protocol satisfactory to both of then, he experiences a profound sense of relief. Even though his crimes may be serious and. the punishment for them severe, he 1alleletunes a suroease from the unrelenting pressure: and miseries of the interrogation procedure. lWhatever 1L8 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Approved For Release 199909?)? 2 CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 the futtne my hold for him, he has for the moment found a way out of an intolerable situation. when a satisfactory deposition has been prepared and signed, the pressures upon the prisoner are customarily relaxedn Be is allowed to sleep as long as he wishes; he may have reading and writing material in his room. Sometimes he can Join with other prisoners in periods of exercise. His meals haprove and his guards become friendhy or even solicitoueg This easy treatment is continued.until he is thoroughly rested and.his health has been restored. Then, in most cases, he is taken before the court. The state prosecutor presents the court with the signed protocol and questions the prisoner shoot his crimeso Sometimes a defense attorney is assigned; this man inmriably limits himself to requesting leniency from the court? The whole procedure-is usually brief and formal. There are no ver?icts of "not guilty". The function of the judge is solely that of presiding over the trial and passing upon the prisoner a sentence which has usually been agreed upon beforehand.by the prosecutor and.the MED officer in charge of the case. i It is this aspect of the proceedings which is most bewilder- ing to Eastern observerso It is easy to understand how prisoners can.be tortured into signing_confessions of crimes uhich.they did not omit, but it is difficult to understand why the prisoners do not renounce these contessions later at the public trials. to Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Beginning with the Purge Trials of the l930's, the REID and its successors and in Russia, the Eastern European satellites, and China have presented the world with-a series of public trials at which the prisoners calmly and seaningly without coercion.nahe outrageous confessions of unbelievable crimes, praise their captors, and.ask for the most sevemapunishnent for themselves. These prisoners have included important Communist officials, former HKVD officers, non-Communist citizens of various categories, and. foreigners of the most diverse backgrounds. All of these prisoners apparently were innocent; some faced certain death; and many were profoundly anti-Communist. Men of the highest-caliber and integrity like Cardinal ?indecenty seemed to have the strongest possible motivations to resist; but none of then stood up in court and denounced the confession and his captors, This phenomenon demands an explanation. I The explanation.is available but it is not simple. It is necessary to examine the proposition in detail in order to view it in its proper light. First, it is by no means true that "all prisoners confess freely at a public trial." Only a minority of prisoners of the Communist state police ever appear at a public trial. The proportion of those tried publicly is exceedingly anall. The M911 will not expose a prisoner to a public trial 50 Approved For REIBHSE 1999f09i'07 I CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09107 unless it is convinced that he will go through with his confession as planned. If there is any doubt about this, no public trial is held. But even.with this precaution the HFD is not infallible. At the Purge Trials several of the prisoner tried to recent parts or their confessions. When a prisoner tried to recent, the prosecutor halted the examination of that person. usually, when he returned from his cell several days later he was again docile and cooperative. Some of the so?called "public trials? have not actually been public. They hare-been carried out in the presence of a select audience while movies and recordings are made of the prisoner's words which are later transmitted to the public. The majority of prisoners do some to trial, but these trials are not public. They are held The state police are concerned only'with political ortnes and espionage. Their prisoners are tried before "Military Tribunals", which are not public courts. Those present are only the interrogator, the state prosecutor, the prisoner, the judges; a few etenographere, and.perhaps a few officers of the court. At such a trial there is no opportunity for public protest, and any protest which is made can he readily expunged from the record. So far as the prisoner is concerned, this eo-ealled trial appears as nothing more than the next step in his process of imprisonment. He has remained entirely in the hands of his interrogators and guards 51. Approved For Release 1999f09107 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 with access to no one else. When he-finally comes before the- court he sees no one new except the state prosecutor, the-Jesse; and the court officials. The defense attorney, if one is-assigned, shows not the slightest interest in refuting any of the evidence in the confession or in establishing a plea of "not guilty". He never questions the fact that the prisoner is guilty as charged. Sometimes he asks the Judge for lenience; but not infrequently he informs the court that he is convinced the prisoner is Just as big a monster as the prosecution says he is and.that he cannot bring himself to ask the court for leniency. The judge likewise shows no interest in the-question of guilt or innocence. He limits himself to maintaining order in the court ane.passing sentence. If the prisoner has any illusions that the prosecutor, the Judge, and the defense attorney are going to allow him any opportunity to dispute the facts in the case these are soon dispelled. By no means do all prisoners receive a trial of any sort. Those who are stubborn or repeatedly'recsnt their confessions during the interrogation procedure will not be trusted even at private trials. Uncooperative and stubborn prisoners and those who might make embarrassing statements are "dealt with administratively." For many years the state police have had the right to carry out administrative trials for any prisoners whom they do not wish to expose to the usual trial procedure. These 52 Approved For Release 1999f09107 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 administrative trials consist of sine?g presenting the-prisoner to a group or three senior police officers (the "Troi-ka") who pass sentence immediately and have it carried out forthwith. These' administrative trials take place within the detention prison. Sometimes the prisoner is not even-present at them; sentence is passed by the Troika merely upon the basis of the signed protocol. 3ometimes the alleged records of these trials have been.made public, but generally the fact that such a trial had taken place is never revealed. For every Soviet citizen who has appeared at a.puhlic trial there hare been thousands who here been tried only at private trials by military tribunals or have been dealt with administratively by the police themselves. Thus, a great number of high Commist officials, captured Germs: officers, and. similar prisoners who fell into the hands of the Russian secret police were not tried at alla So far as the public was concerned, they merely disappeared? I It is said that since the death of Boris and the dissolution of the HGB, the right of administrative trial has been withdrawn from the MVD. The history of past attempts to reform the secret police suggest that it will be quietly restored within a few years, if it has not been already. Public Confessions If we exclude from consideration all those prisoners who are dealt with administratively, two questions remain: Why do all of 53 Approved ForRe_lease1_999!09!OT Approved For Release 1999!09!07 those prisoners who are tried in private confess almost without exception? why do some prisoners confess at public trials where there is actually some opportunity to make an open denial of guilt? In response to the question of why'prisoners at private trials confess almost without exception the following answers can be given: (1) The setting of the private trial as we have Just described it makes it apparent to the prisoner that any attempt at recantation is useless. (2) The prisoner at a private trial is always under actual threat by the HEB. The officer in charge-of his case has clearly indicated to him that any attempt to alter or recent any part of his will lead to an immediate resumption of the interrogationptorture regimen. This threat is as poignant as a cooked pistol, (3) warm and positive feelinge between prisoners-and their interrogating officers often develop during the interrogation process, and.manp prisoners eome to trial with the feeling that, if they attempt to alter their testimony, they will be dishonoring an agreement with their interrogators. Finally, it in to be emphasized that in spite of all of these deterrents, some prisoners do reoant at their private trials. The court then decides that these prisoners have not 5h Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 yet-reached.a full avareness of their crimes. They are-sent hack to the detention prison, and once again put through the torture-interrogation regimen, Sooner or later, they learn that pleas of "not guilty" are not acceptable in Soviet courts, and that they must behave themselves at their trials. Otherwise, they are indefinitely detained or executed; In answering the question of why some prisoners confess publicly when there is some opportunity for them to renounce their confessions and thereby embarrass their captors, one must consider the various categories of those who have-been tried in public. Widely publicised.trials are staged by the Communists only under exceptional circumstances and always for propaganda purposes. They are-carefully managed "set pieces" in which every performer must play his role exactly as prescribedo The are and other Communist police organizations select the prisoners for these shows with great care. The first category of those who have made public confessions are prominent Bolsheviks who have fallen from grace; Zinoviev, Kamenev, Rykov, Bukharin, Radek_and their associates at the time of the great purges; more recently, Luse, Rajk in Hungary, Traioko Kostov in Bulgaria, Slanshy, Glenentis, and others in Czechoslovakia, China, etc. The list is extensive, but not nearly so extensive as the list of prominent Communist officials who were liquidated 55 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 administratively, probably because they could not be trusted at a public triala But shy did these confessj who did so? The old Bolsheviks "confessed? primarily because they were lifelong, dedicated Communietao They had cemeitted their lives to the belief that nothing is sacred but the Party, and the Party is always right. If there-is a central point in the Communist creed, it is this. These men all subscribed to the belief that opposition to the Party line, as expressed.by the Party leaders, is a crime. Whatever else they were, they were "chronic oppositionists", and knew themselves- to be so. They-all subscribed to the communist ritual of public self-criticism and punishmento Nearly all of them.had at one time or another publicly criticised themselves and. had been punished. Several had been expelled fromlthe Party, not once but several times. They all knew themselves to be in opposition to the Party leadership, and they all felt guilty about this. In spite of this, they still considered.themselves to be Bolsheviks and were pre- pared.in.principle to accept any demand which the Party might make upon them, even to the point of death. Another of those Who have confessed publiclyr is that group of intellectually or idealistically'motivated people who were thought to he opposed to Communism, or at least to be non- Columnist, prior to their arrest. Host prominent in this group is 56 m. Approved For Release 1999f09107 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 iililli?ll?b Cardina1.Hindssenty; also included in this are other Roman Catholic priests from.the satellite countries such as Bishop Cruszi. Still another category of those who have confessed publicly are various foreign businessmen, newepapermen and.nilitary men who were arrested or captured in the course of their routine duties; Robert Vogeler in Hungary and Killian Datis in csechoslowakia are examples. In all of these cases, the following factors are evident: (1) The confessions mde by the prisoners were "actually true? in the sense that the specific acts described in the confessions actually occurred. (2) The interpretation put upon these acts was the Communist interpretation. (3) The prisoner had been brought to agree that in the country in which he was arrested the Communist lawe applied and, therefore, these acts constituted.a crime. The prisoner, therefore, pleaded guilty to "crimes? which were "crimes? by Communist definition, but which he had not intended an ori?ce or considered to be crimes at the time that he carried them out. This qualification, however. was missing from the states ments made by the prisoners at the trials. All of these prisoners were under the threat of renewed torture-interrogation regimen if they recanted or changed their confessions. 57 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 Many of them had the actual or implied.- as well as the firm belief that they would be released 11' they cooperated with the police. (6) mnemore, all of them were able to rationalise that their confessions would not be believed by outsiders in any case. This rationalization was in part a correct one -- their confessions were widely disbelieved in the United States; but in some other areas of the world their confessions are accepted as factual. (7) Finally, it must be emphasized that in all these cases, though probably to varying degrees, the brainwashing process -- the disintegration of personality accompanied by- some shift in valuewaystem -- had taken place. In the case of devoted Commie-ts, it is possible that fanatic loyalty to the Party played a large part in bringing about the confes? sions, without the necessity of extensive brainwashing. 0n the other hand, major shifts in their thinking processes must have influenced the public confessions of Cardinal Hindssenty, Vogeler and Oatis. 1When absurd. events and incredible logic are apparent in convincingly sincere state- ments by non of such intelligence, no other explanation is sufficient. These men were reduced to a state in which their conceptual processes were no longer encumbered by processes of critical Judgment? 58 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Punishment The period of interrogation and detention, no matter hosr long and terrible it my be, is not considered imprisonment. 'Jhe punishment begins only after the sentence has been passed. Sme- tmes a lenient Judge will allow the prisoner to count his period of detention as a part of a prison sentence, but often this period is' discounted altogether. According to Commnnist theory, the purpose of prison systems is to rehabilitate criminals through 1wholesome work, productive activity, and education. For this purpose prisoners are transported to Siberia or the Arctic where most of then spend their terms working in mines and construction projects under brutal and primitive conditions. moss who are fortunate enough to receive any education during this procedure are educated by further indoctrination with Chemist ideas. Wises of Russian and Chinese Cmmist Practices From the standpoint of understanding the techniques of brainwashing, the practices of the Chinese add little to the Russian proceduresjust described. There are, however, awe general differences, a few of which mag,r be mentioned. (1) In China, at the moment at least, the period of detention is greatly prolonged. 1[vileereas in the Soviet Uhion trial and sentencing take place fairly soon after the comple- tion of the interrogation and the preparation of a suitable 59 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 'TR?HHsnunnuuh_ protocol, in China the preparation of a first confession is only a prelude to a long_period of indoctrination and re-education, which may'go on for years. It is not terminated until those in charge of the prisoner believe that he has finally adopted a "correct" attitude and behavior. It is only then that the trial, the sentencing and the formal tern.of imprisonment or other punishment begins. (2) Unlike the name the Chinese make extensive use or group interaction among prisoners, in obtaining information, in applying pressures, and in carrying out indoctrination. (3) The goal of the urn detention and interrogation procedure is the preparation of a protocol upon which a suitable punishment can be based, so that the NVD can then deal with the prisoner according to its preconceired idea or what must be done for the good of the Party and the Soviet Stateo In.a minority of cases, this includes a public trial for propaganda purposes, The MED does not appear to be greatly concerned about the future attitudes and behavior of the prisoner, so long as he behaves properly during the period or trial and sentencing, The goal or the Chinese detention.and interrogation procedure, on the other hand, is primarily that of insuring that the prisoner will develop a relatively long lasting change in his attitudes 60 Approved For Release 1999f09107 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-00756RDDO400050004-9 and overt behavior that will.be sustained after his release, so that he will not again constitute a danger to the Communist state. The securing of information by interroga- tion, the preparation of proper protocols and "confessions?, and the participation of the prisoners in.public propaganda trials, are secondary to this primary goal. Whereas in the Soviet union and the satellites the ritual of public confession, self-degradation, punishment, and rehabilitation is a.party procednre confined to Communists, the Chinese have extended this practice to the non-party population, and.to the prison population in particular, and hare made it an important feature of their indoctrination procedure. (5) Physical torture of the traditional sort is more cosmos. muscles and leg chains are frequently used. (6) Procedures are less standardised. (T) Retention facilities are more primitive. The essential differences appear to he in those of emphasis and objective, as indicated in (1) through above. The Soviet objective is one of securing a confession in a relatively short time. The Chinese objective is that of indoctrination, of con- verting the victim.to Communism; and the process may he prolonged for years. Brainuashing is but one of many techniqpes used. 61 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 Approved For Release 199909?)? CIA-RDP65-00756RDOO400050004-9 Frequent lectures and constant and intensive social pressures are also prominent elments, Sme persons who have emerged from Chinese prisons have been characterized by amazingly altered political beliefs and imedinte loyalty to Eminent ihey have, indeed, been described as the most brainwashed of all: 1While the story of Chinese indoctrination is an interesting and impressive one, we believe that it is in the interest of clear thinking to confine our use of the term to that systematic breakdown of the personality which is deliberately brought about for the purpose of securing false confessions, Conclusions From this general description it is possible to draw two general conclusions shout Communist control techniques. First, there is little that is leesr in their rcpertoire of controls. A few pages of mucus misficsruni', for example, 1will convince scrimr reader of the sunning similarity between present-day Communist brainwashing methods and those used for obtaining confessions of three and four centuries ago. Comunist control of the individual and the messes is little different from controls exercised by virtually all absolute forms sums, M, mucus mleficsrm. Iondon Pushkin Press, 19?48, 273 pp. 62 Approved For Release 1999f09107 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 of govermnent, past and present. What is new with the Wists is the extent of application and the unsurpassed ormization in administration of control techniques. the second general conclusion is that the Omists have doveloped a highly systematic use of techniques for controlling the individual. 'Ihis systemication apparently has been developed pramticauy by trial and error rather than from the best available theoretical principles. {mere is evidence that no scientists have participated in the actual brainwashing process. And considering what is noun or the brainwashing process, more systematic application or established. principles could prosa'laklsr increase the efficacy of brainwashing. Both the Soviets and Chinese are flexible in developing "tailor-mas? control pressures for specific individuals. This tailoring of treamnt is dependent upon some ability to diagose shat combination of pressures will be most effective in manipulating a particular personality. Finally, it may he north re-mphasizing at this point that my kinds of people who have been in the hands of the Commists have done many different things for many different reasons -- to all of 1which the term ?treinsashing" has at some time been applied. loyal Conmmists have confessed falselgyr ?for the good of the Party", no doubt in some cases with little imediate 63 Approved For Release Approved For Release 1999f09!07 coercion. Some meduosted or roo?ess persons have been easy marks for conversion to Communism. It some 1wise, however, to reserve the term "brainwashing" for that assault on the person- ality which is a. clear and. prominent result of the Soviet regimen Just described. It is that assault on the personality to which we shall now turn our attention. Approved For Release 1999f09107 Approved For Release 19990907 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 All MSIS OF CONTROL DUEIEG WASHING Having gotten the "feel" of the Communist prison and. interrogation procedures which culminate in the false confession, we should. now organize our thinking with respect to Just what is accomplished and. hosr this objective is brought about. The objective is to procure a plausible, detailed, reasonably consistent confession of crime. A major characteristic of this confession is that nearly all of it is false. Some of the specific acts or utterances ascribed- to the victim may, to-be sure, be true. But the criminal meaning of the acts, the criminal intent of the victim in performing then, mow embellishments and. elaborations of the acts, the victim?s guiltkvith regard to that, and his belief that he should. be punished-- all these are distortions, and quite at variance with the facts. A second. and. most essential characteristic of the brain- washed, confessing iniividnal is that he appears to have deveIOp-ed a conviction that what he confesses is true. This is indeed the most startling element in the whole picture; and this is the element 1which demands explanation. 65 mini? Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 An illustration may make this clear. If a prisoner has heen.chosen for brainwashing, he cannot escape going through the entire process simply by indicating a willingness to sign anything he is asked to sign. In public trial, such confessions would be unconvincingly supported by the victim, or might be denied. The whole process must he carried.through to the point where the victim literally ewinces belief in his confession. The key figure in the brainwashing process is the- interrogator. He is the protagonist around when the prisoner develops his conflict, and upon whom.the prisoner comes to depend as he seeks a solution for that conflict. He provides the general outline, though not the details, of the great fabrication which the victim must construct, defend, and come to believe before the process is culminated. He initiates the pressures which are applied to the wictha, and readily adapts his own behavior to provide additional pressure. His role is predominant. The process of brainwashing is essentially one in which two paths are being followed. One is the demoralizing pro- cess, the result of which is to reduce the victim's critical faculties to the point where he no longer discriminates clearly between true and false, logical and illogical. The 66 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 other is the renorganizing process, in which he is reqpired to construct his confession, elaborate it, defend it, and believe it. These-two processes are actually going on all the time, though an initial softeninghup usually precedes the intensive interrogation and.the initial construct of the confEssion. The previous section described in some detail the control pressures exerted by the Communists. Recognition of the-psy? chological effects of these pressures within the individual is necessary to an understanding of brainwashing. It should be noted that this is a theoretioal analysis. As indicated in the last section, the Communists did.not design their pressures to satisfy a particular need to achieve these effects. A Hypothetical Schedule of Brainuashing In the period immediately following capture or arrest, his captors are faced with the prohlem.of how to exploit the prisoner-maximallyo when, as in the case of arrested Soviet citizens, the arrest and.interrogation plan already developed is suitable, little further need.be done to carry out the assault upon the prisoner, When the prisoner is not a citizen of the Communist country, or he is a prisoner of war, a plan must be developed from.scrateh. Therefore, 67 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 . Approved For Release 1999f09!07 initial treatment is sin?lar'both for thone who are to be interrogated for intelligence and those 1who are to undergo- a systemtic brainwashing. One practical consequence immediately becomes apparent, Tlte minds of those who are to be interrogted for intelligence must be kept sufficiently - clear and intact to permit a coherent, undistorted revelation of the desired informtioo; whereas in brainwashing the- initisl assault is upon the clarity of the thought processes. Concurrently with preliminary administrative contacts the prisoner undergoes a physical and softening- up process. This softeninguup includes limited, impala-table food, regimented exercise and use of toilet facilities, withholding of reading materials, deprivation of tobacco, and strict regulation of the conditions and position of sleep. As previously indicated, the most important mechanism of the brainwashing process is the interrogation. hiring the course of the interrogation the interrogtor my attempt to elicit information (especially in the case of captured military personnel}, to indoctrinate his victim to the ass- munist point of view, to attach his value-system and his thought processes, and to lead him through the demoralisaticn Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 and reintegration that ehaeneteriees the brainwashed state. In achieving his objective the interrogtor controls the administration of all the other pressures. 'nie following motionel states are ores-bed. within the individual during the systematic course of the brainwashing: A feeling of helplessness in to deal with the impersonal machinery of control. (2) An initial resotion of "eurpriee". (3) A feeling of uncertainty about what is require?. of him. (14-) A developing feeling or dependence upon the interrogator. (5) A sense of doubt and. lees of objectivity. (6) Feelings of guilt. (7) A questioning ettitude toward his own value- system. (8) A feeling of potential "hreeh?omn", them he might go ineene. (9) A need. to defend his acquired. principles. (10) A final eenee of ?belonging" (identification). ?lhe order in which the feelings ere engendered within the individual may very smewhst; but all are necessary to the brainwashing process, 69 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999!09!07 A feeling of helplessness in seeming to deal with the impersonal mehinery- of control develops within the individml dnring the early stages, The in?ivitinal who receives the softening-nap treatment deucriheti above not onl:r begins to feel like an animl but feels also that nothing can he done about it?. No one pays an;r personal attention to him His complaints fall on deaf ears. His loss of cemmication, if he has been isolated, creates a feeling that he has been forgottena Everything that happens to him occurs according to an impersonal time schedule that has nothing to do with his nestle The voices and; footsteys of the guards are mntetlo He notes my contrasts. The cells are clean but he is filthy His greasy, unpalatable food. is served on battered. tin dishes by guards imoulately dressed in white. The first steps in "depersonalization" of the prisonr have hegunu He has no less. what to expect. Ample Opportunity is allotted for him to rminste upon all the unpleasant or painful things that could. happen to hill. He approaches the min interrogtion with mixed. feelings of relief and. fright. The controlled individual is constantly experiencing surprise. That is, what he expects is often not what actually 70 mm? Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999109?)? CIA-RDP65-00756RDOO400050004-9 happens to hint. Rarely it the prieonerprepare?-forthe- feet that interrogators are often initially friendil: and. considerate. They rake every effort to downstate that they are reasonable hm heinge. Often they apologize for any bad. treatment received. by the prieoner and; pro?ee- to We the prisoner's lot if he, too, is reasonable. This behavior is not what the priaonaer has wheeled.- hiuelf for. he let: down some of his defenses and. triee to take a reasonable attitude. The 1'th occasion, however, that the prisoner balk: at satiefying a request of the interrogator, he is in for another surprise. The reasonable intemtor unexpectedly turns into a furious maniac who serene epithets. The interrogator nay slap the prisoner or drew his pistol and threaten to shoot him. Usually this storm of emotion ceases aa suddenly as it ?began and the interrogator stalks from the room. createa doubt in-the prisoner as to his ten ability to perceive another person?s motivations correctly. His next interrogation, as likely a: not, will be marked by the very of the interrogate?! mien. A feeling of uncertainty about 1what in required. of hill likewise results from the prisoner'a early contact: with the 71. E9 Release. 1999f?9??_?_i Approved For Release 1999!09!07 uteri-eaten Pleae of the prieomer to learn specifically of what he is aoonsecl and by whom are by the interrogator. Initially the intemgation 1a left innate-no- tured. The priaoner is aekefi to tell why he thinks he is held. and- what he feele he is guilty of, If the prisoner fails to come up with anythingj he is in terms of broad. generalities (egg eepd?uonzriaslgejr eabotage, echo of treason against the "people? atoll, Thie usually provokes the prie- oner to make some statement about. hie activities. If this takes the form or a denial, he 1e usually eat to isolation on further deereaeed food. ratione to "think over" his crimes. Isolation appears to be an immeuauy efficacious control preeaure. Individual differenoee in mythological reao?bion to ieolation are very greatn Some individlmle appear to be able to withstand prolonged. periorle of isolation without deleteriooe effeeo; while a relatively short period of iso- lation cat-here to the verge of Pey- ohologieal reaction veriee considerably 1with the conditions of the isolation Some individuals have indicated a strong reaction to the filth and vermin, although the}' had negligible reactione to the isolation iteelf. Others, now- ever, reaot-ed. violently to ieolation in relatively clean cells. 72 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999109?)? CIA-RDP65-00756RDOO400050004-9 The cause- of the latter reaction appears to be the lack of sensory stimnletion-u The even greyneas of the walls (or total lack of light), the lack of sound, the absence of social contact, all combine to deprive the individual of differential stimulation of his sensory end organs. Research has indicated that, when sensory stim?ation has been system- atically oeoreased the individml is incapable of tolerating his own sanective reactions for more than a very limited number of dayea Experimental subjects reported vivid halluci- nations and overwhelming fears" This process of alternating periods of isolation with demands for a confession during interrogtion can be repeated again and ageing The prisoner is forced to mke sme compromise to break the intolerable cycle. As soon as he can think of something time- might be considered self- incriminating, the interrogator appeare momentarily satisfied. The prisoner is asked to write down 1113 statement in his own words and sign in Meanwhile the controlled individual is developing a strong sense of dependence upon the interrogator. It does not take him long to realise that the interrogator is the source of all punishment, all gratification and all communi- 73 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 m- oation that the prisoner can have. The interrogxbor men- while demonstrates his unpre?ictability. He is perceived. by the prisoner as a creature of whim-o At times the inter- rogator can he planned very easily and at other times no effort on the part of the prieoner will placate him. The prisoner may begin to channel no men energr into trying to predict the behavior of the unpredictable interrogator that he loses track of what in happening ineide himself. His recognition of ?epen?nnce upon a reZin?tin'elar mpre?icta?ble interrogator is a source of intense internal con?ict. After the prisoner hen sieve-lopeti the above and emotional reactions to a sufficient negro-e, the brain- 1nourishing begins in earneeti Fire?: the prisoner's remaining critical faculties met be ?eetroyedc He undergoes long, fatiguing interrogations while looking at a bright light. He is called. back again sn? again for interrogations after minimal sleep. Dr-uge my he need to accentuate his mood. swings. He develope depreseion when the interrogator is being kind and. becomes euphoric when the interrogator is threatening the direct panel-ties. And then the cycle is reversed. The prisoner finds himself in a constant state of anxiety which prevente him from: relaxing even when he is Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-00756R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 permitted to sleep, Short periods of isolation notr bring on visual and auditory hallucinations. he prisoner feels himself losing his objectivity. The prisoner my he torttned by being forced to stand in one spot for severe]. home or assume some other pain-in- ducing position? me physiological effects of such torture have been described. this type of torture create-s additional internel conflict. When the prisoner is required to stand in one positionj there is often engendered within him on initial determination to "stick it out". This internal set of resistance provides a. feeling of moral supere iority, at first. As time passes and the pain mounts, the individual becomes swore that, to some degree, it is his own original determination to resist that is causing the con- tinuance of pain. There develops a conflict within the individual between his moral deteminstion end his desire to collapse and discontinue the pain, It is this extra. in- ternal conflict, in addition to the conflict over whether or not to give in to the demuds made of him, that tends to make this method of torture so effective in the breakdown of the individual personality. It is in this state that the prisoner must keep up on '75 Approved For Release 1999f09107 CIA-RDP65-00756RDDO400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999f09!07 CIA-RDP65-OO756RDOO400050004-9 endless argument with his interrogatora ?e may'be faoed with the confessions of other individuals who "collaborated? with him in his crimes? Who prieoner?seriously'beginn to doubt his own memory. Thie feeling is heightened. by his to recall little thingo like the name of the people he knows very well or the date of his birth. The interrogator patiently'eharpeno this feeling of doubt and uncertainty by'a clever line or queetioning. For-example, if the goal of the brainwashing ie an admission of participation in gernhuarfare activities, the following queetione may he asked incessantly: ?Did you pereonally supervise the loading of bombs in your plane? Did you know eraotly what was in eaoh of them? Did you count the exploeiona of the bombs you dropped? Are you euro? Here you told to hit secondary targets if you couldn't aohieve your primary targets? were you ordered.to drop all of your bonbe well-within enemy territory? were some of your eeploeirea of the anti?personnel type? Are you none of your boobs contained bacteria? If you personally had.any objection to the use of such germ- uarfare weapons, do you think your euperiore would have told you what you.uere carrying? are?? etc." This line of question- ing, when the individual one loot most of his critical ?6 Approved Approved For Release faculties, tends to erect a serious state of uncertainty. lhis has been demonstrated, when accompanying pressures were trirtunuqar nil, under experimental conditions. [the prisoner must surfer additional internal conflict when strong feelings-of guilt are aroused within him. As any clinical is aware, it is not at all difficult to create such feelings? ?lital'jr personnel are particularly Vulnerable. Ho one can Justify killing even in wartime. ihe usual Justification is on the grounds of Mce??itjf or self?defense Toe intermtor ie ceref?m?l. to circumvent such Justification. He keeps the intemgation directed. towards the prisoner's Ersonal more]. code. {cg-e; is the prisoner personally killing civilians and. troops who have never done anything to him? Did. he perreonally want to fight thin war, or 1Has he drafted?) Every" moral vulnerability is exploited. (How does the prisoner feel shout the fact that the weapons of ear cannot be sufficiently controlled to guarantee the killing only,r of soldiers? Or did. the "arms makers" deeign them that way? Does the prisoner really believe in fighting, to support. colonialism? Would the prisoner feel anyr obligation to support his comtry if an attack were made upon Mexico? How is this different frun the Uhinese position in Korea? What. does the prisoner feel'about the fact that the 308* was the first to utilize nuclear weapons in Approved For Release 199910910? CIA-RDP65-09T56R000400050094-9 Approved For Release wan?? warfare? Does the prisoner support wholeheartedly the policies of his government? If not, doesn't this war support some or the policies he does not apples-e? Is the prisoner a christian? Does Christianity condone slaughter of the type meted out by sir bombings?) questioning of this type tends to arouse many doubts based upon irretionel guilt feelings. The prisoner begins to question the very mosses-we of his own value-system. One brainwashed priest reported that after interrogation he really began to feel intense guilt about the very missionary work to which he had devoted his entire life. Constantly, the prisoner met fight off a potential breakdown. He finds that his mind is "going blank" for longer and longer periods of time. He cannot think constructively. If he is to mintain any semblance of integrity, he must bring an end to this state of interminable internal conflict. He signifies a. willingness to write a. confession. If this were truly the end, no bminweshing would hate actually occurred. its: individual eonld simply have "given in" to intoler- able pressure. the final stage of the brainwashing process has Just begun. ?lo mutter whet the prisoner writes in his confession, the interrogn-tor is not satisfied. The interroga? tor questions every sentence, every phrase of the confession. He begins to edit while working with the prisoner. 'Ihe prisoner is TB Approved For Release 199910910? CIA-RDP65-09T56R000400050094-9 Approved For Release 1999109?)? CIA-RDP65-00T56R000400050004-9 forced to argue against every change every demand. for increased self-incrimination. This is the very essence of brainwashing! The prisoner has begun to argge for maintaining statements that he mule. not have accepted prior to the cmncement of brain- washing. Every time that he gives in on a point to the intet'ro- gator, he must rewrite his whole confession.* Still the intermgator is not satisfied. In a desperate attempt to maintain cone semblance of integrity and to avoid futile:- bminwashing, the prisoner must begin to argue that that he has already confesse? is true" He begins to accept as his own the statements he has written, Suhtly, step by step, he has identified with a new wales-system. The prisoner seen many of the interrogator's earlier arguments to buttress his position. He believes what he has stated. By this process itientificetion with the interrogators Wet "simple PavlomHEon-iitioning" accomts for 1turhat occurs in the final stages of brainwashing is a common misconception. the major similarity between what happens to Pavlov?s dog and what happens in brainwashing lies in the preparation of the dog for the con?itioning experiment. Braimehing can be likened much more initially to the more complex. concept of avoidance conditioning" which requires that the animal "disco'rer" a solution to avoini pain. It is much more difficult to "de-ecntiition" an animal that has learned in this way. Anti-ally brainwashing requires a creative act of learning {internal re- organization of the thought processes) on the part of the hI-ainnash?victim. This does not imply that he could "help" learning any more than the child. can "help" learning that fire is hot mud. should he amieed. T9 Approved For Release 199910910? CIA-RDP65-00T56R000400050004-9 Approved For Release 1999109?)? value-system becomes couplets. It is ertrmely important to recognize that a qualitative change has taken place within the i prisoner. inc hrsinuash-victin does not consciously change his value-system; rather the change occurs niespite his efforts. He is no more responsible for this change than is an individual who ?snaps" and becomes And. like the the prisoner is not even aware of the transition. in interesting point is iniseti by the behavior of returned. prisoners-of-Her who had. been (hiring the Korean conflict. Some of these individuals stood com-martial,- others were ?lifieo. in the press. One won?ers why they did not say, was hrainsashed -- I believed at the tim chat I said. over the radio?, in their own defense. apparently they could not explain clearly that happene? to them. One senders if this inability to communicate their experience is related. to a most interesting finding that it is impossible for a recovered schizophrenic to tell that a ?state? is like. All that he can say is that it is Wbly horrible. Similarly, some of the brainwashed have characterized their own experiences as "indescribable", Aftermath Since the changed. of the brainwash-victim has developed. in a. severely comtroJled environment 1when his critical 50 Approved For Release 199910910? CIA-RDP65-09T56R000400050094-9 Approved For Release 1999109?)? judgment was at its nadir, it can be considered, in a sense, like and ?enforced schizophrenia". The victim literally "forgets" many of the events that occurred during the brainwashing process. If such an analogy is useful, it could he predicted that the hrsinsash-victim, once freed from oppressive controls and haying recomercd his critical faculties, unuld undergo a Spontaneous reintegration and recovery with the passage of time. This appears to he the case. Accmpanying this recovery of a value-system more consistent with his beliefs prior to brainwashing is the gradual recall of the various aspects of the brainwashing process itself. 91 Approved For Release 199910910? CIA-RDP65-09T56R000400050094-9 Approved For Release CIA-RDP65-09T56R000400050094-9 Approved For Release 199910910? CIA-RDP65-09T56R000400050094-9