James Elmer Mitchell
Encyclopedia
James Elmer Mitchell is a psychologist who was the architect of the U.S. torture program after 9/11. A United States Air Force
retiree, Mitchell was hired in 2002 by the Central Intelligence Agency
with Bruce Jessen
to design their enhanced interrogation techniques
. He had never conducted an interrogation, had no training as an interrogator, had no expertise in al Qaeda and no familiarity with the organization, did not speak Arabic and had no training in radical Islam. Mitchell nonetheless said he could design and implement an interrogation plan for alleged al Qaeda suspects.
The CIA, in an Inspector General Report, concluded that there was no scientific reason to believe that the program Mitchell designed was medically safe or would produce reliable information.
who reportedly says he grew up poor in Florida
and joined the Air Force in 1974, "seeking adventure."
While stationed in Alaska
, he learned to disarm unexploded ordnance
and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology
. He earned his Ph.D.
at the University of South Florida
in 1986, with a thesis comparing diet and exercise in controlling hypertension
.
outside Spokane, Washington
.
Mitchell retired in 2001 from his last military assignment as psychologist to a special operations
unit in North Carolina
, and started a training company called Knowledge Works from his new home in Tampa, Florida
. At the time of the September 11 attacks, he and Jessen received contracts from the Central Intelligence Agency
as consultants on interrogation
.
Mitchell attended civilian conferences as well, and founded additional corporations, named Wizard Shop (later renamed Mind Science), and What If. In 2004, Knowledge Works was certified by the American Psychological Association
as a provider of continuing professional education training.
In 2005, the partners formed a company called Mitchell Jessen and Associates, with offices in Spokane and Virginia and five additional associates, four of them from military SERE programs. By 2007, the company employed around 60 people, including former CIA interrogator Deuce Martinez
; Karen Gardner, a former senior training official at the FBI Academy
; and Roger Aldrich, a "legendary" military survival
trainer.
By 2009, the "enhanced interrogation" techniques they pioneered were more controversial. In 2008, the APA cancelled Knowledge Works' certification; and in April 2009, the CIA canceled Mitchell and Jessen's contracts.
's interrogation methods were controversial to the point that, among colleages, their critics called them the "Mormon mafia" in a reference to their shared religion. They were also referred to as the "poster boys" , in a reference to the F.B.I.'s "most wanted" posters, which are where some thought their activities would land them.
In 2010, Dr. Jim L. H. Cox filed a formal ethics complaint against Mitchell in the state of Texas, where Mitchell remains a licensed psychologist. The American Psychological Association sent a letter to the Texas State Board of Psychologists calling the allegations in the complaint "represent 'patently unethical' actions inconsistent with the organization's ethics guidelines.", If "a member of the APA were found to have committed the acts alleged against Mitchell, 'he or she would be expelled from the APA membership,'" The letter is the first of its kind issued in the board's history.
When asked about these allegations Mitchell called the complaint libelous and said it is "riddled throughout with fabricated details, lies, distortions and inaccuracies.
The Board of Examiners of Psychologists dismissed the complaint against Mitchell February 10, 2011, saying there wasn't enough evidence to prove Mitchell violated its rules. This was described as one of several recent cases where such complaints about post-9/11 ethical violations were dismissed for lack of proof.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
retiree, Mitchell was hired in 2002 by the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
with Bruce Jessen
Bruce Jessen
John Bruce Jessen is a psychologist and Air Force retiree who, with James Elmer Mitchell, established the so called U.S. Enhanced interrogation techniques Program.The Enhanced interrogation techniques have been seen by many experts as a euphemism for torture....
to design their enhanced interrogation techniques
Enhanced interrogation techniques
Enhanced interrogation techniques or alternative set of procedures are terms adopted by the George W. Bush administration in the United States to describe certain severe interrogation methods, often described as torture...
. He had never conducted an interrogation, had no training as an interrogator, had no expertise in al Qaeda and no familiarity with the organization, did not speak Arabic and had no training in radical Islam. Mitchell nonetheless said he could design and implement an interrogation plan for alleged al Qaeda suspects.
The CIA, in an Inspector General Report, concluded that there was no scientific reason to believe that the program Mitchell designed was medically safe or would produce reliable information.
Background
Mitchell is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also known as mormonMormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
who reportedly says he grew up poor in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and joined the Air Force in 1974, "seeking adventure."
While stationed in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, he learned to disarm unexploded ordnance
Unexploded ordnance
Unexploded ordnance are explosive weapons that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation, potentially many decades after they were used or discarded.While "UXO" is widely and informally used, munitions and explosives of...
and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
. He earned his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at the University of South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
in 1986, with a thesis comparing diet and exercise in controlling hypertension
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
.
Interrogation
In 1988, Mitchell succeeded Bruce Jessen as the "Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape" (SERE) psychologist at the Air Force Survival School at Fairchild Air Force BaseFairchild Air Force Base
Fairchild Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately southwest of Spokane, Washington.The host unit at Fairchild is the 92d Air Refueling Wing assigned to the Air Mobility Command's 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force...
outside Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
.
Mitchell retired in 2001 from his last military assignment as psychologist to a special operations
Special operations
Special operations are military operations that are considered "special" .Special operations are typically performed independently or in conjunction with conventional military operations. The primary goal is to achieve a political or military objective where a conventional force requirement does...
unit in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and started a training company called Knowledge Works from his new home in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
. At the time of the September 11 attacks, he and Jessen received contracts from the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
as consultants on interrogation
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
.
Mitchell attended civilian conferences as well, and founded additional corporations, named Wizard Shop (later renamed Mind Science), and What If. In 2004, Knowledge Works was certified by the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...
as a provider of continuing professional education training.
In 2005, the partners formed a company called Mitchell Jessen and Associates, with offices in Spokane and Virginia and five additional associates, four of them from military SERE programs. By 2007, the company employed around 60 people, including former CIA interrogator Deuce Martinez
Deuce Martinez
Deuce is an American intelligence officer.He is notable for his role in interrogating "high-value detainees", including: Abu Zubaydah, Ramzi bin Alshibh, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.-CIA career:...
; Karen Gardner, a former senior training official at the FBI Academy
FBI Academy
The FBI Academy, located in Quantico, Virginia, is the training site for new Special Agents of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was first opened for use in 1972 on 385 acres of woodland. It is a relatively small government academy, housing three dormitory buildings and...
; and Roger Aldrich, a "legendary" military survival
Survival
Survival is the struggle to remain alive and living. The term may refer to:- Companies and organisations :* Survival International, a non-governmental human rights organization working for tribal peoples- Literature :...
trainer.
By 2009, the "enhanced interrogation" techniques they pioneered were more controversial. In 2008, the APA cancelled Knowledge Works' certification; and in April 2009, the CIA canceled Mitchell and Jessen's contracts.
Ethics complaint in Texas
Mitchell and his partner Bruce JessenBruce Jessen
John Bruce Jessen is a psychologist and Air Force retiree who, with James Elmer Mitchell, established the so called U.S. Enhanced interrogation techniques Program.The Enhanced interrogation techniques have been seen by many experts as a euphemism for torture....
's interrogation methods were controversial to the point that, among colleages, their critics called them the "Mormon mafia" in a reference to their shared religion. They were also referred to as the "poster boys" , in a reference to the F.B.I.'s "most wanted" posters, which are where some thought their activities would land them.
In 2010, Dr. Jim L. H. Cox filed a formal ethics complaint against Mitchell in the state of Texas, where Mitchell remains a licensed psychologist. The American Psychological Association sent a letter to the Texas State Board of Psychologists calling the allegations in the complaint "represent 'patently unethical' actions inconsistent with the organization's ethics guidelines.", If "a member of the APA were found to have committed the acts alleged against Mitchell, 'he or she would be expelled from the APA membership,'" The letter is the first of its kind issued in the board's history.
When asked about these allegations Mitchell called the complaint libelous and said it is "riddled throughout with fabricated details, lies, distortions and inaccuracies.
The Board of Examiners of Psychologists dismissed the complaint against Mitchell February 10, 2011, saying there wasn't enough evidence to prove Mitchell violated its rules. This was described as one of several recent cases where such complaints about post-9/11 ethical violations were dismissed for lack of proof.
External links
- Abu Zubaydah and the Case Against Torture Architect James Mitchell Andy WorthingtonAndy WorthingtonAndy Worthington is a British historian, journalist, and film director.He has published three books, and been published in numerous publications.In 2009 Worthington was the co-director of a documentary about the Guantanamo detainees....
June 24, 2010