Educing Information: Interrogation - National Intelligence University

undermining the objectivity and accuracy of the information obtained. In contrast,
an open-ended question (e.g., “What type of explosive did you plan to use in that
device”) requires the source to answer on the basis of his personal experience/
knowledge, without the benefit of clues or restrictions contained in the question.
A Systematic Approach to Interrogation: More Than the
Sum of Its Parts
Therefore, it is wrong to open [an] interrogation experimentally,
intending to abandon unfruitful approaches one by one until
a sound method is discovered by chance. The failures of the
interrogator, his painful retreats from blind alleys, bolster the
confidence of the source and increase his ability to resist. While
the interrogator is struggling to learn from the subject the facts
that should have been established before the interrogation
started, the subject is learning more and more about the
interrogator. 59
This passage contains an exceptionally important warning, one that an
interrogator must always keep in mind: while the interrogator is watching (and
listening to) the source, the source is watching (and listening to) the interrogator.
The interrogator often enters the interrogation with two distinct advantages.
First, sources may be suffering from the shock of capture that undermines their
psychological and emotional stability (often causing them to say and do things
against their own interests). Second, while a long-serving intelligence officer
may have the experience of dozens of interrogations behind him or her, it is
often the source’s maiden voyage into this uncertain territory. The interrogator
can quickly surrender these advantages, however, by approaching the source
in a hesitant, indecisive manner. This false start can be largely avoided through
careful planning.
The MIS-Y interrogators of the Joint Interrogation Center routinely invested
six hours in preparation for every hour spent in the actual interrogation of a
prisoner. Their approaches, including alternatives, were carefully designed on
the basis of extensive observation and assessment of the source. Intensive study
of pertinent military, technical, economic, and/or political materials enabled the
interrogators to demonstrate a solid understanding of the topics raised during
the interrogation (contributing to the development of Cialdini’s authority effect).
They were similarly prepared to question the source systematically, including the
ability to consistently and logically follow up on new avenues of inquiry as they
unfolded. Not only did this disciplined operating procedure enhance the depth
and breadth of the information collected, but it also facilitated a strong degree of
control over the source. Opportunities for the prisoner to gain confidence from the
miscues of an ill-prepared interrogator were rare.
59
KUBARK, 42.
111