Educing Information: Interrogation - National Intelligence University

than “interrogate,” which increasingly means different things to different people
and has highly negative connotations for the general public. 1
From a technical perspective, the study team’s definition of EI encompasses
“elicitation” (engaging with a source in such a manner that he or she reveals
information without being aware of giving away anything of value), “strategic
debriefing” (systematically covering topics and areas with a voluntary source who
consents to a formal interview), and “interrogation” (interaction and conversation
with a source who appears initially unwilling to provide information). EI implies
a “system” of gathering information about and from a source and a spectrum of
approaches, tools, activities, and techniques. This may involve investigative efforts,
development of scenarios, and involvement of others (teams of interviewers and
analysts, willing sources, and collaborators). Effective practice of EI usually
extends beyond one-to-one interactions with a source.
While the term “eduction” describes the scope of the study team’s investigations
and recommendations, it has not yet come into widespread use. From a practical
perspective, therefore, many of the team’s research efforts have focused on
functions and activities that are described as “interrogation,” primarily because
the source documents or the persons interviewed used that terminology. Moreover,
the processes described often had the adversarial character that the term calls
to mind. “Educing information,” by contrast, encompasses the full range of
approaches that, in the opinion of the study team, the Intelligence Community
should explore as it seeks to obtain useful information from sources in the future.
Activities
Literature Review
Since September 2004 the EI study team has conducted extensive reviews of
the behavioral and social science literature that deals directly or indirectly with
interrogation, interviewing, and other EI-related activities. We have also examined
military, intelligence, law enforcement, and investigative accounts pertaining to
interviewing, interrogation, and other areas related to EI. The historical accounts
spanned interrogations conducted by the United States and its allies and those
conducted by adversaries. The Prologue above summarizes some of the more
important programs and indicates why the United States abandoned this area of
research. As a result of our reviews, we have compiled a collection of open source
information on EI and a lengthy bibliography — the first of their kind. We have
also studied Intelligence Community (IC) training manuals and learned from
the experience of those involved with the military’s SERE (Survival, Evasion,
Resistance, and Escape) programs.
In parallel, the study team has followed public discussions about interrogation
programs and practices that have received attention in the past several years,
1
One public image of the word “interrogation” is illustrated in a quote profiling Newsweek
investigative reporter Michael Isikoff: “Mike will pull your fingernails out over coffee discussing
lawn care. He is just a born interrogator.” (New York Times, 17 May 2005).
2