Educing Information: Interrogation - National Intelligence University

The effectiveness of standard interrogation techniques has never been validated
by empirical research. Moreover, techniques designed to obtain confessions to
crimes may have only limited relevance to preventive investigations of terroristrelated
activities.
7. “Barriers to Success: Critical Challenges in Developing a New Educing
Information Paradigm”
This paper analyzes three fundamental barriers to successfully educing information
from uncooperative sources: (1) linguistic/cultural barriers; (2) scientific/technical/
subject matter barriers; and (3) interpersonal/intrapersonal barriers.
8. “Negotiation Theory and Practice: Exploring Ideas to Aid Information
Eduction”
Information eduction can be viewed as a complex set of negotiations. Government
officials have information needs, and sources have information they can disclose.
The challenge is to determine how the government can negotiate most effectively
for that information. This report therefore seeks to describe negotiation concepts
that might assist the information educer.
9. “Negotiation Theory and Educing Information: Practical Concepts and
Tools”
This paper offers basic tools from negotiation theory for possible discussion by
those concerned with EI. The paper presents brief discussions of different possible
strategies for EI, a brief discussion of the sources of power available to educers
and sources, and then suggestions about preparation for EI.
10. “Options for Scientific Research on Eduction Practices”
Surprisingly, the last forty years have seen almost no scientific research examining
eduction practices. The “interrogation approaches” taught in standard interrogation
training (e.g., Army Field Manual 34-52) have remained largely unchanged since
World War II, yet no scientific research substantiates the effectiveness of these
approaches. Our current knowledge about eduction practices is based on feedback
and lessons learned from field experience.
This paper argues two points: first, that scientific investigation of eduction practices is
needed to supplement lessons learned from field experience, and second, that various
research venues are available to examine these practices. Research approaches could
include both retrospective analyses of data about past interrogations (including those
that used harsh methods) and new studies that relate different eduction practices to the
value of the information obtained.
11. Educing Information Bibliography
This selected, annotated bibliography includes the most useful items in English
covering the theory, research, and pragmatics of interrogation over the past fifty
years.
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