Early American Use of Torture - Danny Mitrone in Latin America

America's systematic use of torture did not begin atdisposed of at least a hundred bodies. In 1967, he
Abu Ghraib prison, it began in Latin America. Thereturned to Washington to share his knowledge with
Baltimore Sun has found a 1983 US torture manualAgency for International Development Public Safety
called AKUBARK Counterintelligence Interrogation.Police Academy trainees. In 1969 he flew to Uruguay
The earliest edition dates back to 1963. It was used towhere he headed a four man team training police.
train Latin American security forces. An especiallyUruguayan sources said he introduced torture as a
interesting part deals with equipping safe houses withmeans of dealing with political prisoners and that it
electric transformers and using shocks to help victimssoon became normal.
regress to much earlier stats in their lives. It is veryMitrone's approach was scientific in that he sought just
reminiscent of all the UKULTRA psychiatric researchthe right amount of pain to get the information he
carried on by the intelligence agencies since the earlydesired, and it was noted that he employed
1950s. Thirteen years later, in 1986, the governmentpsychological knowledge to induce surrender and
found seven of these manuals in use at the School fordespair. Often, he drugged beggars off the streets so
the Americas at Fort Benning. There was also a 1984he could experiment with various torture and sickness
manual used to train Honduran forces in the use ofinducing techniques. Sometimes he used these poor
torture and another contemporaneous one for thesouls to demonstrate his techniques for visiting
Contras.intelligence people. One of his favorite techniques was
John Stockwell, former station chief in Nicaragua,playing tapes of women and children screaming that
recalled how the Contras would mutilate the father inthe subject's family was being tortured.
front of the children and then peel skin off his face.Mitrone was violating US torture doctrine, which had
Sometimes a grenade was placed in his mouth andmoved away from physical techniques and relied on
the pin was then pulled. Sometimes the children were"hands-off" psychological methods. In his case, as in
tortured while the parents had to watch. But theothers, it seems that he needed to use physical means
Contras seemed to especially violate women.in order to enjoy a sense of power and control of
While working as a USAID policy advisor Latinothers.
America, Dan Mitrone refined US torture methods. HeTupamaros rebels kidnapped and executed him in
was especially good at using ultra-thin highly conductive1970, and Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis and Bob Hope did
wire to shock victims, sometimes placing it betweena benefit concert for his family in Richmond, Indiana. His
their teeth like dental floss. Mitrone went to Latinname is honored on a plaque in the Truman Building in
America in 1960 to teach torture techniques. For sevenWashington DC for losing his life abroad in honorable
years, he worked with a Death Squad in Brazil thatservice to his country.