State of the Union January/February 2008 ATLANTIC MAGAZINE

Inside Guantánamo

By Louie Palu

A member of the U.S. military reflected in rainwater in a detainee recreation area in Camp One. An arrow gives the direction and distance (12,793 kilometers) to Mecca for Muslim detainees who wish to worship. A leaked logbook of the interrogation of Mohammed al-Qahtani, a high-value detainee, records the following techniques: he was interrogated for 18 to 20 hours a day for 48 of 54 days; he was doused with water and kept in a room air-conditioned to induce hypothermia; he was hooded and menaced by a dog; he was injected with fluids and forced to urinate on himself. All of these interrogation methods were personally approved by then–Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Andrew Sullivan, an Atlantic senior editor, blogs at andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com. Louie Palu is an award-winning photographer based in Washington, D.C.