British Interrogation Techniques in the Second World War

British Interrogation Techniques in the Second World War
Author: Sophie Jackson
Publisher: The History Press
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2011-11-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 0752478273

The British system of interrogation has always been distinctly different from other countries. Subtler, quieter and far more devious than its contemporaries, it has been admired by those who have inadvertently succumbed to it. So much so that the Nazis adopted some of the British methods in their own intelligence operations. During the Second World War the system became highly developed and vast numbers of people were employed in the collating and recovery of information. Vital data regarding military advances such as the Enigma machine and the Tiger Tank were wrung from prisoners not by force but by trickery and deceit. The eccentric, quirky, but also very successful, wartime interrogation methods of the British are revealed in this book, including their triumphant discoveries and also their occasional disastrous mistake.

Interrogator

Interrogator
Author: Raymond F. Toliver
Publisher: Schiffer + ORM
Total Pages: 561
Release: 1997-12-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1507301804

Scharff, a German Intelligence Officer, gained the reputation as the man who could magically get all the answers he needed from the prisoners of war. In most cases, the POWs being interrogated never realized that their words, small talk or otherwise, were important pieces of the mosaic Hanns Scharff was constructing for the benefit of Germany’s war effort. In the words of one erstwhile POW; "What did Scharff get from me? Nothing, yet there is no doubt he got something. If you talked about the weather or anything else, he no doubt got some information or confirmation from it. His technique was psychic, not physical." Another POW commented, "Hanns Scharff could probably get a confession of infidelity from a Nun!" To this day, ex-POWs fret and worry over what they said or even might have implied during their interrogations, and over what use Scharff may have made of their slip-ups. This book delves into the question: What was this magic spell or formula used by Scharff which made prisoners drop their guard and converse with him even though they are conditioned to remain silent? Hanns Scharff’s methods broke down barriers so effectively that the USAF invited him to speak about his methods to military audiences in the United States after World War II. Raymond Toliver is also the author (with Trevor Constable) of Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe (available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).

The London Cage

The London Cage
Author: Helen Fry
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2017-09-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 0300231229

The first complete account of the fiercely guarded secrets of London’s clandestine interrogation center, operated by the British Secret Service from 1940 to 1948 Behind the locked doors of three mansions in London’s exclusive Kensington Palace Gardens neighborhood, the British Secret Service established a highly secret prison in 1940: the London Cage. Here recalcitrant German prisoners of war were subjected to “special intelligence treatment.” The stakes were high: the war’s outcome could hinge on obtaining information German prisoners were determined to withhold. After the war, high-ranking Nazi war criminals were housed in the Cage, revamped as an important center for investigating German war crimes. This riveting book reveals the full details of operations at the London Cage and subsequent efforts to hide them. Helen Fry’s extraordinary original research uncovers the grim picture of prisoners’ daily lives and of systemic Soviet-style mistreatment. The author also provides sensational evidence to counter official denials concerning the use of “truth drugs” and “enhanced interrogation” techniques. Bringing dark secrets to light, this groundbreaking book at last provides an objective and complete history of the London Cage.

Interrogation

Interrogation
Author: James A. Stone
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2010-10
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1437934935

Contents: (1) Interrogation of Japanese POWs in WW2: U.S. Response to a Formidable Challenge. Military leaders, often working with civilian counterparts, created and implemented successful strategies, building on cultural and linguistic skills that substantially aided the war effort for the U.S. and its Allies. (2) Unveiling Charlie: U.S. Interrogators¿ Creative Successes Against Insurgents. Highlights the importance of a deep understanding of the language, psychol., and culture of adversaries and potential allies in other countries. (3) The Accidental Interrogator: A Case Study and Review of U.S. Army Special Forces Interrogations in Iraq. Offers recommendations that are likely to increase the effectiveness of U.S. interrogation practices in the field. Illus.

Interrogation in War and Conflict

Interrogation in War and Conflict
Author: Christopher Andrew
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 325
Release: 2014-04-29
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1134703384

This edited volume offers a comparative and interdisciplinary analysis of interrogation and questioning in war and conflict in the twentieth century. Despite the current public interest and its military importance, interrogation and questioning in conflict is still a largely under-researched theme. This volume’s methodological thrust is to select historical case studies ranging in time from the Great War to the conflicts in former Yugoslavia, and including the Second World War, decolonization, the Cold War, the ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland and international justice cases in The Hague, each of which raises interdisciplinary issues about the role of interrogation. These case-studies were selected because they resurface previously unexplored sources on the topic, or revisit known cases which allow us to analyse the role of interrogation and questioning in intelligence, security and military operations. Written by a group of experts from a range of disciplines including history, intelligence, psychology, law and human rights, Interrogation in War and Conflict provides a study of the main turning points in interrogation and questioning in twentieth-century conflicts, over a wide geographical area. The collection also looks at issues such as the extent of the use of harsh techniques, the value of interrogation to military intelligence, security and international justice, the development of interrogation as a separate profession in intelligence, as well as the relationship between interrogation and questioning and wider society. This book will be of much interest to students of intelligence studies, strategic studies, counter-terrorism, international justice, history and IR in general.

Interrogation of Prisoners of War in the Airland Battle

Interrogation of Prisoners of War in the Airland Battle
Author: William A Doyle (Jr)
Publisher:
Total Pages: 220
Release: 1987
Genre:
ISBN:

This study investigates Interrogation of Prisoner of War (IPW) operations by analyzing selected elements of U.S. Army and German Army IPW experiences from World War II, and by comparing these historical practices to current U.S. Army AirLand Battle Doctrine. The investigation revealed no meaningful differences between German and American IPW doctrine, practices, operational development, and results in World War II. The analysis identified common lessons learned in areas of decentralization, training and personnel inadequacies, and proximity of the interrogation to the point of capture. Historical results confirm specific values and limitations of intelligence information produced by IPW operations. The study also recommends further inquiry to determine if current IPW personnel policies and training programs respond adequately to IPW training and personnel problems identified by historical experience.

FM 34-52 Intelligence Interrogation

FM 34-52 Intelligence Interrogation
Author: Department of Department of the Army
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2017-12-13
Genre:
ISBN: 9781978322677

The 1992 edition of the FM 34-52 Intelligence Interrogation Field Manual.

Hitler's Generals in America

Hitler's Generals in America
Author: Derek R. Mallett
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2013-12-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 0813142520

The WWII historian offers “provocative analysis” of the US military’s evolving relationship with German officers held on American soil (Robert D. Billinger Jr., author of Nazi POWs in the Tar Heel State). In Hitler’s Generals in America, Derek R. Mallett examines the relationship between American officials and the Wehrmacht general officers they held as prisoners of war in the United States between 1943 and 1946. While the British pampered the German officers in their custody in order to obtain intelligence, Americans did not share the same sense of class privilege, and refused any special treatment to German prisoners of any rank. By the end of the war, however, the United States had begun to envision itself as a world power rather than one of several allies providing aid during wartime. Mallett demonstrates how a growing admiration for the German officers’ prowess and military traditions, coupled with postwar anxiety about Soviet intentions, drove Washington to collaborate with many Wehrmacht general officers. Drawing on newly available sources, this intriguing book shows how Americans undertook the complex process of reconceptualizing Germans—even Nazi generals—as allies against what they perceived as their new enemy, the Soviet Union.