Washington Post – Silence of 4 Terror Probe Suspects Poses Dilemma. FBI and Justice Department investigators are increasingly frustrated by the silence of jailed suspected associates of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, and some are beginning to that say that traditional civil liberties may have to be cast aside if they are to extract information about the Sept. 11 attacks and terrorist plans.
One former senior FBI official with a background in counterterrorism said recently, “You can't torture, you can't give drugs now, and there is logic, reason and humanity to back that.” But, he added, “you could reach a point where they allow us to apply drugs to a guy. . . . But I don't think this country would ever permit torture, or beatings.”
He said there was a difference in employing a “truth serum,” such as sodium pentothal, “to try to get critical information when facing disaster, and beating a guy till he is senseless.”
“If there is another major attack on U.S. soil, the American public could let it happen,” he said. “Drugs might taint a prosecution, but it might be worth it.” [Privacy Digest]