A new publication recounts the American Psychological Association's collaboration with the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency. "It's long been known that health professionals played a key role in legitimizing and implementing the CIA's and Defense Department's interrogation programs" writes Rupert Stone.
Wikipedia documents the history of systemic abuse by psychologists. A year after the establishment of Human Resource Research Organization by the U.S. military, CIA began funding numerous psychologists (and other scientists) in the development of psychological warfare methods under the supervision of APA treasurer Meredith Crawford. Donald Hebb, the APA president in 1960 who was awarded the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award in 1961, defended the torture of research subjects, arguing that what was being studied was other nations' methods of brainwashing. Former APA president Martin Seligman spoke upon the invitation of the CIA on his animal experimentation where he shocked a dog unpredictably and repeatedly into total, helpless passivity. Former APA president Joseph Matarazzo designed a new CIA interrogation regimen and supervised the torture of Abu Zubaydah at a secret CIA detention site in Thailand. Former APA president Ronald F. Levant, upon visiting Guantanamo Bay, affirmed that psychologists were present during the torture of prisoners, arguing that their presence was to "add value and safeguards" to interrogations.
American Psychological Association Director of the Office of Ethics Stephen Behnke has been "removed from his position as a result of the report." Prosecution of torture architects and central perpetrators must follow.
