WINTER SOLDIER -- ILLUSTRATED SCREENPLAY & SCREENCAP GALLERY

MODERATOR:  Due to the fact that one of the men has to leave very shortly, Nathan Hale, I'd like to let him testify to the interrogation procedures at this time.

NATHAN HALE: I arrived at the base camp of the 1st Cav. which is Hill 29. When I arrived there my S-2, a captain, told me that my job was to illicit information. This meant that I could illicit information in any means possible. He told me that I could use any technique I could think of and the idea is, "Don't get caught."  And what he meant was I could beat these people, I could cut 'em, I could probably shoot 'em -- I never shot anyone -- but I could use any means possible to get information.  Just don't beat them in the presence of a non-unit member, or person. That's someone like a visiting officer, or perhaps the Red Cross. 

And I personally used clubs, rifle butts, pistols, knives, and this was always done at Hill 29. And in the field it even gets better. On this particular operation the National Field Police also hanged two men, just because they thought they were VC.

The important point here is that everything I did was always monitored. An interrogator is always monitored. I was monitored by an MP Sergeant at Hill 29 who often helped me in my interrogations -- he and his squad. One other incident on Hill 29 -- there was a man who was kicked to death by the ARVNs -- the South Vietnamese. They called me the next morning and they said, "You have a dead prisoner." So I had to take a doctor over to confirm that he was dead. My S-2, instead of going through the necessary paper work, had him put in two 500 pound rice sacks and the troops took him out that day and dumped him. He was added to the previous day's body count.

I can tell you that Americal Division has the ideal interrogation location. There are MPs on the hill watching you, but this doesn't mean you can't kick prisoners under the table. We used to take knives into the interrogation huts and use the guys hands as a means of terror.

I might also add that I learned everything I know from the South Vietnamese and from my Americal cohorts.

This is a group of detainees being brought in.

Okay, there's an interrogation going on right here. This is the way it's conducted. It's a big production. There are all the Marines sitting around giving the various cheers. At all times during these interrogations there were officers present. At one time there was a Lt. Colonel present.

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