CIA Operations in Laos – a Case Officer remembers: Part 2 – Prisoner Interrogations

Jack Jolis served as a case officer in the CIA, operating the Rascal program out of Lima Site-20 Alternate, or Long Tieng, throughout much of 1970. He also carried out prisoner interrogations. These are his recollections, in an interview with Peter Alan Lloyd.

PL. Before we start, what can you tell me about the above photograph?

JJ. It was taken in 1970, off the main ramp at 20-A. I remember it was a miserable, cold, rainy day, which is why I’m wearing a Thai army field jacket.

I am sitting on one of the jeeps I had to share, after my captured Soviet GAZ jeep  that our guys had scarfed up on the PDJ, fell apart on me – what a piece of Russian-made crap that had revealed itself to be, with the engine literally falling out of it, during a bumpy ride in the hills around Alternate.

PL. One of your roles at Long Tieng was to act as an Interrogations Officer. How did that come about?
JJ. We SKY/CAS case officers didn’t really get enough prisoners to warrant using up any of our valuable 55 personnel “slots” with a proper Agency interrogator, so we each took on the role on an ad hoc basis.

PL. Were you any good at it?

JJ. Although I was certainly no worse at interrogation than the other guys, I didn’t enjoy it much. I didn’t — and don’t — particularly relish bullying and intimidating frightened and bound-up people, even if they were sworn enemies who would gladly have done considerably worse to me if they’d had the chance.  But I must say I grew tolerably good at it, with experience.

Interview continues here: http://peteralanlloyd.com/back-part-2/related-regional-articles/cia-operations-in-laos-a-case-officer-remembers-part-2-prisoner-interrogations/

Peter Alan Lloyd

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