Aug 31, 2026 · 1 hr 1 min · 20 segments
IN THIS EPISODE John's time at Loretto finally comes to an end - but not without a near hiccup. Though he's free of Loretto, he's not free from the federal Bureau of Prisons; John must report every…
John KiriakouHost
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for allowing me to address the esteemed Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
I'm honored by this opportunity and humbled by the notion that I may help you to help American leaders end the abomination that is torture.
I address you from my prison cell at the Federal Correctional Institution at Loretto, Pennsylvania.
I served in the Central Intelligence Agency for more than fourteen years, first as an analyst and later as a counterterrorism operations officer.
Like all of you, I was appalled and sickened by the events of September 11th, 2001.
And like most CIA officers that day, I volunteered to go to the Middle East or South Asia to bring the perpetrators of that terrible crime to justice.
The CIA had several very important successes in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, capturing several senior Al-Qaeda leaders and their associates.
Most of us thought these terrorists would be returned to the United States and brought to justice.
My first inkling that a decision had been made to violate both US and international law was in mid-2002 when a senior CIA officer asked me if I wanted to be certified in the use of torture techniques.
I declined, saying that I had a moral problem with torture, that it was wrong, and that it was a slippery slope that would lead to disaster.
Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, later said that the torture program was, quote, 'A brutality that stands in stark contrast to our values as a nation.
It is a stain on our history that must never be allowed to happen again.' Unquote.
The Washington Post, on January 21st, 1968, published a photo of a US soldier waterboarding a North Vietnamese prisoner.
The Defense Department investigated, court-martialed the soldier, and convicted him of committing torture.
Many CIA leaders, past and present, will argue that torture led to unique intelligence that saved American lives.
On my first day at the CIA in January 1990, all newly hired officers were welcomed and briefed by a senior officer.
All these years later, I still remember one thing he told us." He said that as CIA officers, we must always act ethically.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for allowing me to address the esteemed Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
I'm honored by this opportunity and humbled by the notion that I may help you to help American leaders end the abomination that is torture.
I address you from my prison cell at the Federal Correctional Institution at Loretto, Pennsylvania.
I served in the Central Intelligence Agency for more than fourteen years, first as an analyst and later as a counterterrorism operations officer.
Like all of you, I was appalled and sickened by the events of September 11th, 2001.
And like most CIA officers that day, I volunteered to go to the Middle East or South Asia to bring the perpetrators of that terrible crime to justice.
The CIA had several very important successes in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, capturing several senior Al-Qaeda leaders and their associates.
Most of us thought these terrorists would be returned to the United States and brought to justice.
My first inkling that a decision had been made to violate both US and international law was in mid-2002 when a senior CIA officer asked me if I wanted to be certified in the use of torture techniques.
I declined, saying that I had a moral problem with torture, that it was wrong, and that it was a slippery slope that would lead to disaster.
Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, later said that the torture program was, quote, 'A brutality that stands in stark contrast to our values as a nation.
It is a stain on our history that must never be allowed to happen again.' Unquote.
The Washington Post, on January 21st, 1968, published a photo of a US soldier waterboarding a North Vietnamese prisoner.
The Defense Department investigated, court-martialed the soldier, and convicted him of committing torture.
Many CIA leaders, past and present, will argue that torture led to unique intelligence that saved American lives.
On my first day at the CIA in January 1990, all newly hired officers were welcomed and briefed by a senior officer.
All these years later, I still remember one thing he told us." He said that as CIA officers, we must always act ethically.
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