In Forbes, Todd Essig argues that the American Psychological Association’s public response to the report on the CIA torture program “has been a well-orchestrated misdirection.” The APA, he writes, have made it seem that there were only two psychologists involved.
“The Senate report is replete with multiple descriptions of numerous psychologists working in the torture program,” writes Essig. “In contrast, the APA’s public response cites only two, James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, the chief architects of the program. Of course, they were the major players. But no mention is made of any other psychologist. None. This dramatic disparity, including stating that Mitchell is not a member of the APA and Jessen resigned in 2006, was central in how the APA “welcomed” the Senate report. By ignoring all the others, they could then comfortably state “the extent and barbarity of torture techniques used by the CIA are sickening and morally reprehensible” without simultaneously having to grapple publicly with the full extent of psychologist involvement in the barbarity… In other words, the APA’s public response has been a well-orchestrated misdirection.”
The Misdirection In Psychology’s Response To Our Senate’s Torture Report (Forbes, January 12, 2015)