May 30, 2006

'Information Is Not Perishible' - Harris Defends The Continued Investigation of Detainees

In a question and answer session with Miami Herald reporter Carole Rosenberg, Rear Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., the first Navy commander of Guantanamo Bay, defended practices at the base -- including the continued interrogation of detainees arrested almost five years ago in order to gain intelligence information. Harris, who took charge on March 31, argued that "unless the earth moves, unless there's an earthquake or volcano or something like that, safe houses and caves and things like that are going to be in the relative same place four years ago as they are going to be today." Harris's comments seemed to reveal a lack of understanding of the function of safe houses, though he seemed relatively informed about the geological persistence of caves.