Skip to main content

Coping with Interrogations

  • Chapter

Abstract

Sun Tzu (circa 490 BC/1988), among others, has emphasized the importance of obtaining information about the enemy from those who know the enemy best. Throughout the history of warfare, the capturing and interrogation of enemy soldiers has thus provided a vital source of information (Keegan, 1993). A prisoner of war (POW) can potentially provide invaluable facts about the status of the adversary, and a number of methods for tapping this information can be used: formal interrogations, informal chats, or unobtrusive surveillance (Watson, 1978). The flow of information and its value during this process will depend on a number of factors, including the knowledge and skill of the interrogator, the resistance and fighting spirit of the prisoner, and the nature of the interactions between the two (Gal & Mangelsdorff, 1991; Richardson, 1978).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   229.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   299.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   299.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Bandura, A (1997). Self-efficacy The exercise of control New York. W H Freeman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flach, A, & Vullinghs, H. F M (1996) Prisoners of war and soldiers taken hostage Occurrence and prevention of negative psychological after-effects The Hague, Netherlands Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA), Behavioural Sciences Department

    Google Scholar 

  • Flach, A, & Zillmans, A (1997). Psychological consequences of being taken hostage during peace operations In J L Soeters & J H Rovers (Eds.), NL ARMS (Netherlands Annual Review of Military Studies) 1997 The Bosnian experience (pp. 141–151) Breda, Netherlands Royal Netherlands Military Academy

    Google Scholar 

  • Gal, R, & Mangelsdorff, A D (Eds) (1991) Handbook of military psychology Chichester, U K. Wiley

    Google Scholar 

  • Hague Conference on Private International Law (1999) The Hague Conventions on Private International Law [On-line] Available http://www.hcch.net/e/conventions/

    Google Scholar 

  • Hillman, R (1981) The psychopathology of being held hostage American Journal of Psychiatry 138,1193–1197

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) (1983) Basic rules of humanitarian law in armed conflicts (Geneva Conventions and their additional Protocols) [On-line] Available http://www.icrc.org/eng/party_gc/eng/party_gc

    Google Scholar 

  • Keegan, J. (1993). A history of warfare New York Random House/Vintage

    Google Scholar 

  • Mangell, L (1992) Irakgislan och deres anhortga ett ár efterát [The Iraqi hostages and their affiliates one year later]

    Google Scholar 

  • McGrath, J (1975) Prisoner of war Six years in Hanoi. Annapolis, MD Naval Institute Press

    Google Scholar 

  • NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) (1989, May 16) Treatment of exercise prisoners of war during NATO exercises, with Annex A and B (STANAG 2074) Brussels, Belgium NATO

    Google Scholar 

  • NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) (1994a, June 28) Procedures for dealing with prisoners of war (STANAG 2044) Brussels, Belgium NATO

    Google Scholar 

  • NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) (1994b, December 6). Interrogation of prisoners of war (STANAG 2033). Brussels, Belgium. NATO

    Google Scholar 

  • Peters, J, & Nichol, J (1992). Tornado down. London, U K Penguin

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramsay, J. (1996) SAS The soldiers’ story London, U K Macmillan

    Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, F (1978) Fighting spirit Psychological factors in war London, U K Leo Cooper

    Google Scholar 

  • Searleman, A., & Herrmann, D (1994). Memory from a broader perspective New York McGraw-Hill

    Google Scholar 

  • Strentz, T. (1984) Preparing the person with high potential for victimization as a hostage FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 183–208

    Google Scholar 

  • Strentz, T. (1987, November) A hostage psychological survival guide FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun Tzu (1988). The art of war (T Cleary, Trans.) Boston Shambhala (Original work published circa 490 BC)

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations (1948) Universal Declaration of Human Rights [On-line] Available http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson, P (1978) War on the mind The military use and abuse of psychology New York: Basic Books

    Google Scholar 

  • Zubeck, J P (1969) Sensory deprivation Fifteen years of research New York Appleton.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2000 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Laberg, J.C., Eid, J., Johnsen, B.H., Eriksen, B.S., Zachariassen, K.K. (2000). Coping with Interrogations. In: McCann, C., Pigeau, R. (eds) The Human in Command. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4229-2_22

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4229-2_22

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-6899-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-4229-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics