DOS Letter to U.S. Representative, Ike Skelton, regarding the International Committee of the Red Cross' (ICRC) report, which contains allegations of detainee mistreatment in Iraq.
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United States Department of State
Washing/on, D.C. 20520
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Dear Mr. Skelton:
In your letter to Dr. Rice dated May 20, you asked "when was Secretary Powell or his staff at the State Department given a copy of the ICRC report?" Similar questions were asked about when the President, the Secretary of Defense, and others were given the report. Dr. Rice has replied on behalf of the President. As she noted in her May 20 response to you, the U.S. Mission in Geneva-obtained a copy, and transmitted it to the Department on March 5. The NSC was provided a copy of the ICRC report the same day. The Secretary of State received an internal memorandum describing the allegations of the report on March 11.
We hope this information is helpful to you. If we can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us again..
Sincerely,
Paul V. Kelly Assistant Secretary Legislative Affairs
The Honorable
Ike Skelton,
House of Representatives.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW AUTHORITY: WILLIAM E LANDFAIR DATE/CASE ID: 26 OCT 2004 200303827
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THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
May 20, 2004 •
MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE
THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
SUBJECT:CLetter from Representative Skelton regarding
February 2004 Report of the International
Committee of the Red Cross
Representative Skelton wrote the President on May 10, 2004, to
ask, among other things, when the Departments of State and
Defense became aware of the February 2004 Report of the
International Committee of the Red Cross (Tab B). I have
provided a response to Representative . Skelton on behalf of the
President (Tab A). I request that each of you provide a response
to Representative Skelton on behalf of your departments.
Condoleezza Rice
Assistant to the President
for National Security Affairs
Attachments
Tab AC
Copy of Rice Letter to Representative Skelton
Tab BC
Copy of Incoming Correspondence from
Representative Skelton
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW AUTHORITY: WILLIAM E LANDFAIR DATE/CASE ID: 26 OCT 2004 200303827
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THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
May 20, 2004 -
Dear Representative Skelton:
.
I m responding to your letter to the President dated May 10,
20 4. .
I.
.
Before the date of your letter, neither the President nor I were
given a.copy of the International Committee of the Red'Cross
(ICRC) February .2004 report on Iraq. The ICRC did not provide a
copy of the report to the White House. When ICRC President'
Kellenberger met with me on January 15, he did not raise the
issue of mistreatment of detainees in Iraq nor did he mention
that ICRC was.preparing a report:
National Security Council staff learned in mid-February that
ICRC officials had provided a'report About ill-treatment of
Iraqi detainees to CPA officials in Baghdad. Our staff inquired
with DOD officials in Washington about the ICRC report and were
told that DOD officials were generally aware of the allegations:
were seeking more information about them, and that military
authorities were investigating them. The Secretary of Defense
had already informed the President that the Department of
Defense was investigating allegations of mistreatment of •
detainees in Iraq.
National Security Council staff sought and eventually received a
copy of the ICRC report from the State Department in early
March. Our staff was told that the State Department's Mission
in Geneva had obtained a copy of the report from ICRC officials
in Geneva. Our staff was also told by State Department
officials that the ICRC was reluctant to share the report with
Washington because the issues were'being handled between local
ICRC officials and United States Government authorities in
Baghdad with whom the ICRC had a positive working relationship
that the ICRC did not wish to jeopardize. Finally, NSC staff
were told that the ICRC had told the State Department that ICRC
officials in Baghdad were pleased with the initial response by
United States Government officials in Baghdad and with steps •
C
already taken by United States Government authorities to_respond
positively to the report. National Security Council staff were
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE UNCLASSIFIED REVIEW AUTHORITY: WILLIAM E LANDFAIR D \TE/CASE ID: 26 OCT 2004 200303827
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'informed that the ICRC had told the State-Department that ICRC
planned to conduct another round of inspections soon and
expected to be able to report substantial improvements. Upon
receiving the report, NSC staff asked appropriate DOD .officials
to review the issues raised in the.report.
You also asked'when Secretaries Powell.and Rumsfeld or their
staffs were given'copies of the ICRC report. In order to
provide a rapid response to your letter, I have provided you
inf rmation about' when the NSC was informed about thelICRC
rep rt. Secretaries Powell and Rtimsfeld have asked their • .
de artments to collect -information about the handling of.the
ICRC report in their departments, and I. have asked them to reply
to you directly as soon as that information is available;
Finally, you have. asked why the ICRC report was not shared with
the Congress. ICRC reports are generally prbvided to the . •
Departments of State.and Defense and .are not routinely shared
with the White House. Accordingly,.the Departments of State and
Defense are in the best position to provide you information •
about their practices for handling ICRC reports. It is my
understanding, however, that ICRCpractice is to limit
dissemination of their reports and often to provide copies only
to local military commanders in order-to maintain a confidential
working relationship with the military units responsible- for
detention of prisoners of war and'other detainees.
Sincerely,
Condole za Rice •
Assistant to the President
for National Security Affairs
The Honorable Ike Skelton
House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515-2504
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MESSAGE #: •
FROM: NSC PH: 456.9425 ROOM: WWD
SUBJECT: LETTER FROM REP SKELTON RE FEB 04 REPORT OF THE INTL PAGES: 5 COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS
PLEASE DELIVER TO:
LOCATION DELIVER T9 ROOM PHONE
STATE COLIN POWELL SECRETARY OF STATE
DEFENSE DONALD RUMSFELD SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
SPECIAL DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS/REMARKS:
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE UNCLASSIFIED
REVIEW AUTHORITY: WILLIAM E LANDFAIR DATE/CASE ID: 26 OCT 2004 200303827
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The President
The White House
VVashington, DC 20500
Dear Pt, President
I have a copy Tof the February 2004 Report of the International Committee of the Red
Cross ICRC) on theTreatment By the Coalition Forces of Prisoners of War and Other
Protected Persons by the Geneva Conventions in Iraq During Arrest, Internment. and
Interrogation. .
As this report was dated February 2004 and Members of Congress did not 'find out
about the issue of prisoner mistreatment until early May by way of the media, my question is
three-fold:R.R •
•
., 1) When was.the President or his Administration given a copy of the ICRC report?
2} When was Secretary Powell or his staff at the State Department given a copy of the ICRC report?
3) When was Secretary Rumsfeld or his staff at the Department of Defense given a
copy of the ICRC report?
According to an article by David S. Cloud In today's Wall Street Journal entitled, 'Red
Cross Cited Detainee Abuse Over a Year Ago,
"It could not be learned last night how widely read the ICRC report was among senior Bush administration officials. U.S. officials said yesterday that Secretary of State Colin Powell, for instance, had raised the problems with detention procedures at several high-level admit' bingo= meetings this year. A State Department official said bast night that he couldn't say when Mr. Powell first saw the report. But he noted that the ICRC had been making recomtncedadcans and raising concerns fora long thee, and that Mr. Powell and other administration officials had been aware of that."
Please explain why this issue was not brought to the attention of Members of
Congress whose committee responsibilities include oversight of the U.S. military and U.S.
foreign affairs.
•
KE SKELTON Member of Congress
IS:lb
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW AUTHORITY: WILLIAM E LANDFAIR
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DATE/CASE ID: 29 OCT 2004 200303827R