Event
Inside the Islamist terrorist’s mind: A conversation with former CIA interrogator James Mitchell
Book Forum
Tuesday, December 6, 2016 | 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM ET
AEI, Auditorium
1789 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20036
Event Material
Event Summary
On Tuesday, AEI hosted James Mitchell, author of “Enhanced Interrogation: Inside the Minds of the Islamic Terrorists Trying to Destroy America” (Crown Forum, 2016). In an engaging discussion with AEI’s Marc Thiessen, Dr. Mitchell shared insights into the minds of terrorist masterminds and how groups like al Qaeda operate.
In “Enhanced Interrogation,” Dr. Mitchell details the extensive time he spent debriefing men such as Abu Zubaydah and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM). Dr. Mitchell shared some of these stories with the audience, describing what KSM was like in person and how he and other senior al Qaeda figures were surprised by President Bush’s forceful response to the 9/11 attacks.
Dr. Mitchell emphasized that Islamist terrorists view jihad against America as an eternal struggle in which they will ultimately prevail. He cautioned that successful large-scale attacks such as 9/11 are not necessary for Islamist terrorists to believe they are succeeding in destroying America. He said that law enforcement and intelligence agencies will need to continue questioning terrorists they detain to best understand their mindset.
The Q&A session covered what forms future interrogation practices might take, how to counter jihadist ideas and recruitment efforts, and the direction of debates about terrorism and treatment of terror-related detainees.
–Kevin Reagan
Event Description
As a key architect of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation program, James Mitchell spent thousands of hours questioning terrorists, including 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM). He came to understand the terrorist mind better than anyone in America.
Now, for the first time, Dr. Mitchell will share what KSM told him — including his opinions of US counterterrorism policy, the Bush administration’s response to 9/11, his plans for future attacks, and why he is certain they will ultimately prevail in their war against America.
Join Dr. Mitchell and AEI’s Marc Thiessen for a discussion of Dr. Mitchell’s new book, “Enhanced Interrogation: Inside the Minds of the Islamic Terrorists Trying to Destroy America” (Crown Forum, 2016), as he offers a first-person account of the enhanced interrogation program and his personal interactions with the men behind the deadliest terrorist attack in history.
Join the conversation on social media with @AEI on Twitter and Facebook.
Agenda
9:15 AM
Registration
9:30 AM
Discussion
Participants:
James Mitchell, author
Marc A. Thiessen, AEI
10:30 AM
Book signing
(Books will be available for purchase.)
11:00 AM
Adjournment
Contact Information
For more information, please contact Kevin Reagan at [email protected], 202.828.6035.
AEI Participant(s)
Speaker Biographies
James Mitchell has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of South Florida. He served 22 years in the US Air Force and retired as a lieutenant colonel. From August 2002 through January 2009, Dr. Mitchell was involved in the development of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation program and served as one of their interrogators from its inception until it was shut down by executive order on January 22, 2009.
Marc A. Thiessen is a fellow at AEI and served as a member of the White House senior staff under former President George W. Bush. He was the chief speechwriter to the president and to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Before joining the Bush administration, Mr. Thiessen spent more than six years as spokesman and senior policy adviser to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms (R-NC). He is a weekly columnist for The Washington Post and a Fox News contributor, appearing several nights a week on Fox News Channel’s “The Kelly File.” His book on the Central Intelligence Agency’s interrogation program, “Courting Disaster” (Regnery Publishing, 2010), is a New York Times bestseller. He is also the author, with Governor Scott Walker, of “Unintimidated” (Sentinel, 2013). At AEI, Mr. Thiessen writes about US foreign and defense policy issues and contributes to the AEIdeas blog.
Related Material
Enhanced Interrogation: Inside the Minds and Motives of the Islamic Terrorists Trying To Destroy America
James E. Mitchell and Bill Harlow | Crown Forum | November 29, 2016
A horrifying look into the mind of 9/11’s mastermind, in his own words
Marc Thiessen | The Washington Post | November 2016
Man Who Interrogated Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Speaks Out
Fox News | December 2014
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