The Gonzales Legacy: Ex-G.I. Writes About Use of Sex in Guantánamo Interrogations

SAN JUAN, P.R., Jan. 27 (AP) - Female interrogators tried to break male Muslim detainees at the United States prison camp in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, by sexually touching them, by wearing miniskirts and thong underwear, and, in one case, by smearing a Saudi man's face with red ink, which he was led to believe was menstrual blood, according to part of a draft manuscript written by a former Army sergeant.

The manuscript, which was obtained by The Associated Press, was written by Erik R. Saar, who was an Arabic translator at Guantánamo from December 2002 to June 2003.

Mr. Saar, 29, did not provide the manuscript, but he did confirm the authenticity of nine draft pages obtained by The A.P. He asked that his hometown remain private so he would not be harassed.

The manuscript is classified as secret pending a Pentagon review for a book Mr. Saar is writing about the military's use of women as part of tougher physical and psychological interrogation tactics against terrorism suspects. a woman working as a civilian contractor had used an outfit that included a miniskirt and thong underwear during interrogations of prisoners that included Muslim men, who consider close contact taboo with women who are not their wives.

In another case, Mr. Saar's manuscript describes a military woman interrogating an uncooperative 21-year-old Saudi detainee. The interrogator wanted to "break him," according to Mr. Saar's manuscript, adding that the woman removed her uniform top to expose a tight-fitting T-shirt. She began taunting the detainee, the manuscript says, touching her breasts, rubbing them against the prisoner's back and commenting on his apparent erection.

When asked how she could break the prisoner, a Muslim linguist told the woman to tell him she was menstruating, then to touch him and to turn off the water in his cell so he could not wash. "The concept was to make the detainee feel that, after talking to her, he was unclean and was unable to go before his God in prayer and gain strength," the manuscript says.

Events described in the manuscript were similar to previous reports of interrogation tactics, but it was not possible to verify Mr. Saar's account independently.

Lt. Col. James Marshall, a spokesman for the United States Southern Command, said about 20 percent of the guards at Guantánamo were women. He would not say how many of the interrogators were women.

"U.S. forces treat all detainees and conduct all interrogations, wherever they may occur, humanely and consistent with U.S. legal obligations, and in particular with legal obligations prohibiting torture," Colonel Marshall said on Wednesday.