Customer Reviews

The History of Camp Tracy: Japanese WWII POWs and the Future of Strategic Interrogation

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In "The History of Camp Tracy: Japanese WWII POWs and the Future of Strategic Interrogation," Major Alex Corbin provides the reader an extremely relevant and previously unexplored study of the strategic level interrogations program done at Camp Tracy, California during World War II. His book answers the key question of "How can the United States obtain the requisite information from a foreign and hostile enemy while abiding by the law and without further alienating the international community."
Based on the recent failures at the United States' interrogation centers in Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib, we must find an answer to this question if we are going to effectively execute operations against extremist factions. Corbin uses the extremely successful operations at Camp Tracy to answer that question by providing clear comparisons and lessons learned for today's fight against extremist Islam.
The History of Camp Tracy is written in a very logical and easy to understand manner that allows the reader to gain a deeper insight into strategic level interrogations operations done during World War II in comparison to today. His ability to seamlessly blend the operations at Camp Tracy with applications for today's Global War on Terror makes this book a must read for anyone interested in the use and execution of interrogations to achieve our national objectives.
THIS IS A MUST READ!

What an incredible look into POW interrogations both past and present. An incredible amount of time and research went into this book. It is a must read for any current or former member of the United States Armed Forces.

Whether you are an academic, historian, Intelligence Community (IC) veteran, or interested civilian, this book provides unique insight into the current interrogation debate based on past military interrogation methodologies used during World War II on Japanese prisoners of war (POW).

Obviously, a lot of information has been presented by the media, government, and watch dog groups in the wake of our detention and subsequent interrogation of suspected Al Qaeda members picked up on the battlefield in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, most of this information has been "framed" by various mouthpieces trying to further their own perspectives, rather than focusing on conveying the pros and cons to the different approaches in eliciting actionable intelligence through various options available to law enforcement, military, and intelligence agencies. Mr. Corbin furthers the civil discourse on interrogation of today's current GWOT detainees by reflecting on our nation's experiences during WWII - specifically in regards to Japanese detainees, who, in many ways, had a similar mindset to today's jihadists.

Corbin's writing is clear, concise, accessible, and draws excellent comparisons from yesteryear to today.

If you're interested in similar materials, I'd recommend the following:
- "The interrogators: inside the secret war against Al Qaeda" By Chris Mackey, Greg Miller
- "Educing Information: Interrogation--Science and Art: Foundations for the Future: Phase 1 Report" by Federation of American Scientists
- "C.I.A. Reports on Interrogation Methods" by the CIA Inspector General (declassified)
- "Khalid Shaykh Muhammad: Preeminent Source On Al-Qa'ida" by the CIA (declassified)
- "Detainee Reporting Pivotal for the War Against Al-Qa'ida" by the CIA (declassified)

This is an excellent read. For anyone who's interested in Military Intelligence, Doctrine or History, I highly recommend this book. The author has clearly done his homework in thoroughly researching Camp Tracy, and his background in military intelligence makes him well-suited to the comparisons and recommendations he makes. It's quite interesting to see the similarities between the terrorists we see today and the Japanese we fought in WWII, yet our intelligence-gathering tactics today vs. then are completely different, yet I suspect with poorer results today. After reading this, you'll wonder why it isn't done this way.

Maybe we could get this in the hands of some of our current military leaders and we'd have fewer embarrassing moments ala Abu Ghraib.

Alex Corbin's history of Camp Tracy is an excellent first look at a forgotten bit of World War II history, as befits a master's thesis converted into book form. The book's historical conclusions may not stand later analysis (I myself find the differences between Japanese soldiers and sailors of World War II to be more profoundly different from the Islamic terrorists of today than Corbin allows) but the proper questions are asked and a firm foundation for later scholarship is established.

Equally important, any doubts about the historical interpretations must be set aside to consider that this remarkable work comes from a U.S. military professional studying at one of our defense schools, the National Defense Intelligence School. Corbin's historical analysis may not be pristine, but the lessons he draws for use in our current conflict appear to be extremely solid. The work is a prime example of the success of such military colleges, and the great professionalism and intellectual curiousity embodied by our professional military officer corps. It is a solid example of historical study put to practical use and an engaging read.

As an earlier reviewer stated this book is relevant, especially in light of recent debates over the tactics and techniques of CIA interrogation procedures. Corbin also makes a compelling case on the similarity between an islamic jihadist and a soldier of the Imperial Japanese Army- both are hardened ideologues willing to die for their beliefs. However, it is not just a niche treatise for the military interrogator, it is a great read for anyone who loves history.

There are volumes of books describing just about any topic one can think of on World War 2. Most books on WW2 intelligence deal with the effects based end-state of intelligence gathering i.e. a successful action against a key military objective. However, Corbin provides a fresh, and insightful account of the battle of wits that took place in order to produce actionable intelligence. Corbin's prose is snappy which makes his book an easy read. Well worth the cover price.