Word: confessionally
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THE choice that faced Commander Lloyd Bucher was between seeing his men shot one by one before his eyes or signing a false confession. He signed-and in that act illuminated the whole agonizing dilemma of weighing military duty against elementary humanity-and often against self-preservation.
The U.S. Navy is obviously groping for a standard. The Judge Advocate General ruled that the Pueblo crewmen were not prisoners of war since the U.S. is not at war with North Korea; instead, they are "illegal detainees." Paul Warnke, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, finds it...
Focus on Confession
In cases where prisoners finally do break down and sign incriminating confessions, the rest of the military should perhaps follow the lead of the Air Force and discount the propaganda loss. Anyone, friend or enemy, who is persuaded by a forced confession doubtless had his mind already made up. Moreover...
Some people in the Defense Department have proposed that the U.S. ignore confessions altogether. They argue that P.O.W.s should sign anything, as long as they do not divulge classified military information or imperil other prisoners. A well-publicized official policy to this effect would drain confessions of any real significance...