On January 11, 2002, Chief Legal Advisor to the Department of State William H. Taft IV “submitted the State Department’s response to [Office of Legal Counsel John] Yoo’s [January 9, 2002] memorandum [which denied Geneva Convention protections to al-Qaeda and the Taliban]. Taft described Yoo’s reasoning as ‘seriously flawed,’ ‘procedurally impossible,’ and ‘unsound.’ Taft pointed out, ‘In previous conflicts, the United States has dealt with tens of thousands of detainees without repudiating its obligations under the [Geneva] Convention.’ “
– Peter Bergen, The Longest War, Page 105