In a December 10, 2007, interview with Charles Gibson of ABC Television’s World News, former CIA officer at Guantanamo John Kiriakou said, regarding interrogation techniques: ” ‘It was not up to the individual interrogator to decide, ‘I’m going to slap him’ or ‘I’m going to shake him.’ Each one of these, though they’re minor, had to have the approval of the Deputy Director for Operations,’ who during most of this period was James Pavitt. ‘Before you could lay a hand on him, you had to send a cable saying, ‘He’s uncooperative. Request permission to do X.’ And permission would come, saying, ‘You’re allowed to slap him one time in the belly with an open hand…’ There was however, no known instance of the supervisors denying a request to use more force.”
– Jane Mayer, The Dark Side, Page 167