This is a compilation presenting papers by 13 experts on the subject of interrogation. While not a textbook on interrogation, this is a review of the present state of the practice with an analysis of what works and fails and with recommendations for new directions. It was developed for and presented to the National Defense Intelligence College whose Press published it in 2006. The National Defense Intelligence College Press has made it available to the general public as a free electronic download (only). This is the first commercially available hardcopy edition of a work critical to understanding what interrogation is and where it is going in the years ahead. Strongly recommended. These white papers are highly readable and contain interesting and surprising general information about the past, present, and future of interrogation and debriefing as well as what we know or don't know about the effectiveness of polygraphs, torture, and body language.
Although a little dry in places, this book provides a good academic analysis of the development of interrogation techniques, both for law enforcement and for military intelligence, in addition to the effects coercion and even outright torture has on the interrogation process from both pragmatic and ethical perspectives before finishing off by examining negotiation techniques used in the corporate world and how to adapt them for use in non-business environments.
All in all, despite the length and in some cases protracted prose, the book was an excellent and insightful read.