The Interrogation Experiments
By:AliasCWN
Chapter 1
"Well Lieutenant, has he talked yet?"
"No Sir, not yet." Lt. Krantz admitted. "He hasn't been allowed to sleep for the last three days. I have guards checking every fifteen minutes to make sure he stays awake. Other than the guards, he has been kept isolated, just as you ordered."
"And the private?"
"He hasn't told us anything yet either. We haven' been able to keep him awake though. His wounds make it impossible. He passes out and we aren't able to wake him again."
"Have you told him yet that the sergeant was killed?"
"No Sir. I was planning on telling him tonight. We have a little show planned to help convince him."
"Very well Lieutenant, but if they don't talk soon we will have to try a different technique. Have either of them mentioned the other two men in their unit?"
"No Major, and we have asked. They both claim that they don't know where the others would go to hide."
"Keep me informed Lieutenant."
"Yes Sir." Lt. Krantz acknowledged, standing to exit the office.
"Major Hoatz, do you really think that a private and a sergeant will have anything of real value to tell us?"
"Yes Lieutenant, I do. They can tell us where to find the others and we will end their threat once and for all. Besides, this is really only an experiment with the new interrogation method. Obergefreiter Scharff has reported these methods to be very successful and Berlin would like to see them more widely used. The information is supposedly much more reliable than the information obtained by the Gestapo."
The lieutenant shuddered at the mention of the Gestapo and their methods. "If I were a prisoner I would prefer someone use these new methods on me. I've seen the men that the Gestapo has interrogated."
"Exactly Lieutenant. While still considered torture, sleep deprivation and isolation are still much easier on the prisoner."
"Very well Major, I will go visit the private again and make sure that he is receiving the proper medical care."
"Have you ordered your men to keep their abuse to a reasonable level? After all, he is of no use to us dead."
"They know to do no serious or permanent harm Major, and I ordered them to limit it so that he can heal enough to stay awake so that we can question him. Not only is he no good to us dead, he's no good to use if he is unconscious all of the time either."
"All right, carry on Lieutenant. I expect to hear of some progress soon."
"Yes Sir." Lt. Krantz answered, saluting again and hurrying from the room.
Lieutenant Krantz allowed himself a leisurely walk to the prisoner's cell. The sergeant was being held in a regular cell while the private was confined to a small, windowless room in the supply building. One of the requirements of the new interrogation technique was isolation, keeping the two prisoners separated was critical for success. Since the private was injured, and the sergeant was not, it made sense to house the more dangerous of the two in the cells.
Walking along the corridor, Lt. Krantz spotted the guard leaning against the wall talking to someone around the corner. At the sight of him, the guard moved to stand next to the prisoner's door and snapped to attention.
"Is the prisoner awake?"
"I don't know Lieutenant. You left instructions not to bother him. I thought that you wanted him to sleep." The guard replied nervously.
"I do." The Lieutenant replied. "I want him strong enough to answer questions. If he's unconscious he won't be able to talk." Motioning toward the door, he indicated that he wanted to enter the room. There was no lock on the door but the lieutenant preferred that a guard always enter first. He didn't trust these Americans, not even under the circumstances.
The private shifted in his cot as the door opened and the guard walked into the room. Pulling his bruised arms tight against his wounded side, the American waited for the beating that he expected to be delivered. There was an obvious look of relief on his face when he saw Lt. Krantz enter behind the guard. There was never any abuse while the Lieutenant was present.
"How are you feeling today Private?" Lt. Krantz asked with his usual smile. "I trust that you have been treated well." The youth on the cot remained quiet, not answering in any form; no nod, no shake of his head, no change of expression. "Come now Private, I thought you understood that you can trust me. I won't allow the guards to harm you if you answer."
"I'm fine." The blond answered sullenly.
"Good. I was hoping that you would feel up to having some company. I think that we should get to know each other a little better."
The prisoner eyed the guard warily and refused to meet the Lieutenant's gaze.
"Very well Private, would you prefer that I ask the guard to step outside?"
The prisoner nodded cautiously, watching the guard the entire time.
The Lieutenant turned and ordered the guard to step outside being careful to specify that the door was to remain open. As the guard stepped into the hall and out of direct line of sight, the prisoner visibility relaxed.
"Have they treated you well? I spoke to Major Hoatz and told him that you have been very cooperative. He has assured me that if you continue to cooperate, he will make sure that you are assigned to our most comfortable POW camp. He will not allow the Gestapo to question you."
"I appreciate that Lieutenant; I guess if I have to go to a POW camp, it might as well be a nice one." The young private answered quietly.
The Lieutenant looked for a sign that the prisoner was being sarcastic. The blue eyes looking back at him were clouded with pain but no evasiveness.
"As I told you, I want to be your friend. The war is over for you so there is no need for us to remain enemies." The German officer encouraged in a friendly tone. "The guards are treating you well, are they not? I told them to leave you alone and they have done so."
"They haven't been in except to bring me food or water since yesterday." The blond answered carefully. "Thank you Lieutenant."
"I wish to be your friend and that is what friends do." The officer assured him as sincerely as possible. "I'm afraid that I have some bad news for you Private. It pains me to tell you this." The officer looked down at his hands and wrung them uncomfortably. "Two of your friends were killed this morning by a bomb dropped from one of our planes. The jeep was completely destroyed. Unfortunately, we were unable to capture them before they were spotted by the plane." The Lieutenant peered at the prisoner's face, trying to read his expression.
The blond dropped his heads as a tremor shook his body. "Are you sure that no one survived?"
"Quite sure." The Lieutenant admitted. "I'm sorry; it was confirmed by a patrol on the ground." Putting as much sympathy in his voice as he could manage, the officer sighed loudly. "I had hoped to capture them so that you could all go to the POW camp together."
"It wasn't your fault Lieutenant. We all knew it could happen someday. The assignments that we get tend to be a bit on the dangerous side." The prisoner slumped back in his cot, keeping is head lowered. "Thank you for telling me." The blond looked up, a sad expression on his face. "I'm sorry Lieutenant; I don't really feel like talking right now. Maybe we could talk later, after I rest for a bit."
"Of course," the Lieutenant responded, trying to hide his disappointment, "I will drop by later tonight."
The blond nodded with a small smile and stated, "I'll be looking forward to your visit Lieutenant."
Lt. Krantz stood and left the small room, ordering the guard to close the door and remain near the room while on duty. "No one is to visit with him until I return."
The guard nodded obediently, moving to take his place next to the closed door.
"Has the doctor been in yet today?"
"No Sir." the guard replied.
"Very well, if he arrives, allow him to treat the prisoner."
The guard nodded as the Lieutenant turned on his heel and left.