First Published Photographs of Wooden Imprisonment Crates

“Prisoner Boxes” in Iraq (2005) Vanity Fair Report...

From Source:
www.thememoryhole.org...

I filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the US Central Command asking for the following:


“Vanity Fair (Feb 2005 issue) has reported the existence of wood “prisoner boxes” being used by the US military in facilities in and around Baghdad. They are used to hold individual prisoners and detainees.

“I hereby request all photographs of these boxes, including empty boxes as well as boxes holding prisoners and detainees.”

Around nine and a half months later, CentCom responded by sending the three photographs on this page.

You are seeing the photos exactly as they were sent to me - as black and white printouts on standard printer paper, with creases from being folded into thirds. Two of the photos are extremely blurry and pixelated.

Request Letter:
www.thememoryhole.org...

Hi res ZIP file of the boxes
www.thememoryhole.org...

Excellent work!

Thanks for sharing. Having been 'boxed' myself during POW training (loooong time ago) I expected worse. The boxes they put us in, although for mercifully brief periods (comparably) were MUCH smaller and required a near-fetal position to fit in.

These are certainly not comfortable in such climates, but then, they are not meant to be.

S&F'd.

I'm wondering about the one pic that was cropped (I presume by them). It looks as if that was also compressed horizontally - note the "8" on the front seems squished.

I wonder why that is...