# The first prisoner who cooperated > **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou. > > Cite as: "The first prisoner who cooperated," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/the-first-prisoner-who-cooperated/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia. *John Kiriakou's account of the first al-Qaeda prisoner in Pakistan who agreed to talk to him, the reason the man gave — that he was a prisoner and got nothing out of refusing — and the intelligence that followed: a foot-by-foot description of his crossing from Afghanistan and the locations of safe houses that were then raided.* - **Where:** Pakistan, after the September 11 attacks - **Kiriakou's role:** The first interviewer, conducting the interview in Arabic - **His opening question:** May peace be upon you — will you cooperate with us? - **The reason the man gave:** Because I am your prisoner; I get nothing out of not cooperating - **What followed:** Border crossing routes and the locations of al-Qaeda safe houses **The first prisoner who cooperated** is [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou)'s account of the first man he interviewed in [Pakistan](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/pakistan-station-2002) who agreed to answer him, and of what that produced.[1] ## The role, and the room Kiriakou describes his own function in the interviews in one phrase: *"I was always the good cop at the CIA."* Because his Arabic was excellent, he sat down with captured prisoners first and began interviewing them — and more often than not, he says, they did not want a conversation.[2] The setting he describes is bare rather than brutal. None of the rooms were nice. There was a table with an eyebolt set into it so that the prisoner could be chained to it. Asked whether the metal table was cold, he draws a line between his own rooms and what followed elsewhere: *"no, that came later"* — [in the secret sites](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/enhanced-interrogation).[3] His opening was fixed: *"may peace be upon you — will you cooperate with us?"* Sometimes the answer was yes; usually it was no. Either way he pressed a little.[4] ## The answer Asked in what spirit the men who agreed said yes — with pride, desperation or resignation — Kiriakou answers resignation, and then gives the first instance.[4] *"I said really? And he said yes. And I said, why would you cooperate with me? And he looks at me and he says: because I'm your prisoner. I get nothing out of not cooperating."* Kiriakou's reply was *"good answer."*[1] ## What it produced The man did cooperate, and Kiriakou is specific about the product. Maps of the border area were laid out in front of him and he described foot by foot how he had crossed the mountains through the passes from Afghanistan into Pakistan. He identified the locations of the safe houses al-Qaeda was using, both along the border on the Pakistani side and in the cities — houses that were then raided, producing further prisoners.[1] Kiriakou generalises the outcome without overstating it: the ones who said yes and cooperated *"gave us great stuff."* [The ones who said no](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/prisoner-disposition-from-pakistan) went to Guantanamo, or, if they were important, to a secret site.[5] ## See also - [Enhanced interrogation techniques](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/enhanced-interrogation) - [Prisoner Disposition From Pakistan](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/prisoner-disposition-from-pakistan) - [Pakistan Station (2002)](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/pakistan-station-2002) - [Abu Zubaydah](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/abu-zubaydah) - [Guantanamo Bay](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/guantanamo-bay) ## Sources 1. David Gornoski Archives (2019-08-08), at 04:43. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6OZ4ClS_uQ&t=283s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2019-08-08-david-gornoski-archives-david-gornoski-archives-W6OZ4C/ 2. David Gornoski Archives (2019-08-08), at 03:07. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6OZ4ClS_uQ&t=187s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2019-08-08-david-gornoski-archives-david-gornoski-archives-W6OZ4C/ 3. David Gornoski Archives (2019-08-08), at 03:38. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6OZ4ClS_uQ&t=218s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2019-08-08-david-gornoski-archives-david-gornoski-archives-W6OZ4C/ 4. David Gornoski Archives (2019-08-08), at 04:08. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6OZ4ClS_uQ&t=248s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2019-08-08-david-gornoski-archives-david-gornoski-archives-W6OZ4C/ 5. David Gornoski Archives (2019-08-08), at 05:16. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6OZ4ClS_uQ&t=316s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2019-08-08-david-gornoski-archives-david-gornoski-archives-W6OZ4C/ --- From KiriPedia, the archive of John Kiriakou's words. Web version: https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/the-first-prisoner-who-cooperated/ · About: https://www.kiripedia.org/about/ · Full index: https://www.kiripedia.org/llms.txt