Press Release Made No Waves

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Friday sought to rebut allegations that for months he withheld information about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by their American guards, saying the U.S. military had “told everyone in the world” about the inquiry in January.

Rumsfeld was referring to a single-paragraph news release issued along with two others on Jan. 16 by U.S. Central Command.

“The Central Command public affairs people went out and told the world,” Rumsfeld told a congressional committee Friday. “They told everyone in the world that there were allegations of abuse and they were being investigated.”

But the release included almost no specifics. It didn’t state which among the coalition’s numerous detention facilities was under investigation, who was handling the inquiry or the nature of the alleged abuse.

Headlined “Detainee Treatment Investigation” and with a Baghdad dateline, the release read: “An investigation has been initiated into reported incidents of detainee abuse at a Coalition Forces detention facility. The release of specific information concerning the incidents could hinder the investigation, which is in its early stages. The investigation will be conducted in a thorough and professional manner. The Coalition is committed to treating all persons under its control with dignity, respect and humanity. Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, the Commanding General, has reiterated this requirement to all members of CJTF-7.”

Combined Joint Task Force 7 is the official name of the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq.

The release was posted on the Central Command website and e-mailed to more than 100 news organizations in the U.S. and abroad, Central Command spokesman Marine Capt. Bruce Frame said Friday.

Some media outlets, including The Times, reported on the release the day it was issued or the next day, while others did not mention it. Those that reported on the investigation included little more than the sparse facts of the press release. In some media outlets, the information from the press release was folded into stories about the day’s events, including a Baghdad bombing that killed one Iraqi and injured six.

It is not clear why little was made of the release at the time, though several factors -- apart from the limited details -- may have played a role.

The Central Command website is not at the top of the list of online destinations for many reporters working in Iraq, where access to the Internet is sporadic.

The CJFT-7 website is a prime destination for journalists working in the country, as is the website for the Coalition Provisional Authority and the Coalition Press Information Center. None of those organizations mentioned the investigation at the time.

Until last week, when graphic photographs of the alleged mistreatment emerged, however, few in the world -- including President Bush, officials say -- knew of the allegations.

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Times staff writer Alissa J. Rubin in Baghdad contributed to this report.