‘I Take Full Responsibility’

Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, in recent days there has been a good deal of discussion about who bears responsibility for the terrible activities that took place at Abu Ghraib. These events occurred on my watch. As secretary of Defense, I am accountable for them and I take full responsibility.

It’s my obligation to evaluate what happened, to make sure that those who have committed wrongdoing are brought to justice, and to make changes as needed to see that it doesn’t happen again. I feel terrible about what happened to these Iraqi detainees. They are human beings. They were in U.S. custody. Our country had an obligation to treat them right. We didn’t, and that was wrong.

So to those Iraqis who were mistreated by members of the U.S. armed forces, I offer my deepest apology. It was inconsistent with the values of our nation. It was inconsistent with the teachings of the military, to the men and women of the armed forces. And it was certainly fundamentally un-American.

Further, I deeply regret the damage that has been done.

First, to the reputation of the honorable men and women of the armed forces, who are courageously and responsibly and professionally defending our freedoms across the globe....

Second, to the president, the Congress and the American people, I wish I had been able to convey to them the gravity of this before we saw it in the media.

And finally to the reputation of our country....

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It’s important for the American people and the world to know that while these terrible acts were perpetrated by a small number of U.S. military, they were also brought to light by the honorable and responsible actions of other military personnel.

There are many who did their duty professionally, and we should mention that as well. First, [Army] Spc. Joseph Darby, who alerted the appropriate authorities that abuses were occurring. Second, those in the military chain of command who acted promptly on learning of those abuses by initiating a series of investigations, criminal and administrative, to assure that abuses were stopped and the responsible chain of command was relieved and replaced.

Having said that, all the facts that may be of interest are not yet in hand. In addition to the [Maj. Gen. Antonio M.] Taguba report, there are other investigations underway, and we’ll be discussing those today. And because all the facts are not in hand, there will be corrections and clarifications to the record as more information is learned.

From the witnesses, you will be told the sequence of events and investigations that have taken place since the activities first came to light. I want to inform you of the measures underway to improve our performance in the future....

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Now let me tell you the measures we’re taking to deal with this issue.

First, to ensure we have a handle on the scope of this catastrophe, I will be announcing today the appointment of several senior former officials who are being asked to examine the pace, the breadth, the thoroughness of the existing investigations and to determine whether additional investigations or studies need to be initiated.

They’re being asked to report their findings within 45 days of taking up their duties....

Second, we need to review our habits and our procedures....

Let me be clear: I failed to recognize how important it was to elevate a matter of such gravity to the highest levels, including the president and the members of Congress.

Third, I’m seeking a way to provide appropriate compensation to those detainees who suffered such grievous and brutal abuse and cruelty at the hands of a few members of the United States armed forces. It’s the right thing to do.

I wish we had known more sooner and been able to tell you more sooner, but we didn’t.

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Today we’ll have a full discussion of these terrible acts, but first let’s take a step back for a moment. Within the constraints imposed on those of us in the chain of command, I have a few additional words.

First, beyond abuse of prisoners, there are other photos that depict incidents of physical violence toward prisoners, acts that can only be described as blatantly sadistic, cruel and inhuman.

Second, there are many more photographs, and indeed some videos. Congress and the American people and the rest of the world need to know this.

In addition, the photos give these incidents a vividness, indeed a horror, in the eyes of the world.

Mr. Chairman, that’s why this hearing today is important. It’s why the actions we take in the days and weeks ahead are so important.

However terrible the setback, this is also an occasion to demonstrate to the world the difference between those who believe in democracy and in human rights, and those who believe in rule by terrorist code....

Part of that mission, part of what we believe in, is making sure that when wrongdoings or scandal do occur, that they’re not covered up, but they’re exposed, they’re investigated, and the guilty are brought to justice.

Mr. Chairman, I know you join me today in saying to the world, judge us by our actions, watch how Americans, watch how a democracy deals with the wrongdoing and with scandal and the pain of acknowledging and correcting our own mistakes and our own weaknesses....

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These excerpts are taken from a text of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld’s opening remarks before the Senate Armed Services Committee. The text of Rumsfeld’s testimony is available at latimes.com/rumsfeldhouse and latimes.com/rumsfeld senate.