procedure until I typed in Arthur Prussia。 I got a one…year…old press release：
LONDON—The Hallington Group is pleased to announce that Adam Lang； the former prime minister of Great Britain； will be joining the company as a strategic consultant。
Mr。 Lang’s position； which will not be full…time； will involve providing counsel and advice to senior Hallington investment professionals worldwide。
Arthur Prussia； Hallington’s president and chief executive officer； said： “Adam Lang is one of the world’s most respected and experienced statesmen； and we are honoured to be able to draw on his well of experience。”
Adam Lang said： “I welcome the challenge of working with a company of such global reach； commitment to democracy； and renowned integrity as the Hallington Group。”
The Hallington Group rang only the faintest of bells； so I looked it up。 Six hundred employees； twenty…four worldwide offices； a mere four hundred investors； mainly Saudi； andthirty…five billion dollars of funds at its disposal。 The portfolio of companies it controlled looked as if it had been drawn up by Darth Vader。 Hallington’s subsidiaries manufactured cluster bombs； mobile howitzers； interceptor missiles； tank…busting helicopters； swing…wing bombers； tanks； nuclear centrifuges； aircraft carriers。 It owned a company that provided security for contractors in the Middle East； another that carried out surveillance operations and data checks within the United States and worldwide； and a construction company that specialized in building military bunkers and airstrips。 Two members of its main board had been senior directors of the CIA。
I know the internet is the stuff a paranoiac’s dreams are made of。 I know it parcels up everything—Lee Harvey Oswald； Princess Diana； Opus Dei； Al Qaeda； Israel； MI6； crop circles—and with pretty blue ribbons of hyperlinks it ties them all into a single grand conspiracy。 But I also know the wisdom of the old saying that a paranoiac is simply a person in full possession of the facts； and as I typed in “Arcadia Institution” ＋ “Hallington Group” ＋ “CIA；” I sensed that something was starting to emerge； like the lineaments of a ghost ship； out of the fog of data on the screen。
washingtonpost：Hallington jet linked toCIA “torture flights”
The company denied all knowledge of theCIA program of “extraordinary rendition”…member of the board of the prestigiousArcadia Institution has…
www。washingtonpost/ac2/wp…dyn/A27824…2007Dec26language= …Cached …Similar pages
I clicked on the story and scrolled down to the relevant part：
The Hallington Gulfstream Four was clandestinely photographed—minus its corporate logo—at the Stare Kiejkuty military base in Poland； where the CIA is believed to have maintained a secret detention center； on February 18。
This was two days after four British citizens—Nasir Ashraf； Shakeel Qazi； Salim Khan； and Faruk Ahmed—were allegedly kidnapped by CIA operatives from Peshawar； Pakistan。 Mr。 Ashraf is reported to have died of heart failure after the interrogation procedure known as “water boarding。”
Between February and July of that same year； the jet made 51 visits to Guantánamo and 82 visits to Washington Dulles International Airport as well as landings at Andrews Air Force Base outside the capital and the U。S。 air bases at Ramstein and Rhein…Main in Germany。
The plane’s flight log also shows visits to Afghanistan； Morocco； Dubai； Jordan； Italy； Japan； Switzerland； Azerbaijan； and the Czech Republic。
The Hallington logo was visible in photographs taken at an air show in Schenectady； N。Y。； on August 23； eight days after the Gulfstream returned to Washington from an around…the…world flight that included Anchorage； Osaka； Dubai； and Shannon。
The logo was not visible when the Gulfstream was photographed during a fuel stop at Shannon on September 27。 But when the plane turned up at Denver’s Centennial Airport in February of this year； a photo showed it was sporting not only the Hallington logo but also a new registration number。
A spokesman for Hallington confirmed that the Gulfstream had been frequently leased to other operators but insisted the company had no knowledge of the uses to which it might have been put。
Water boarding？ I had never heard of it。 It sounded harmless enough； a kind of healthy outdoor sport； a cross between windsurfing and white…water rafting。 I looked it up on a website。
Water boarding consists of tightly binding a prisoner to an inclined board in such a manner that the victim’s feet are higher than the head and all movement is impossible。 Cloth or cellophane is then used to cover the prisoner’s face； onto which the interrogator pours a continuous stream of water。 Although some of the liquid may enter the victim’s lungs； it is the psychological sensation of being under water that makes water boarding so effective。 A gag reflex is triggered； the prisoner literally feels himself to be drowning； and almost instantly begs to be released。 CIA officers who have been subjected to water boarding as part of their training have lasted an average of fourteen seconds before caving in。 Al Qaeda’s toughest prisoner； and alleged mastermind of the 9/11 bombings； Khalid Sheik Mohammed； won the admiration of his CIA interrogators when he was able to last two and a half minutes before begging to confess。
Water boarding can cause severe pain and damage to the lungs； brain damage due to oxygen deprivation； limb breakage and dislocation due to struggling against restraints； and long…term psychological trauma。 In 1947； a Japanese officer was convicted of using water boarding on a US citizen and sentenced to fifteen years hard labor for a war crime。 According to an investigation by ABC News； the CIA was authorized to begin using water boarding in mid…March 2002； and recruited a cadre of fourteen interrogators trained in the technique。
There was an illustration； from Pol Pot’s Cambodia； of a man bound by his wrists and ankles to a sloping table； lying on his back； upside down。 His head was in a sack。 His face was being saturated by a man holding a watering can。 In another photograph； a Viet…cong suspect； pinioned to the ground； was being given similar treatment by three GIs using water from a drinking bottle。 The soldier pouring the water was grinning。 The man sitting on the prisoner’s chest had a cigarette held casually between the second and third fingers of his right hand。
I sat back in my chair and thought of various things。 I thought； especially； of Emmett’s comment about McAra’s death—that drowning wasn’t painless but agonizing。 It had struck me at the time as an odd thing for a professor to say。 Flexing my fingers； like a concert pianist preparing to play a challenging final movement； I typed a fresh request into the search engine： “Paul Emmett” ＋ “CIA。”
Immediately； the screen filled with results； all of them； at first sight； dross： articles and book reviews by Emmett that happened to mention the CIA； articles by others about the CIA that also contained references to Emmett； articles about the Arcadia Institution in which the words “CIA” and “Emmett” had featured。 I must have gone through thirty or forty in all； until I came to one which sounded promising。
TheCIA in Academia
The Central Intelligence Agency is now using several hundred American academics…Paul Emmett …www。spooks…on…campus。org/Church/listK1897a/html …11k
The web page was headed “Who Did Frank Have in Mind？？？” and started Senator Frank Church’s Select Committee report on the CIA； published in 1976：
The Central Intelligence Agency is now using several hundred American academics （“academics” includes administrators； faculty members； and graduate students engaged in teaching）； who in addition to providing leads and； on occasion； making introductions for intelligence purposes； occasionally write books and other material to be used for propaganda purposes abroad。 Beyond these； an additional few score are used in an unwitting manner for minor activities。
Beneath it； in alphabetical order； was a hyperlinked list of about twenty names； among them Emmett’s； and when I clicked on it； I felt as though I had fallen through a trapdoor。
Yale graduate Paul Emmett was reported by CIA whistleblower Frank Molinari to have joined the Agency as an officer in either 1969 or 1970； where he was assigned to the Foreign Resources Division of the Directorate of Operations。 （Source：Inside the Agency ； Amsterdam； 1977）
“Oh no；” I said quietly。 “No； no。 That can’t be right。”
I must have stared at the screen for a full minute； until a sudden crash of breaking crockery snapped me out of my reverie and I looked round to see that one of the kids playing under the nearby table had tipped the whole thing over。 As a waitress hurried across with a dustpan and brush； and as the nannies （or mothers） scolded the children； I noticed that the two short…haired men at the counter weren’t taking any notice of this little drama： they were staring hard at me。 One had a cell phone to his ear。
Fairly calmly—more calmly； I hoped； than I felt—I turned off the computer and pretended to take a final sip of coffee。 The liquid had gone cold while I’d been working and was freezing and bitter on my lips。 Then I picked up my suitcase and put a twenty…dollar bill on the table。 Already I was thinking that if something happened to me； the harassed waitress would surely remember the solitary Englishman who took the table farthest from the window and absurdly overtipped。 What good this would have done me； I have no idea； but it seemed clever at the time。 I made sure I didn’t look at the short…haired pair as I passed them。
Out on the street； in the cold gray light； with the green…canopied Starbucks a few doors down and the slowly passing traffic （“Baby on Board： Please Drive Carefully”） and the elderly pedestrians in their fur hats and gloves； it was briefly possible to imagine that I’d spent the past hour playing some homemade virtual reality game。 But then the door of the café opened behind me and the two men came out。 I walked briskly up t