The Least Worst Place: Guantanamo's First 100 Days

The Least Worst Place chronicles the initial 100 days of operations at Guantanamo Bay detention center in 2002. Through extensive research and interviews, Karen J. Greenberg reconstructs how military personnel established and ran the facility during its earliest phase. The book focuses on Marine Corps Brigadier General Michael Lehnert and his team as they work to create systems and protocols for this unprecedented detention operation. The narrative tracks the day-to-day challenges of building a prison facility while navigating complex legal, ethical, and security considerations. The interactions between guards, medical personnel, interrogators, and detainees reveal early attempts to maintain military standards and Geneva Convention principles. Greenberg documents the shift from these initial approaches to later policies that would define Guantanamo's controversial legacy. This account of Guantanamo's first chapter raises fundamental questions about military ethics, human rights, and America's response to 9/11. The book illuminates how institutional decisions and policies, rather than individual actions, can shape the character and consequences of detention operations.

Readers describe this as a detailed account of Guantanamo's early days, told through extensive interviews with military personnel who served there. Many note its focus on commander Michael Lehnert's attempts to run the facility humanely before being replaced. Liked: - Clear narrative structure following the first 100 days - Access to key personnel and primary sources - Balanced treatment of complex issues - Documentation of initial military resistance to harsh tactics Disliked: - Limited scope focusing only on first 100 days - Some repetition in later chapters - Lack of prisoner perspectives - More military procedure details needed Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (89 ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (21 ratings) One reader noted: "Important history that shows how things could have been different." Another criticized: "Too sympathetic to military leadership while glossing over detainee experiences."

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🔷 Author Karen J. Greenberg is the Director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law School and has testified before Congress about Guantanamo Bay and detention policies. 🔷 The book reveals that Marine Brigadier General Michael Lehnert, who commanded the first 100 days at Guantanamo, attempted to run the facility according to Geneva Convention standards, despite being told they didn't apply. 🔷 During those initial 100 days in 2002, the guards at Guantanamo were instructed to learn basic Arabic phrases and show respect for the detainees' religious practices, a policy that would later change dramatically. 🔷 The facility was built in just 87 hours, transforming an empty section of the naval base into Camp X-Ray, which would become one of the most controversial detention centers in modern history. 🔷 The title "The Least Worst Place" comes from a quote by former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who described Guantanamo as "the least worst place we could have selected" for detaining suspected terrorists.