--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Pentagon said that these prisoners…" description: "\"The Pentagon said that these prisoners were kept in accordance with the Geneva Convention, and of course I was not reassured by that, but I couldn't pr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4d/peter-singer-1001_geneva_the-pentagon-said-that-these-prisoners-w_2338250.jpg" --- # The Pentagon said that these prisoners were kept in… ![“The Pentagon said that these prisoners were kept in accordance with the Geneva Convention, and of course I was not reassured by that, but I couldn't prove that that was wrong; so we're clearer about that.” quote by Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4d/peter-singer-1001_geneva_the-pentagon-said-that-these-prisoners-w_2338250.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4d/peter-singer-1001_geneva_the-pentagon-said-that-these-prisoners-w_2338250.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4d/peter-singer-1001_geneva_the-pentagon-said-that-these-prisoners-w_2338250.jpg) > “The Pentagon said that these prisoners were kept in accordance with the Geneva Convention, and of course I was not reassured by that, but I couldn't prove that that was wrong; so we're clearer about that.” [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker doubts the adequacy of official assurances about prisoner treatment, highlighting a need for evidence. **In simple terms:** Official statements may not guarantee humane treatment. Key Takeaway Seek verification beyond official claims. Themes ethics human rights law accountability Mood critical concerned Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - military detention - humanitarian NGOs - legal advocacy Key Concepts international law moral philosophy transparency Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms ensure compliance with conventions? - How can individuals hold institutions accountable? A Different Perspective Evidence may be hard to obtain, risking complacency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Geneva convention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geneva-convention/) [Pentagon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pentagon/) ## Related quotes > [The left, of course, will say Carson doesn't believe in the Geneva Convention, Carson doesn't believe in fighting stupid wars. And - and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/the-left-of-course-will-say-carson-doesn-t-believe-in-the-geneva/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [A kid in an abusive home has far fewer rights than any POW. There is no Geneva Convention for kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/a-kid-in-an-abusive-home-has-far-fewer-rights-than-any-pow-there-is/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [I think they clearly do not fit within the prescriptions of the Geneva Convention. It's hard for me to see how members of al…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/i-think-they-clearly-do-not-fit-within-the-prescriptions-of-the/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [If we say the Geneva Convention is obsolete, then what do others who have our soldiers say?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-we-say-the-geneva-convention-is-obsolete-then-what-do-others-who/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Al Qaeda doesn't abide by the Geneva Conventions, so in my opinion, they should not be afforded the protections of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-thor/al-qaeda-doesn-t-abide-by-the-geneva-conventions-so-in-my-opinion/) [Brad Thor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-thor/) > [The United States was founded on the idea that all people are endowed with inalienable rights, and that principle has allowed us to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-united-states-was-founded-on-the-idea-that-all-people-are-endowed/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [If you are going to kill the families of terrorists, realize that there's something called the Geneva Convention we're going to have to pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/if-you-are-going-to-kill-the-families-of-terrorists-realize-that/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [What is the Geneva Convention on wars! I have never read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoweri-museveni/what-is-the-geneva-convention-on-wars-i-have-never-read-it/) [Yoweri Museveni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoweri-museveni/) > [Prisoners, according to the law, who are non-U.S. citizens and are detained outside the U.S. - including in Guantanamo Bay - are denied 'habeas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/prisoners-according-to-the-law-who-are-non-u-s-citizens-and-are/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [Nonetheless, Article 5 makes clear that if an Iraqi civilian who is not a member of the armed forces, has engaged in attacks on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/nonetheless-article-5-makes-clear-that-if-an-iraqi-civilian-who-is/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [But in Afghanistan, the general rule was that since you were fighting the Taliban, which was not a lawful government force, the Geneva Conventions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/but-in-afghanistan-the-general-rule-was-that-since-you-were-fighting/) [Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/) > [I haven't decided if he deserved to eat bread made out of sticks or live in a rancid puddle, probably because I haven't made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/i-haven-t-decided-if-he-deserved-to-eat-bread-made-out-of-sticks-or/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [There's a War Crimes Act in the United States passed by a Republican Congress in 1996, which says that grave breaches of the Geneva…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-a-war-crimes-act-in-the-united-states-passed-by-a-republican/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [That is because the conflict with al Qaeda is not governed by the Geneva Conventions, which applies only to international conflicts between states that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/that-is-because-the-conflict-with-al-qaeda-is-not-governed-by-the/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [Under the Geneva Convention, for example, a POW is required only to provide name, rank, and serial number and cannot receive any benefits for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/under-the-geneva-convention-for-example-a-pow-is-required-only-to/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) ## More by Peter Singer > [I have never really been fond of animals. I certainly wasn't an 'animal lover' when I became involved in the movement. I just came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-have-never-really-been-fond-of-animals-i-certainly-wasn-t-an-animal/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Knowledge is generally considered a good thing; so, presumably, knowing more about how the U.S. thinks and operates around the world is also good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/knowledge-is-generally-considered-a-good-thing-so-presumably-knowing/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [The price we are willing to pay for safety cannot be infinite. It is distasteful to put a price on human life, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-price-we-are-willing-to-pay-for-safety-cannot-be-infinite-it-is/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governments would have only two options: accept the Internet with its limitless possibilities of spreading information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-hope-of-internet-anarchists-was-that-repressive-governments-would/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [ Nineteen thousand children \[are\] dying every day. Does it really matter that we're not walking past them in the street? Does it really matter… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/nineteen-thousand-children-are-dying-every-day-does-it-really-matter/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“The unchallenged assumption is that humans may use animals for their own purposes, and they may raise and kill them to satisfy their preference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-unchallenged-assumption-is-that-humans-may-use-animals-for-their/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Beginning to reason is like stepping onto an escalator that leads upward and out of sight. Once we take the first step, the distance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/beginning-to-reason-is-like-stepping-onto-an-escalator-that-leads/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“Population growth is not a reason against giving aid but a reason for reconsidering the kind of aid to give.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/population-growth-is-not-a-reason-against-giving-aid-but-a-reason-for/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Well the real concept of basic needs if you cut it right down are simply the physical needs that are unavoidable for all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/well-the-real-concept-of-basic-needs-if-you-cut-it-right-down-are/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“Dairy farmers routinely remove calves from their mothers at an early age so that the milk will be available for humans; anyone who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/dairy-farmers-routinely-remove-calves-from-their-mothers-at-an-early/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Attempts to defend amusement parks and circuses on the grounds that they 'educate' people about animals should not be taken seriously. Such enterprises are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/attempts-to-defend-amusement-parks-and-circuses-on-the-grounds-that/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“A consequence of this alienation of humans from their own nature is that they are also alienated from each other. Productive activity becomes ‘activity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/a-consequence-of-this-alienation-of-humans-from-their-own-nature-is/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“I argued against the view that the only obligation we have to strangers is to avoid harming them; but even if we were to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-argued-against-the-view-that-the-only-obligation-we-have-to/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [I believe that in this new world that we live in, we often have a responsibility, you know, to actually go beyond the thou…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-believe-that-in-this-new-world-that-we-live-in-we-often-have-a/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [It may be thought justifiable to require tests on animals of potentially life-saving drugs, but the same kinds of tests are used for products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/it-may-be-thought-justifiable-to-require-tests-on-animals-of/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) [Explore all 310 Peter Singer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) ## More Geneva quotes > [Much of what I saw in Geneva really disillusioned me about how my government functions and what its impact is in the world. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/much-of-what-i-saw-in-geneva-really-disillusioned-me-about-how-my/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [The World Health Organisation has a lot of its medical experts sitting in Geneva while hospitals in Africa have no drugs and desperate patients…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-hanson/the-world-health-organisation-has-a-lot-of-its-medical-experts/) [Pauline Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-hanson/) > [The vote on the Peacekeeper is also a vote on Geneva. Rejecting the Peacekeeper will knock the legs out from under the negotiating table.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-vote-on-the-peacekeeper-is-also-a-vote-on-geneva-rejecting-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The left, of course, will say Carson doesn't believe in the Geneva Convention, Carson doesn't believe in fighting stupid wars. And - and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/the-left-of-course-will-say-carson-doesn-t-believe-in-the-geneva/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [In 1958, I was a delegate to the Atoms for Peace conference in Geneva.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-reines/in-1958-i-was-a-delegate-to-the-atoms-for-peace-conference-in-geneva/) [Frederick Reines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-reines/) > [That is because the conflict with al Qaeda is not governed by the Geneva Conventions, which applies only to international conflicts between states that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/that-is-because-the-conflict-with-al-qaeda-is-not-governed-by-the/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [Many argue that Christianity is "different" from other religions - that it is primarily about love of one's fellow man. The Crusades, The Inquisition,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bernstein/many-argue-that-christianity-is-different-from-other-religions-that/) [Andrew Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bernstein/) > [In my judgement, this new paradigm renders obsolete Geneva's strict limitations on questioning of enemy prisoners and renders quaint some of its provisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-gonzales/in-my-judgement-this-new-paradigm-renders-obsolete-geneva-s-strict/) [Alberto Gonzales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-gonzales/) > [There's a War Crimes Act in the United States passed by a Republican Congress in 1996, which says that grave breaches of the Geneva…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-a-war-crimes-act-in-the-united-states-passed-by-a-republican/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The striking thing is that WHO doesn't really have the authority to do any of this. It can't tell governments what to do. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/the-striking-thing-is-that-who-doesn-t-really-have-the-authority-to/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [I love Switzerland. It's so clean and cool. We don't get much snow where I live so I get real excited in Lausanne and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-love-switzerland-it-s-so-clean-and-cool-we-don-t-get-much-snow/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [Early in 1986, the World Health Organization in Geneva still regarded AIDS as an ailment of the promiscuous few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/early-in-1986-the-world-health-organization-in-geneva-still-regarded/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [I haven't decided if he deserved to eat bread made out of sticks or live in a rancid puddle, probably because I haven't made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/i-haven-t-decided-if-he-deserved-to-eat-bread-made-out-of-sticks-or/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [But in Afghanistan, the general rule was that since you were fighting the Taliban, which was not a lawful government force, the Geneva Conventions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/but-in-afghanistan-the-general-rule-was-that-since-you-were-fighting/) [Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/) > [Frankly, we doubt the veracity and seriousness of the United States in regard to achieving results that would be acceptable to both sides in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitriy-ustinov/frankly-we-doubt-the-veracity-and-seriousness-of-the-united-states-in/) Dmitriy Ustinov Browse all 101 Geneva quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Pentagon said that these prisoners were kept in accordance with the Geneva Convention, and of course I was not reassured by that, but I couldn't prove that that was wrong; so we're clearer about that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Singer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-pentagon-said-that-these-prisoners-were-kept-in-accordance-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Geneva" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-pentagon-said-that-these-prisoners-were-kept-in-accordance-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4d/peter-singer-1001_geneva_the-pentagon-said-that-these-prisoners-w_2338250.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4d/peter-singer-1001_geneva_the-pentagon-said-that-these-prisoners-w_2338250.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4d/peter-singer-1001_geneva_the-pentagon-said-that-these-prisoners-w_2338250.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Pentagon said that these prisoners were kept in accordance with the Geneva Convention, and of course I…” — Peter Singer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Peter Singer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Pentagon said that these prisoners...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-pentagon-said-that-these-prisoners-were-kept-in-accordance-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-pentagon-said-that-these-prisoners-were-kept-in-accordance-with/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```