Two-thirds Americans ignorant of rendition

Between 16 April and 4 May, Retropoll will conduct a national telephone survey of 205 persons. Selected results pertaining to torture from the poll can be found below. Note that the poll included a knowledge-check section. According to Retro Poll's mission statement,

Retro Poll designs and performs opinion polls that look at the relationship between public knowledge and public opinion. In so doing so, Retro Poll reveals how the government and corporate media distort information in order to manipulate, confuse and disorganize the public's will.

8. The torture of people held in captivity is a war crime under U.S. law and international treaties which the U.S. has signed?

true (67.3%), false (10.7%), don't know (22.0%)

9. The International Committee of the Red Cross (in confidential reports to the United States Government) charged that the American military has intentionally used psychological and sometimes physical coercion tantamount to torture on prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

true (47.3%), false (13.7%), don't know (39.0%)

10. Torture of prisoners within prisons in the U.S. is a) absent b) rare c) not uncommon d) don't know.

absent (4.4%), rare (35.1%), not uncommon (34,6%), don't know (25.9%)

13.A top secret process called rendition has been used by the CIA to fly suspects to Egypt, Morocco, Syria, or Jordan, each of which is known to use torture in their interrogations.

true (32.7%), false (5.9%), don't know (61.5%)

17. U.S. soldiers and private contractors have tortured prisoners in prisons in Iraq, Cuba and Afghanistan. Do you believe that these are the acts of a few bad apples?

yes (57.6%), no (31.2%), don't know (11.2%)

20. Do you approve or disapprove of the appointments of John Negroponte as National Intelligence Chief and Albert Gonzales as Attorney General in view of their support for the use of torture?

approve (17.1%), disapprove (52.7%), don't know (30.2%)