FW: Assassination euphemisms

[Gerald Cohen]

The incident I related below occurred before any novels or films had been
written about the Vietnam War. And because of the context, I never saw
anything cute about the phrase "terminate with extreme prejudice."  I
assumed at the time (rightly or wrongly) that it was used as a sort of code
to confuse any enemy who might pick up the radio transmission while at the
same time conveying a clear message to the American soldiers what to do with
the captured Viet Cong.

 The words "with extreme prejudice" might have been redundant, but they also
helped make crystal clear what the fate of the Viet Cong prisoner was to be.

Gerald Cohen

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Message from Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM, Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:51:57:

Terminate with extreme prejudice was revealed in Congressional hearings
around 1970 or 1971. The same may be true of neutralize -- I don't recall.

DanG

On Jul 14, 2010 11:27 AM, "Paul" <paulzjoh at mtnhome.com> wrote:

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Sender: Americ...
Poster:       Paul <paulzjoh at MTNHOME.COM>
Subject:      Re: Assassination euphemisms
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 Somehow the phrase, "Terminate with extreme prejudice." just seems a
little too cute to have been originated in the field.  I'd put money on
it being picked up from, a novel or film.  When asked what to do with a
prisoner why not reply "terminate him"  or did the 'extreme prejudice"
mean  torture or a painful death?

PAUL JOHNSON




On 7/14/2010 9:11 AM, Cohen, Gerald Leonard wrote:

I remember reading about an incident during the Vietnam War.  American
soldiers were in a helicopter with a captured Viet Cong and radioed to
the ground asking what to do with him.  The reply: "Terminate with =
extreme prejudice."

Gerald Cohen
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