Scharff used five interrelated tactics to accomplish this feat: He adopted a friendly approach, by spending time with the POWs at cafés or strolls through the woods. He never directly pressed them for information, but rather allowed their conversations to flow naturally. He spoke with a confidence of “knowing it all,” which lessened the prisoner’s need to remain guarded. He purposely misstated facts to see if the POW would correct him or add new details. He never showed shock or surprise when new pieces of information made their way into the conversation—he always maintained an air of calmness
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