As early as August 2010, Bradley told his psychiatrist Cpt. William Hoctor that he wanted to end POI watch, and Cpt. Hoctor soon after recommended relaxing Bradley’s treatment. As early as September 2010, Bradley asked his brig counselor, Gunnery Sergeant Blenis, how his incarceration status could be improved. Blenis told him that Cpt. Hoctor had recommended POI, so Bradley assumed he needed to demonstrate improved mental health. Around this time, Coombs also emailed the prosecution to announce Bradley’s desire to be removed from POI, and ask if there was anything the government could do. Bradley Manning made it very clear that he sought to be removed from segregation.

On December 10, Bradley asked Cpt. Hoctor why he had recommended POI status, and Cpt. Hoctor clarified that he had long been advising Quantico officials that there was no mental health reason to keep Bradley in isolation. The discrepancy confused Bradley, and he didn’t know whom to trust.

Since his stay at Quantico, Bradley had been answering semi-weekly questionnaires given by Army command, and before this time he said that he understood why he was on POI, even though he wanted to be off it. Thanks to GYSGT Blenis’ deception, Bradley still thought POI was Cpt. Hoctor’s doing. When he learned otherwise, Bradley documented in 22 questionnaires that he didn’t understand his custody status.

Bradley’s attorney David Coombs then asked brig commander CWO Averhart to re-evaluate Bradley’s status. Bradley testified that “obviously nothing happened.”