The siege began on Feb. 28 when agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms launched a raid on the headquarters of the Branch Davidian sect 10 miles east of Waco, in what was believed to be an investigation into allegations that the cult had been amassing high-powered weapons and explosives. The agents were repulsed in an intensive gun-battle which left four agents and an unknown number of cult members dead.
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There followed a stand-off as the 77-acre ranch was besieged by several hundred heavily armed federal agents and state police, who were reported to have been ordered by President Clinton to take no action which could increase the death toll. Although a large number of children were allowed to leave the ranch during March, there remained around 100 adults who were believed to possess extensive stocks of ammunition and provisions. The leader of the Branch Davidian sect, an off-shoot of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, was David Koresh, 33, a self-proclaimed prophet.
The 51-day siege ended on April 19 with the death of David Koresh and most of his followers as the besieged complex was consumed by fire. The cause of the fire remained a matter of dispute, although it began after an assault upon the compound by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) units.
Initially the death toll was put at 86, including 17 children under 10 years of age. By the end of April, however, as the authorities examined the charred remains of the site, the final figure was revised to 72 dead, although medical examiners suggested that some of the bodies of children might have been burned so badly that they could not be recovered. Autopsies suggested that at least two of the dead had been killed by gunshot wounds.
The siege by local police and FBI units supported by federal armoured vehicles and tanks had lasted so long because of concerns for the safety of the women and children inside the compound, and fears that a further assault could provoke mass suicide among the cult members. Negotiations had continued throughout March and early April, but although 34 people (including 21 children) left the compound Koresh refused to surrender. With the operation costing an estimated $1,000,000 per week, and with no sign of an imminent negotiated end to the siege, the authorities decided to resolve the stalemate by launching a direct assault upon the compound.
The assault, which was approved by Clinton and by Attorney General Janet Reno, began at around 6 a.m. local time with armoured vehicles punching holes in the walls of the besieged buildings and pumping in tear gas. After further unsuccessful negotiations the pace of the operation was accelerated shortly before midday. The renewed assault was quickly followed by the lethal fire which was fanned by strong winds. Fire engines had not been stationed in the vicinity and did not arrive at the scene until more than 40 minutes after the fire had begun, by which time it had consumed the entire complex.
The FBI claimed that the fire had begun in three different locations and had been deliberately caused by cult members. Survivors from the siege alleged that the blaze had begun when kerosene lanterns--being used because the authorities had cut off electricity supplies to the compound--had been knocked over by one of the assault vehicles. The survivors also disputed FBI claims that those engaged in the final assault were fired on by cult members.
The extent of the death toll and the uncertainty surrounding the fire, together with earlier questions concerning the way in which the initial raid on the cult had been handled, led to demands for a congressional inquiry into the entire matter. There were also calls for the resignation of Reno--who denied that the affair had been mishandled and took full responsibility for the ending of the siege--and of FBI Director William Sessions, whose position had already been weakened by alleged ethics violations.
In a statement on April 20 Clinton reaffirmed his confidence in Reno, accepted responsibility for the handling of the siege, but claimed that Koresh--whom he described as "dangerous, irrational and probably insane"- -was ultimately responsible for the deaths. Nevertheless, Clinton ordered a joint Justice and Treasury Department investigation into the ending of the siege which would report directly to the President.
A report on the siege was released by the Justice Department on Oct. 8. Prepared under the supervision of Deputy Attorney General Philip B. Heymann, the report concluded that the fatal fire had been started by those within the compound, and dismissed as "utterly false" the claims by some cult members that it had been caused by the FBI assault on the buildings.
The report also exonerated Attorney General Reno of any blame for the deaths, although it contained evidence which contradicted some of Reno's early justifications for ordering the assault. Among these were her claim that she had been informed by the FBI that children were being physically abused within the compound, and that she had been informed by experts that there was little chance of a mass suicide by cult members in the event of an assault.
The mild tone of the report was criticized in some quarters. Don Edwards, the Democratic chairman of the House judiciary committee, described it as "essentially an in-house review".
In sharp contrast, an earlier report produced under the supervision of Assistant Treasury Secretary Ronald K. Noble and released on Sept. 30 had lambasted the handling of the initial Feb. 28 raid on the Waco compound by members of the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).
Senior ATF personnel were criticized for going ahead with this raid (in which four ATF agents and six cult members were killed) even when it was known that the element of surprise, essential to its success, had been lost. The report questioned the ATF decision to attempt the raid when it lacked the experience to mount such an operation, and criticized the agency for not attempting to arrest cult leader David Koresh outside the compound. It also found that, in the aftermath of the operation, "numerous" ATF officials had been "less than truthful about the facts" and that evidence had been altered to mislead the inquiry.
Following the issuing of this first report, Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen had announced on Sept. 30 that he was removing Stephen Higgins from his position as ATF director with immediate effect. Higgins had announced his resignation on Sept. 27, to become effective on Oct. 30. Bentsen also placed on administrative leave five other ATF officials whom the report had accused of lying about the raid.
This article comes from Keesings Worldwide Online
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