Waco siege

This page is too shallow.
It needs work to add a deep political perspective.

 Waco siege (massacre,  assassination)  

Date	February 28 1993 - April 19, 1993
Location	Waco,  Texas,  US
Deaths	76
Description	A 51-day siege which "tired and frustrated" the FBI negotiators after which the FBI burned down the compound
Perpetrators	ATF, Delta Force, FBI, Texas National Guard

The Waco siege, also known as the Waco massacre, was the law enforcement siege and subsequent raid of the compound that belonged to the religious sect Branch Davidians led by David Koresh. It was carried out by the U.S. federal government, Texas state law enforcement, and the U.S. military.

Initial Raid

The initial raid killed 4 ATF agents and 6 people in the compond. All of the ATF agents (Steve Willis, Robert Wiliams, Conway LeBleu, Todd McKeehan) were shot in a way that "questions were raised as to the nature and source of their wounds".^{[indicating what?]}

Siege

Following the initial raid, a 51-day siege ensued, which "tired and frustrated" the FBI negotiators. This ended with an assault by the FBI during which the compound burned down, killing 76 people. The tanks brought in for the final raid were, according to reports published at Counterpunch, from the Cavalry Division of the III Corps at Fort Hood, whose commander at the time was Wesley Clark.

Military role

The military Delta Force played a key part in the assault on the compound. President Clinton signed a waiver of the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the involvement of the US military in law enforcement. Military observers were in Waco more than a month before the final assault on the compound, and the special forces had monitored the situation virtually from the start.

In 1999, as new Congressional hearings were mentioned, the New York Times ran an article by Charles McCarry, an author and former deep cover operative for the CIA, Waco, Forever Unresolved. The piece declares that "Chances are that every relevant fact about the tragedy in Waco was uncovered in the first investigations by the Justice and Treasury Departments" and "not likely to add much to our understanding of an event that was all but incomprehensible in the first place."

McCarry also wrote that with a reinvestigation "Politicians who speak of laying this matter to rest must surely understand, unless they have been asleep for the past 50 years, that the more likely outcome will be new suspicions, new accusations, new denials and a deepened belief that the country is being run like an Oliver Stone movie on location. All of the elements for several new conspiracy theories are present, including unsubstantiated rumors that Delta Force troopers in body armor and camouflage face paint were present and that the agents' conversation was plucked from the air by a spy plane equipped with infrared equipment capable of seeing through the walls of the compound and hearing what was said inside."

Investigation

In 1999, United States Attorney General Janet Reno appointed John Danforth to investigate the FBI's conduct in Waco. Danforth chose Edward L. Dowd as his deputy special counsel in this capacity.

Weblinks

Waco: The Rules of Engagement - critical documentary that highlights government lies surrounding the event

 

A Waco siege victim on Wikispooks

Title	Description
David Koresh	A cult leader shot dead in the Waco siege.

 

Related Quotation

Page	Quote	Author	Date
Joe Biden	“But there's a big difference between mistakes and malevolence. The record of the Waco incident documents mistakes, mistakes in gathering intelligence; mistakes in planning and executing operational plans. And law enforcement should and must be held accountable for such mistakes. What the record from Waco does not evidence, however, is any improper motive or intent on the part of law enforcement. I believe this is a very important point to make to the American public, because there are a growing number of people across the country who are seizing on the incident at Waco, as well as Ruby Ridge, to suggest that law enforcement is our enemy...[...]..David Koresh and the Davidians set fire to themselves and committed suicide.”	Joe Biden	1995

 

Event

Event	Description
Waco siege	A 51-day siege which "tired and frustrated" the FBI negotiators after which the FBI burned down the compound

 

Group

Group	Start	Description
Baylor University	1845	Oldest continuously operating university in Texas

Many thanks to our Patrons who cover ~2/3 of our hosting bill. Please join them if you can.

References

This is a page stub. Please add to it.