Sending in tanks beyond the plan, senior FBI official testifies 06/22/2000 By Lee Hancock and Brenda Rodriguez The Dallas Morning News WACO – FBI commanders went beyond a Washington-approved plan for tear gassing the Branch Davidian compound when they ordered tanks to drive deep into the building on April 19, 1993, at Mount Carmel, a former senior FBI official testified Thursday. "I don't recall that the plan contemplated this activity," former FBI deputy assistant director Danny O. Coulson testified when shown photographs of damage wreaked by FBI tanks. "You could use the term deviation. You could use the term inconsistent with what I understood the plan to be." Excerpts of his deposition and those of other senior FBI officials were shown on the fourth day of the Davidians' wrongful death lawsuit. Among other allegations, the lawsuit charges that the FBI's two commanders in Waco violated the gas plan approved by Attorney General Janet Reno when they ordered tanks to begin tearing down the rear area of the compound known as the gym on April 19. The operation plan had called for gassing the building for at least 48 hours before starting demolition. A fire erupted within an hour after an FBI tank began smashing into the compound's rear gymnasium and ripped half of it to the ground. More than 80 Davidians died in the blaze. Government lawyers have contended that the fires were deliberately set by sect members, and the FBI's actions played no role in the tragedy. They also have argued that the commanders' decisions, even if negligent, are protected by broad federal laws shielding federal employees and agencies from private challenge in lawsuits. They plan to present testimony in which Ms. Reno said the Waco commanders acted properly. Both now-retired agents in charge of the FBI's Waco operation, former Hostage Rescue Team leader Richard Rogers and former San Antonio FBI chief Jeffrey Jamar, are expected to be called to testify early next week by lawyers for the sect. Houston attorney Michael Caddell spent much of the morning showing jurors three early drafts of the FBI's gas plan. In those documents, bureau officials proposed issuing a surrender ultimatum when they began injecting tear gas and then sending tanks to begin demolishing the building if all Davidians did not give up within an hour. But the final plan presented to, and ultimately approved by, Ms. Reno repeatedly mandated gassing for 48 hours before using a specially outfitted tank to rip down the outer walls of the building. .In the segment of testimony presented from Mr. Coulson's deposition, the former official recounted watching the Waco gas operation on a monitor at FBI headquarters in Washington with another senior official. When a tank smashed deep into the front side of the building, he said, his stunned colleague blurted, "Holy [expletive!] ."I said I hope that's a bad camera angle," he recalled responding. . "My first reaction was that the tank could be disabled and trapped inside the building, and I was surprised to see it exit." In another deposition excerpt, former assistant FBI director Larry Potts was shown a memo prepared with the initials of Mr. Jamar and Mr. Rogers after the incident in which they described some of their agents being assigned to begin "systematic demolition" of the rear gymnasium. "I believe that an intentional dismantling of the building at that stage would've required an exigent circumstance [or emergency]," Mr. Potts said, adding that he never heard of Mr. Jamar or Mr. Rogers seeking permission to take such action. Asked if he were aware of any emergency on April 19 that would've required early demolition, he said, "I'm not aware of any." But government lawyers responded with deposition testimony in which former FBI deputy director Floyd Clark said that the agent in charge in Waco, Mr. Jamar, "had a tremendous amount of autonomy and authority." Asked if Mr. Jamar should have told Washington before sending tanks into the building, Mr. Clark said he would have expected such notification. "But would it require it? No.I don't think it would." ================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> *Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day. ================================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. 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