-Caveat Lector- Inside the Waco war room Notes on Reno's meeting with the military ------------------------------------------------------------------------ © 1999 WorldNetDaily.com The following is a document providing a description and non-verbatim notes of a meeting between representatives of the Army's Delta Force, the FBI and Attorney General Janet Reno. A redacted version of this document was recently released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. But WorldNetDaily's Special Forces source has the unredacted document. Here, wherever he feels he can, he has either filled in what has previously been blacked out a) exactly as it appears in the original uncensored document or b) provided a description, in his own words, of what the original says. WND's source has also provided relevant explanations of certain abbreviations and terminology. These additions and comments appear in brackets in itallic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY Special Forces Operational Detachment - Delta [WND's source says this is Delta Force] SFOD-D-CG [WND: This means Delta's commanding general ] MEMORANDUM FOR: Commander, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, Subject: Meeting With members of the FBI and the Department of Justice. Reference: The Incident in Waco, Texas. 1.[unreadable word], the following is a synopsis of the meeting on 14 April 1993 in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director's Conference Room. The meeting began at approximately 15:30 Attendees were as follows: US Army Major General Shoemaker Colonel John Boykin [WND: Boykin was then a colonel in Delta Force and is now a general at USASOC ] An 04 from DCSOPS [WND's source says the above means a major from deputy chief of staff for operations, which would be an assault team leader from Delta Force Squadron ] Unknown Scientist (Expert on CS) [WND's source points out CS means tear gas ] FBI Director Sessions Deputy Diector Floyd Clark Special Agent Danny Coulson Special Agent Larry Pont Special Agent Dick Rogers (HRT Commander) Department of Justice Honorable Janet Reno (Attorney General) Mr. Hubble [WND: as in Webster Hubbell ] Two UI persons [WND's source says of UI persons which means unidentified persons, that they were "alleged at the time to to be White House personnel reporting directly to Clinton who refused to be identified during the meeting." ] 2.This meeting began with an explanation by the scientist on the effects of CS on humans. He referred to experiments over the years with both humans and animals. His assessment was that CS was non-lethal and presented very little physical threat to the Branch Davidian occupants. The Attorney General and others from the Department of Justice asked a variety of questions on the effects of CS and the potential hazards. They were assured by both the FBI and the scientist that the risks of serious injury associated with CS were low. Attorney General Reno then asked both [redacted] to give an assessment of the effects of CS. Our assessment was as follows: a.(U) Some people would panic, Quote: "mothers may run off and leave infants." b.(U) Some would continue to function by using expedient techniques to overcome the effects; e.g., use of a wet cloth on the face. c.(U) Even with protective masks, eventually the facility would become untenable (inhabitants would have to eat and drink at some point). d.(U) In summary, we assessed that if the objective of the FBI was to make the building uninhabitable, then CS would accomplish that. We stated that it was our belief that if enough CS was [unreadable word], eventually the inhabitants would not be able to remain inside. 3.It was obvious that Attorney General Reno had already been briefed on the concept of the operation. Special Agent Dick Rogers gave a brief summary of his plan using a series of enlarged photographs of the compound and a model made of cardboard and wood. The FBI saw this as an arrest situation and not a hostage barricade. Their goal was to force the compound inhabitants out of the building so they could be arrested. Dick Rogers stated to Attorney General Janet Reno that his primary concern was for the safety of the FBI agents and other law enforcement officers. Their view was that this was not an assault. The stated intent was to incrementally "gas" the compound for up to 48 hours. After 48 hours, the next step would be to use an armored platform with a blade to start removing the front of the building. 4.Attorney General Reno then asked for our assessment of the plan. We collectively made the following points: a.(U) This was not a military operation and could not be assessed as such. We explained that the situation was not one that we had ever encountered and that the Rules of Engagement for the FBI were substantially different than for a military operation. [name redacted] stated, "We can't grade your paper," as a way of explaining our position. b.(U) If it was a military operation, we would focus on [about five words redacted] The meaning was obvious. [redacted.] We acknowledged that there were legal issues/problems associated with this approach c.(U) Consideration should be given to inserting CS into the [redacted for about four sentences which WND's source says details a conversation during which the military personnel explained to Reno the correct way to use CS (tear gas) and the risks involved ] Deputy. Director Clark stated that [redacted-- but in an e-mail WND's source says it is a description of "what covert surveillance equipment was being provided by Delta, and that Delta 'technicals' (commo and surveillance operators) were going to 'maintain' the equipment (actually run it for the FBI)" ]. d.The principles of surprise, speed and violence of action were essential to any operation. [redacted] stated that momentum should be maintained and that ground gained should not be relinquished. [WND's source says "violence of action" usually refers to killing the "hostiles" ] 5.The final issue discussed was timing. Attorney Reno asked simply, "Why now." The FBI's response was: a.There is no reason to believe that Koresh has any intention of coming out voluntarily. b.There are indicators that children are suffering abuse c.The effects of a prolonged stand-off on the HRT (Hostage Rescue Team) were not an overriding issue, but something that must be considered. 6.My final comments were that I believed that the HRT (Hostage Rescue Team) should consider pulling their people off the target for a short period to retrain and polish some of the [WND: difficult to read, looks like "perishable" ] skills. I made it clear that I was not encouraging an immediate execution of the operation. My exact words were, "I don't have a dog in this fight." My comments focused on the necessity to maintain perishable skills in order to be ready if an approval came at some point. The FBI response was that the HRT agents were, in fact, training in the Waco area on some makeshift facilities. They were strongly opposed to leaving the target. [WND's source sent the following e-mail interpreting this paragraph: "When Boykin stated he 'did not have a dog in this fight' I believe he meant that he didn't want to be directly involved in it, and did not want to be dragged into it. Delta Force operators, AND Task Force 160 operators continually cautioned the FBI against attempting an 'Open Air Assault' on the target, and continually stated they did not want to be involved in firing on or assault American civilians. These official and unofficial comments went ignored and, in fact, one Special Operations Officer was threatened with court-martial if he continued to protest. ] The other points that surfaced during the discussion were size of the HRT (Hostage Rescue Team) in Waco (34 personnel) and the availability of similar units. It was explained that the HRT (Hostage Rescue Team) was unique and that only the military had a similiar capability. There was no discussion on the use of the military It is also important to note [redacted] was involved in Waco in a supporting role. [redacted] was offered an opportunity to observe the incident. With JCS approval, an observer deployed to the scene on 21 March 1993. The HRT (Hostage Rescue Team) subsequently asked for and received technical support on 19 March 19993, in the form of [redacted]. Two technicians took the equipment to Waco and remained there throughout the 51-day standoff. They maintained the equipment and advised the FBI on tactical employment. There was no tactical advice requested and none given at any time. The FBI was very understanding about the rules under which the [redacted] were operating. During the assault, the three [redacted] observed from the HRT (Hostage Rescue Team) forward command post and were cautioned not to video the operation. Prior to deployment all [redacted] were advised as to the legal restrictions on the nature and scope of assistance they could provide to the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. Their activities fell well within these boundaries. All support to the HRT (Hostage Rescue Team) was approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Finally, the plan which was executed at Waco was an FBI plan which neither [redacted] nor I helped prepare. At the same time, I did believe that they had a reasonable chance of accomplishing their objective of forcing the occupants out of the building. Their approach was substantially different than anything that I have encountered. They were not assaulting the compound and they were not there to rescue anyone This was surprising to me, but certainly not something of which I am critical. It is simply a different way of looking at the situation. I did not believe that the FBI and the Attorney General were trying to force us to support or defend the plan. It was my belief that they simply wanted any observations that we felt comfortable providing. [Redacted] [WND's source says that it is signed by Colonel John Boykin, Delta Force, now General Boykin **COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
