"MASSACRE AT WACO, TEXAS:" A CRITICAL REVIEW by Terry L. Goodman Portions of this multi-part critical article, indicated by quotes, are Copyright (c) 1993 by Clifford L. Linedecker. All rights reserved. For information: St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Av, New York, NY 10010. I've just finished reading the rush-to-print paperback "Massacre at Waco, Texas." It has some good information, some bogus information, and no footnotes or cites. I thought I might share excerpts and analysis in this Echo as a critical review, with special emphasis on issues previously discussed at length in this forum. The author, Clifford L. Linedecker is a former journalist and the author of "The Man Who Killed Boys," "Night Stalker," and "Killer Kids." He was apparently sent to Waco by his editor at St. Martin's Press within days of the initial shootout, with the idea of gathering material for the book. Linedecker has prepared an informative Prologue that sets the stage for the chapters to follow, running through Waco's "Wild West" history and introducing Baylor University, the Texas Rangers, notorious murderers David Wayne Spence and Kenneth McDuff, the KKK, McLennan County Sheriff Jack Harwell, and the Branch Davidians. He mentions that Texas had no gun registration laws and that Texans could become legal gun dealers just by paying $30 to the ATF for a federal permit. "In 1991, the most recent year for which statistics are available, Texas had the dubious distinction of being the only state where more people were killed by guns than in traffic accidents. More than 16,500 residents, including police officers, owned machine guns. According to law enforcement authorities and other sources, some seventeen million people in the state own sixty million firearms. That averages out to about four guns per person. "Early in 1993 a disturbing number of those firearms belonged to a group of men, women, and children who lived together in a radical religious commune about ten miles east of Waco. The arms arsenal was believed to include Ruger mini-14 rifles capable of firing 40 rounds per minute if semiautomatic and 750 rounds per minute if automatic, AK-47 assault rifles capable of firing 600 rounds per minute, Israeli submachine guns, AR-15 semiautomatic rifles, .223-caliber semiautomatic rifles, Beretta semiautomatic pistols with fifteen-shot magazines, 9-mm Glock handguns, a .50-caliber machine gun, and hand grenades. It was an astonishing array of firepower..."[1] Linedecker suggests that automatic weapons are legally owned by many Texans, and lists numerous machine guns as "believed" owned by Branch Davidians. In fact, we have seen little evidence that the group really possessed automatic weapons at the time of the raid. The .223-caliber rifles mentioned *ARE* the AR-15's, the .50-caliber was *NOT* a machine gun, and the hand grenades may have *ALL* been dummy practice grenades. >From the Prologue, it appears evident that Linedecker intends to avoid straying too far from the "official" interpretation and characterization of events offered by the press briefings of the ATF and FBI. "We're talking about Waco! If someone comes in your house blazing away, cops or whoever they are, you're gonna do some shootin' back." [2] Clifford Linedecker begins Chapter One of "Massacre at Waco, Texas" with the above quote, attributed to a pickup truck driver. Linedecker mentions that Paul G. Fatta, believed by ATF critics to have been issued a Class III dealer's license from the ATF, left the Branch Davidian compound with his fourteen-year-old son at about six-thirty Sunday morning, February 28, on his way to the Original Austin Gun Show to sell camouflage clothing, military rations, weapons, and other items. After details about the normal schedule at the compound, Linedecker notes that, "Only Koresh's personal apartment was equipped with a television set, a radio, stereo, other electronic equipment, heat, and air- conditioning. There were none of those amenities in the dormitories for his followers. No one else was allowed to have a beer or other alcoholic drink anytime he wished. And he was the only man permitted to wear his hair long, shoulder length. ... Only a trailer occupied by several of the older cult members a few miles from Mount Carmel had flush toilets and central heat."[3] Hmmm. Wasn't David Thibodeaux's hair long? Anyway, Linedecker mentions boxes of hand grenades and ammunition and an armory of nearly three hundred guns, then introduces an ATF undercover agent using the name Richard Gonzales, who was in the compound early Sunday morning. Gonzales had recently been dropping by for lessons and discussions of scripture. With several other male "college students," he had rented a house across a field some 260 yards from Mount Carmel (which apparently gets its name from 1 Kings 18, by the way). The Branch Davidians had around-the-clock armed guards posted atop their four-story watchtower, which provided a 360-degree view of the compound. Additional guards were stationed at the entrance during the day, and patrolled at night. After being called away from Gonzales for some messages, Koresh is reported to have announced that a raid was imminent and vowed, "Neither ATF or the National Guard will ever get me. They got me once, and they will never get me again. They are coming: the time has come." [4] Gonzales made his excuses and hurried away. It is at this point that Linedecker introduces the material from the ATF affidavit filed to establish probable cause for the issuance of a search warrant. Linedecker's language indicates that he got exactly the impression from this document that the ATF wanted to give to the issuing judge, and is worthy of some careful and critical analysis. Linedecker's presentation of the probable cause allegations will be the subject of part 3 of this review. [2] Linedecker, Clifford L. MASSACRE AT WACO, TEXAS. 1993. St. Martin's Paperbacks, New York, $4.99, ISBN 0-312-95226-0, p. 9. [3] Ibid, pp. 13-14. [4] Ibid, p. 19. ------==============------ This third posting reviews Clifford Linedecker's presentation of material establishing probable cause for an ATF search of the Branch Davidian's Mount Carmel Center. "The ATF's own investigators and other sources had determined that the cultists had stockpiled an arsenal of powerful weapons worth nearly two hundred thousand dollars and believed to include scores of illegal machine guns and huge stores of explosives. Attorneys had filed affidavits in support of search and arrest warrants, alleging various violations of federal firearms laws."[5] Of course, "cultists stockpiling an arsenal of powerful weapons" sounds a good deal more menacing than "Christians securing their rifles out of the reach of their children," though both are accurate descriptions of the same event. And who truly believed that the Davidians had "scores of illegal machine guns and huge stores of explosives?" The ATF presented evidence that there may have been one or two automatic weapons at Mount Carmel at various times, that the Branch Davidians might be planning to convert semi-automatic weapons to full-auto, and that they had purchased materials that might be combined into explosives. The actual allegations in the probable cause affidavit are much more restrained than Linedecker's language suggests. "The cultists were accused of illegally converting semiautomatic weapons to automatics for rapid fire, of amassings stocks of gunpowder, ammunition, hand grenades, chemicals that could be used in the manufacture of explosives, and other arms and equipment, including a starlight filter like those used by soldiers in Vietnam to help pick out targets in the dark."[6] Well... It was suspected that they were acquiring conversion capability rather than that they were actually doing it, I think; and there's nothing particularly wrong with simply amassing stocks of legal stuff. After all, the Davidians were preparing for Armageddon and were stockpiling all survival supplies, not just weapons. "While putting together the arsenal, the cultists also installed a thousand-gallon propane tank and purchased and stored hundreds of pounds of millet and pinto beans, dozens of cartons of canned goods, powdered milk, and thousands of "Meals, Ready-to-Eat," the same MREs used by the military during Operation Desert Storm...."[7] Linedecker later indicates that the hand grenades in his listing were shipped inactive, but never calls them dummy or practice grenades. "Other offenses, including the physical and sexual abuse of children, were also suspected, and cited in affidavits filed in support of the February warrants and in later court documents. Federal agents had also heard stories that the cultists were manufacturing their own illegal silencers and tinkering with model airplanes capable of delivering explosive charges and becoming flying bombs."[8] The probable cause affidavit appears to accuse the Branch Davidians of having the makings of machine guns and/or explosive devices, and indicates that just having such materials is a crime (ignoring the possibility of legal manufacture and the importance of such things as intent or license status). It's really amazing how much irresponsible behavior a law enforcement agency, a divorcing spouse, or a disaffected former cult member can get away with by waving the red flag of child abuse. The stories of illegal silencers and model airplane bombs were probably just agency propaganda based on the detailed descriptions of such items in books like "The Anarchist's Cookbook," which the Davidians are alleged to have owned. I seem to recall the exact same stories appearing in connection with the federal prosecution of other survivalist groups in possession of this popular and legal publication some twenty years ago. After several mentions of hand grenades earlier in Chapter 1, Linedecker finally describes the practice grenades discovered and reported by the United Parcel Service as "empty grenade casings, which had neither charges inside nor firing pins," leaving the impression that these were regular grenade shells which could perhaps easily be used as components in the manufacture of the real thing. That may be a very inaccurate impression, but it is probably the very impression that the ATF wanted the judge to have when they requested a search warrant. [5] Linedecker, Clifford L. MASSACRE AT WACO, TEXAS. 1993. St. Martin's Paperbacks, New York, $4.99, ISBN 0-312-95226-0, p. 21. [6] Ibid, p. 21. [7] Ibid, p. 100. [8] Ibid, p. 21. ------==============------ Did the ATF give proper notice of authority and intent at Waco? Who fired first, the ATF or Davidians? Well, Clifford Linedecker, though he wasn't himself an eyewitness, offers this version: "A cultist peered out of the opened double doors to the main building. It was Koresh. He was dressed all in black and appeared to be unarmed. "`Federal agents with a seach warrant!' the ATF man growled. "Koresh lurched backward and slammed the doors shut. "ATF raiders began yelling, `Come out! Come out!' "Then all hell broke loose. "A sheet of gunfire erupted. Shots were sprayed from the house, dormitories, garages, farm buildings, and guard tower in the complex. The deadly spray was so fierce that for a moment some of the agents thought the bullets were being fired _into_ the compound. Then, as the deadly whisper of flying metal enveloped them and their companions began to drop, they realized the hail of gunfire was coming through the windows and walls--at them."[9] So, after proper notice of authority and intent from an unnamed agent, warrant execution was resisted with a hail of bullets, and the stunned ATF held their fire until several agents had been hit. The bullet holes suddenly appearing in walls must have been from people shooting out rather than in, since: "...the assault team was governed by stringent rules of police procedure, and there could be no firing through walls at noises or through cracked open doors at slashes of movement. As law officers, ATF agents were trained not to trigger their weapons unless they had clearly defined targets in their sights."[10] Somehow, though it's possible, I'm just not convinced. Linedecker ought to study the video evidence for a bit more perspective on what really transpired in the shootout. "Koresh was just inside the closed front door when bullets shattered the wood and he was struck in the side. He lurched into another room. He was hit again, this time in the hand."[11] Walls and cracked open doors are forbidden, but closed doors are apparently fair targets . Linedecker's recounting of events seems to try very hard to avoid any implication of error, misjudgement, or lack of fire discipline on the part of federal agents. In fact, throughout and even after the seige, the media "spin" on events was carefully manipulated by the FBI, in ways blatantly obvious to any critical observer. The ATF and FBI were careful to avoid releasing any information not in the government interest, and they cut the telephone lines from the commune about forty-eight hours after the shootout. Linedecker, like most of the press, was very much dependent for his understanding of events on the information released by the government. In explaining what greeted two of the agents that had entered a second- floor window, Linedecker claims: "Cultists were firing through the walls from other rooms, creating a firestorm of deadly wood and metal splinters..."[12] It's very hard to believe that such a dangerous sort of ambush could have been implemented on such short notice, and it ignores video evidence of ATF gunfire directed into the second floor from outside shortly after these agents entered the window. "...A couple of members of the team crashed back outside through the window and were dragged away by colleagues to sheltered areas behind vehicles and trees"[13] The ATF suffered almost 20 casualties from the initial firefight [14], with a final death count of four: Todd W. McKeehan, Steven David Willis, Conway LeBleu, and Robb Williams.[15] "Robert J. `Robb' Williams, the third member of the special team [assigned to enter the second floor window], dropped when he was hit in the shoulder by a bullet that apparently came from the watchtower. A moment later he was on his feet again, protecting his teammates with cover fire, when another bullet slammed through his helmet, killing him."[16] It should not be assumed from this quote that only three agents were part of this team. On pages 24-26, Linedecker explains portions of the ATF plan, which had been practiced at Fort Hood Texas. I'll summarize that information in part 5 of this review. "ATF snipers firing from the house rented by `Gonzales' and his friends were plucking off armed cultists. [A Branch Davidian from Melbourne, Peter Gent]... dropped his semiautomatic rifle and tumbled from the guard tower... apparently dead when his body landed in brush just outside the compound..."[17] "Agent Steve Willis was just beginning his dash from the stopped vehicles when a bullet struck him in the head. Other agents screamed and rolled to the ground when they were hit by shrapnel from hand grenades tossed by cultists."[18] "Nonetheless, the raider fought fiercely, tossing concussion grenades that were loud and distracting although not lethal..."[19] Linedecker apparently accepts claims that the ATF did not have fragmentation grenades, so medical evidence of shrapnel wounds to ATF agents suggests that the Branch Davidians had obtained or manufactured real hand grenades and used them against the ATF during the initial firefight. ATF critics dispute these conclusions. "...From somewhere within the compound, agents heard the clatter of a heavy weapon that sounded like a .50-caliber heavy machine gun. Fifty-calibers are devastating weapons that can be used to shoot down airplanes; they spray armor-piercing metal slugs the size of small carrots."[20] The 50-caliber weapon known to be in the possession of the Branch Davidians and eventually recovered from the ashes was not a machine gun and was known to be a model that could not be converted into a machine gun. No evidence has ever surfaced, to the best of my knowledge, indicating that there was ever any armor-piercing ammunition at Mount Carmel Center, and I don't think any physical evidence (like bullet holes) has surfaced to support the claim that this 50-caliber weapon was actually ever used during the shootout. On the other hand, Linedecker reports that many agents suffered multiple wounds and that there were multiple hits to press vehicles. Multiple wounds are easily confirmed by medical evidence and lend strong support to the idea of heavy, aimed gunfire from the compound, as opposed to any scenario attempting to assign a majority of ATF injuries to careless friendly fire from other agents. Special Agent John T. Risenhoover's wounds are described as if they were from an automatic weapon, however, which at this point suggests friendly fire, since the Branch Davidians have not been shown to have actually had any automatic weapons. --Terry [9] Linedecker, Clifford L. MASSACRE AT WACO, TEXAS. 1993. St. Martin's Paperbacks, New York, $4.99, ISBN 0-312-95226-0, p. 26. [10,11] Ibid, p. 31. [12,13] Ibid, p. 27. [14] Ibid, p. 33. [15] Ibid, p. 35. [16] Ibid, p. 27. [17] Ibid, p. 32. [18] Ibid, p. 28. [19] Ibid, p. 31. [20] Ibid, p. 28-29. ------==============------ In this post I have assembled various additional information of interest about David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and the Mount Carmel Center from Clifford L. Linedecker's "Massacre at Waco, Texas." The numbers in parentheses refer to page numbers in the Linedecker paperback. Vernon Howell's petition for a legal name change to David Koresh was granted my Judge Robert Martinez in the California State Superior Court in Pomona on May 15, 1990. [94] Koresh was quoted by the WACO TRIBUNE-HERALD as having said "If the Bible is true, then I'm Christ," but denied ever having said such a thing.[17] In fact, he probably said something very similar, intending to shock, and went on to explain in what way the listener was also Christ. Koresh had memorized the entire New Testament when he was twelve and knew it not just by rote but so thoroughly that he could pick out multiple verses, relate them to each other, and discuss their meanings.[60] Koresh believed himself a prophet and referred to himself as the Lamb of God, which is another name for Christ among many fundamentalists. Cult defectors have claimed he considered himself to be Christ.[98] Koresh planned a Christian rock band named "Messiah" and had business cards printed under that name, listing himself under a "Messiah" logo as "David Koresh: Guitar, Vocals." He had nine Bible verses imprinted on the back.[98] Koresh confided that someday singer Madonna would be his wife.[13] In August 1989, Koresh announced to his followers a revelation about the "New Light," claiming to have received Divine authority to claim any and all female members of the sect as his own, so as to create a house of many wives on the model of the biblical King David and thereby father an army of God's children from his seed.[119-120] He apparently annulled and established "marriages" at will.[123] Koresh's male followers were sworn to celibacy, but promised a perfect mate as reward for their sacrifice in the new heavenly kingdom to come.[126] One day before the raid, the WACO TRIBUNE-HERALD began a 7-part series titled "The Sinful Messiah," reporting disaffected commune members' tales of polygamy, sex with underage girls, and child abuse. [14-15] In Texas, a 14-year-old may marry, with parental consent. Sexual intercourse with a minor under that age carries a sentence of from five to ninety-nine years.[149] Former cult members claim Koresh told stories of having sex with girls aged twelve and thirteen.[122] "Many of the Branch Davidians worked outside Mount Carmel. Douglas Wayne Martin lived in the compound and worked in Waco, where he was highly regarded among his professional peers. The forty-two-year-old black attorney was a computer expert, who frequently busied himself during free time with shortwave radios and other electronic equipment. His wife, Sheila Judith Martin, had moved into the commune with him and their children. "Several women from the compound had jobs as nurses at area hospitals, ... Others worked at a variety of both blue-collar and white-collar jobs. Peter Hipsman ... had wound up working as a mechanic.... Some of the older members who lived on Social Security and pensions simply turned over their monthly paychecks." [91-92] "One elderly couple from Hawaii wound up turning over about half a million dollars to the religious community."[113-114] Davidian business enterprises included The Branch Organic Agricultural Association, The Universal Publishing Association, and something called Living Waters.[92] In addition to vegetable gardening, some members of the commune tended bees and occasionally peddled honey.[93] Children of members had alternated between public shool instruction and being taught by teachers at the compound, until 1991.[93-94] Cultists were of many races and nationalities, with members from England, New Zealand, Canada, Israel, the Philippines, and Guyana.[206] Buildings at the Center were linked by underground cement tunnels.[11] The Center had a satellite dish.[78] "Subsequent investigation indicated that chemicals, gunpowder, and other components were being purchased by the cultists to manufacture explosives or explosive devices. Furthermore, eight thousand pounds of ammunition, 260 ammunition magazines, and enough parts to enable the assembling of hundreds of semiautomatic and automatic weapons were believed to have been added to the arsenal at the compound."[22] The above quote is misleading in several ways. Investigations subsequent to the United Parcel Service report of dummy hand grenades indicated that various chemicals were purchased by the commune, but did not indicate that the intent was "to manufacture explosives or explosive devices." The particular combination of materials being accumulated suggests that the commune probably intended to manufacture fireworks, not bombs. Ammunition was stockpiled for their armory of close to three hundred weapons, most of which were semiautomatic rifles. Some parts were probably obtained that would allow a few AR-15s to be converted to fully-automatic M-16s. The ATF has provided no clear evidence to public scrutiny that there were *ANY* automatic weapons at the Mount Carmel Center at the time of the raid, nor is it clear that *ANY* federal firearms laws were violated there. --Terry [Source: Linedecker, Clifford L. MASSACRE AT WACO, TEXAS. 1993. St. Martin's Paperbacks, New York, $4.99, ISBN 0-312-95226-0] ------==============------ In this post I have assembled various information of interest from Clifford L. Linedecker's "Massacre at Waco, Texas" relating to the intitial ATF assault. Numbers in parentheses refer to page numbers in the Linedecker paperback. The first entry team was to enter the front door within seven seconds, and all the assault teams were to deploy within thirteen seconds. A special team was to secure an arsenal next to Koresh's personal quarters, a squad was to neutralize and capture Koresh and his adult male followers, and a team was assigned to cut off and protect the women and children, while blocking access to gun storage rooms. Within 22 seconds, a special team was to scale ladders and enter a second-story window, then proceed to secure the main armory in a basement vault. At least one additional team may have been assigned a mission on the roof of the compound. [24-26] "The agents were armed with a formidable collection of firearms including Smith & Wesson .357s, Smith & Wesson .38s, 9-mm semiautomatic pistols, Remington 870 punp-action 12-gauge shotguns, Ruger mini-14 semiautomatic rifles, Winchester 70 sniper rifles, and Heckler & Koch submachine guns."[20] Linedecker claims that some of the Davidians seen firing from windows or crouched on rooftops were wearing ski masks, hoods, and black pajama outfits. [29] The media witnesses to the initial assault were reporter Mark England and photographer Ray Aydelotte from the TRIBUNE-HERALD and reporter John McLemore and cameraman Dan Mulloney from KWTX-TV.[23,30] "Ted Royster, special agent in charge of the ATF Dallas office, was in one of the helicopters overhead, and it was fired on and struck almost instantly as the shootout began on the ground. Another chopper was also hit, but the gunfire failed to bring either of the aircraft down. An officer in one of the helicopters was videotaping the action. [27] ATF critics have claimed that there were no bullet holes in any helecopters. An aerial video could be of enormous value in establishing the probable trajectories of various shots during the shootout, and might prove or disprove claims that various ATF casualties and fatalities were the result of friendly fire. Commune members eventually claimed through attorneys that they had been fired on from helecopters during the ATF assault, and that they had captured and released four agents. The agency denied both stories.[219] Wounded 7 times, Special Agent John T. Risenhoover was a member of a "special maneuvers" team.[29] It is unclear from Linedecker's text if this refers to his normal ATF function or his mission in the Waco assault. Risenhoover is suing the TRIBUNE-HERALD, claiming the paper heightened the potential for violence by publishing their inflammatory series before the raid, and that series coauthor Mark England tipped off the cultists through some sort of contact Sunday morning. "There was trouble with their communications system, the hand-held phones and radios."[30] "Approximately forty-five minutes into the firefight, a senior agent in the house the undercover agents had rented got through by telephone to the compound and arranged a cease-fire..."[32-33] It should be noted that the above comments were printed before the tapes of "911" calls were public, and that they mention no involvement of the Sheriff's Office in negotiating the cease-fire. McClennan County Sheriff Jack Harwell, who had talked Koresh into surrendering to authorities after a 1987 armed power struggle for cult leadership, was eventually involved in new attempts to negotiate with Koresh. The cease-fire boke down at one point. "At almost exactly 5:00 p.m., three male cult members showed up in front of the complex and the shooting started again."[36] Norman Washington Allison, aka Delroy Norman Nash was arrested at the scene. Woodrow Kendrick, who lived at and operated the Mag Bag automotive shop was arrested at a mobile home four miles away. The body of Michael Schroeder was spotted in the woods about 350 yards behind the house a few days later.[37-38] It should be noted that the ATF probable cause affidavit mentions that about fifty parts for barrel-conversion of AR-15's were shipped to this shop, that the parts were not found in a search, and that these Olympic Arms parts were *NOT* for conversion of AR-15's to full automatic. Linedecker says that the ATF knew about cult possession of "hellfire switches," by the way.[179-180] "Talking with the press in a vacant log, Linda Thompson complained that the ATF was stomping on the rights of citizens to bear arms. Dressed in fatigues and armed with an AR-15 semiautomatic assault rifle, the Indianapolis lawyer called on authorities to allow the press into the compund. And she demanded that her organization, American Justice Federal [sic], be allowed to take inventory inside the compound after the conclusion of the standoff."[196] --Terry [Source: Linedecker, Clifford L. MASSACRE AT WACO, TEXAS. 1993. St. Martin's Paperbacks, New York, $4.99, ISBN 0-312-95226-0] ---- From: Matt.Giwer@f326.n3603.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Matt Giwer)