From: [V--ta--e] at [phoenix.net] Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,alt.politics.usa.republican,alt.politics.usa.newt-gingrich,alt.fan.rush-limbaugh,alt.conspiracy Subject: EXPERTS SAY DAVIDIANS SET COMPOUND ABLAZE Date: Sun, 30 Jul 95 12:23:59 PDT Experts Say Davidians Set Compound Ablaze By David Willman and Glenn F. Bunting of The Los Angeles Times WASHINGTON - Branch Davidians deliberately set the fire that leveled their religious compound near Waco, Texas, two years ago, experts told a congressional panel Friday. The testimony came on the same day that a survivor of the inferno recalled vividly the death screams of his fellow Branch Davidians. Two experts who testified based their conclusions largely on videotapes and on their fire-scene investigation. The evidence, they said, is overwhelming that followers of sect leader David Koresh set their own living quarters on fire. The fire on April 19, 1993, came after FBI-deployed tanks launched tear gas inside the living quarters in a failed attempt to force the Davidians to evacuate, following a 51-day standoff. Present and former government officials said Friday that Koresh, alone, should be considered responsible for the deaths of four federal agents and about 80 Davidians at Waco. Koresh died in the fire. "The blame lies at the feet of David Koresh, not the president of the United States, not the attorney general, not the people at this table, " said former Associate Attorney General Webster Hubbell, who in 1993 was a close friend of President Clinton and is now about to enter federal prison for bilking clients of his former law firm. Larry Potts, who was assistant director of the FBI criminal division throughout the siege, said that, "Unfortunately, the objective of the FBI and the wishes of the country did not, and, ultimately, could not, prevail over the outcome chosen by David Koresh." In related testimony, the Army toxicologist whom Attorney General Janet Reno relied on in her decision to approve injection of "CS" tear gas into the living quarters reiterated his view that the substance posed no long-term health risk to the Davidian children or adults. "It is the safest and most effective alternative that we do know of, " for dispersing crowds in riot-related circumstances, said the toxicologist, Harry Salem. The fire experts testified that the tear gas played no role in the inferno. Rep. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who has led the defense of the Clinton administration's handling of Waco, said that conversations secretly recorded by the FBI provide incontrovertible evidence that there was no government "conspiracy" to incinerate the Davidians. Transcripts of those tapes show the Davidians repeatedly discuss pouring fuel and lighting at least one fire after the FBI began injecting the tear gas. Potts, Hubbell, Salem and former FBI Director William Sessions were questioned repeatedly by Republican committee members regarding the extent to which Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno were involved with the decisions made at Waco. Hubbell appeared to shed new light on how Reno, who until April 16 had declined to do so, was persuaded the next day to approve using the tear gas. The key, Hubbell said, were assurances he and Reno received from top military officials that use of the CS tear gas was safe. "The military said (the Branch Davidians) will come out of that building, " Hubbell said. "I mean, I had a general and a colonel both look me in the eye and say, 'They can't stay in that building. They will come out immediately.' Salem, the expert on CS tear gas, said Reno "was extremely sensitive to the risks. ...In the final analysis, the question of the use of CS comes down to balancing the risks against the consequences - even the consequences of waiting. And that was a very tough decision that they had to make." Reno has said that she approved the tear-gas plan on the basis that after the gas was inserted once, the FBI was to back off and allow the Davidians to evacuate. Under this scenario, more gas would be pumped in over the next 48 hours, with intervals allowed for continued evacuations. However, the FBI escalated its approach after taking fire from the Davidians, and launched all of the tear gas on hand in less than six hours. Hubbell and Sessions also testified that FBI officials in Waco advised them in what would be the final days of the siege that a surrender proposal crafted by Koresh and his lawyer was nothing more than a delaying tactic. The committee's co-chairman, Rep. William Zeliff (R-N.H.) signaled that the response by the FBI and the Justice Department to the surrender plan is bound to be a focus of further questioning. "When and why was an 11th-hour offer of surrender, an offer corroborated by the Texas Rangers and also confirmed by Koresh's attorney in detail, rejected?" Zeliff asked. Sessions, a former U.S. district court judge in San Antonio, told the committee he had suggested his returning to Texas to negotiate directly with Koresh. His idea, Sessions said, was rejected as "ridiculous and grandstanding" by Justice Department officials. As for the inferno that engulfed the Branch Davidians' compound on April 19, 1993, one of the experts, Houston fire official Paul Gray, said that while the government may have made serious mistakes during the 51-day siege, the fire resulted from three separate blazes ignited by the Branch Davidians. The officials' version of the fire and other events at the compound was disputed by the Davidian who escaped from the blaze on April 19. Sitting at the same table as the fire experts, Clive Doyle, who is still a Branch Davidian, choked back tears as he recalled the events that day that left his daughter and 79 other sect members - including 19 children - dead. Doyle, 54, who emerged from the living quarters with his hands badly burned, said he did not know how the fire started. More Davidians did not take the chance to flee that final day, he said, fearing that "the FBI might open fire on us." Doyle became overwhelmed when he tried to recall hearing the screams that day, and connecting the faces with the agonized voices. Doyle said his faith in Koresh has not diminished in the more than two years since the tragedy. He said he doesn't expect everyone to understand his faith. "He never said he was Jesus Christ," said Doyle. "He did say he was a messiah." "The messiah?" asked Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.). "No, a messiah," Doyle replied. Story Number:01047 Story Date: 7/29/95