La 2El 19 de abril de 1993, fuerzas del FBI asaltaban un rancho en Waco (Texas) y daban muerte a David Koresh, líder de la secta de los davidianos, y a 80 de sus seguidores. Waco: análisis de una historia, un reportaje que aporta nuevas claves sobre un suceso que aún sigue envuelto en varios interrogantes....
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00:00A cordial greeting, three years ago the television news of the whole world
00:28picked up live some images worthy of cinematographic fiction, it was about the
00:34assault by special forces supported by tanks of a ranch located in the vicinity of the town
00:40of Waco in the North American state of Texas, the assault forces were from the FBI, the assaulted
00:48members of the Davidian sect with their leader David Corrés at the head, the result of the assault
00:55was the death of 80 members of the sect, including its leader. After almost three months of siege,
01:02the final decision was made by Attorney General Janet Reno, who three years later affirms,
01:09with everything I knew, with the best information I could get at that time,
01:14there was no other option. This is part of what is told in the report that today presents
01:20Documentos TV, Waco, analysis of a story, where it is revealed what Janet Reno knew or should have
01:29known before approving a plan that, as I was saying, culminated with the death of David Corrés,
01:33leader of the Davidian sect, and 80 of his followers. The report provides new
01:39documentation with interviews with the characters who experienced the crisis and who clear the
01:44questions that still surround the events that took place in Waco, Texas. Who was David Corrés?
01:52Would he have facilitated the work of the FBI negotiators, a better knowledge of this man?
01:58Was there really an offer from the Davidians to agree on his surrender? Did the FBI tell the truth
02:04when it proposed to Janet Reno to launch tear gas? Was President Clinton involved in the decision-making
02:11process? Waco, analysis of a story, collects the deliberations within the FBI's Operations Center
02:18and the Department of Justice in Washington. The program obtains new information
02:25that explains the unfortunate decision to introduce tear gas into the Davidian sect,
02:30and thousands of pages of the government's files are investigated, hundreds of hours of
02:36recordings of the FBI, dozens of photographs of the autopsies carried out, as well as conversations
02:42recorded not previously revealed between Corrés and the FBI negotiators. The result is
02:49a complete portrait of what happened in Waco and why.
03:06That Sunday morning, while the ATF, the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Control Agency, was preparing the assault on the Davidian sect and their arsenal of weapons,
03:21in its headquarters in Washington, the FBI was creating in Waco, which would soon storm the office.
03:27They were concentrated in New York, where a bomb had just exploded at the World Trade Center.
03:34The biggest terrorist attack in U.S. history.
03:39I was eating lunch when one of the agents notified me from the command center
03:45that something horrible had happened in, I'm not sure where, Waco, Texas.
03:52From the command center in Washington, the news spread to all FBI agents in the country.
03:58When I first heard the news for the first time, I was at home in San Antonio, reading the Sunday newspaper.
04:04Our headquarters told us what had happened in great detail.
04:09I was going from one side to the other of the house, preparing my family to go to mass when the phone rang.
04:14Jeff Yammer asked me to go to Waco as soon as possible.
04:19The FBI went to Waco, where the assault of the ATF agents had become the longest shooting in the history of American police.
04:27Do I speak to Wayne Martin?
04:29Yes.
04:30I hear firearms.
04:31Tell them to withdraw.
04:34What?
04:35Tell them to withdraw.
04:37What's going on here?
04:41The first FBI agents to arrive at the scene heard the frenetic phone conversations between the police and one of the Davidians.
04:50Don't shoot, Wayne, okay?
04:52Tell them to withdraw now.
04:54Just tell them to calm down, we're going to fix this.
04:58The shooting had lasted almost an hour.
05:00They had wounded the special agents and were shot down, like some Davidians, including their leader, David Koresh.
05:08Hey, this is Dave Koresh.
05:10Who says what, sir?
05:11David Koresh, from the center of Monte Carmel. They're screaming at us.
05:15All right, where are you?
05:16Where am I? I'm in the center of Monte Carmel.
05:19All right, wait a second.
05:20Okay.
05:21Tell him, this is Lynch.
05:22Hi, Lynch, I'm David Koresh.
05:24All right, David.
05:25A famous one.
05:26Why did they do that?
05:27They've sent a bunch of guys here.
05:29The FBI had to hear in amazement how Koresh, in the middle of the confrontation, began to preach the Bible.
05:35There are seven prophecies.
05:37All right.
05:38What reward did Christ receive in heaven?
05:40He received a book with seven prophecies.
05:43Now, in the prophecies, it is said that...
05:45All right, excuse me, can I interrupt you for a moment?
05:48All right, we can talk about theology, but right now...
05:50No, it's about life, it's about life and death.
05:53Yes, sir.
05:54Now you have to know that in chapter 32 of Deuteronomy...
05:57All right, but let me ask you this.
05:59At this time...
06:01...the wounded troops of your area in the course of this morning.
06:04Can you go now without being shot?
06:06The ATF agents were outnumbered and had no ammunition left.
06:10The Davidians had a .50 caliber cannon, machine guns, and more than a million bullets.
06:15Wayne, they're going to pick up the man now.
06:17Tell your people not to shoot.
06:19The FBI was listening while the local police were begging them to put out the fire.
06:23Wayne, please, tell them now, let them know.
06:25Don't let anyone shoot them.
06:27All they're going to do is remove the wounded.
06:29Please, insist on that.
06:31Let everyone know.
06:32Don't let anyone start shooting.
06:36Listen, friend.
06:37Yes.
06:38Between you and me, the two men on the roof are dead.
06:40The two?
06:41Almighty God.
06:50Wayne, stay with them.
06:52Don't let anyone shoot.
06:54We're going to give you what you asked for.
06:56Don't let anyone shoot and start all over again.
06:58We've made a lot of progress to spoil it now.
07:01All right?
07:02Work with me, Wayne.
07:04The image was that of a defeated army.
07:10We were beaten.
07:14It's hard for the agents to accept that.
07:19It's hard for the agents to accept that.
07:36The defeat of the ATF was complete.
07:39Waco's crisis would now become that of the FBI.
07:44Lord knows that we all believe we know very well what happened in Waco.
07:49But five months ago, in the basement of a buffet of Texas lawyers,
07:53we discovered Waco's files.
07:557,000 photographs taken by the government,
07:58telephone recordings and hundreds of hours of tape
08:01where the telephone negotiations that had never been revealed to the public were recorded.
08:05Together, they provided an extraordinary, authentic view
08:09of the 51 days of the FBI in Waco
08:12and the violent outcome that ended with the death of 75 Davidianos.
08:16These files reveal the true story of Waco's confrontation,
08:20what went through the heads of the men whose decisions were added to the tragedy.
08:26My name is Jeff Yamara.
08:28I'm the special agent in charge of the FBI operations here in Waco.
08:32According to the FBI procedure, important events such as Waco's
08:35are directed by the highest-ranking agent in the locality of the events,
08:39in this case, Jeff Yard of San Antonio.
08:41It's spelled J-A-M-A-R, and my name is Jeff.
08:45Jeff is a very dynamic commander.
08:47His method of organization is very dominant.
08:50He is a corpulent man, his presence imposes a lot.
08:54If someone, if he presents himself to someone he does not know,
08:58he can intimidate quite a bit.
09:03We responded with the personnel and the necessary equipment.
09:06The only thing that the FBI contributes in a situation like this
09:09are all our resources.
09:11Our hostage rescue team has the support of 10,000 FBI agents,
09:15and everything that comes with it.
09:17And also everything, all the means of our laboratory, all our resources.
09:21I could, I knew I could get anything I needed there.
09:25The FBI sends its elite tactical specialists,
09:28the hostage rescue team, known as the HRT.
09:34By instinct and by training they are inclined to the gun.
09:38A crime has been committed.
09:40I mean murder charges.
09:42And you have to do something about it.
09:44You can not leave these people alone.
09:48Known on some occasions by the name of ninjas,
09:51the HRT's mission will be to surround and secure the complex.
09:54And if necessary, use the force to enter and stop the Davidians.
09:59They take positions about 300 meters from the complex.
10:03About 8 kilometers away,
10:05another FBI team of a very different character is installed in a hangar.
10:11Their orientation is not action, but negotiation.
10:14They are negotiators whose job is to build a climate of trust with the Davidians
10:18and convince them to leave.
10:21It's like being in a submarine where you have no access to the periscope.
10:26A room without windows,
10:28where your only perception of reality is what you hear.
10:33The files show that the negotiators soon discovered
10:36that there were 46 children inside the complex.
10:3946 innocent people and potential shields in case of assault.
10:44So the first thing they tried was to convince Koresh to let the children out.
10:50David, how can we solve this?
10:52How can we save these women and children and ...?
10:56Just give me the coverage.
10:58I'm going to send your message of the writings to the radio station right now.
11:02The negotiators begin to agree with Koresh.
11:05They offer him a radio time to broadcast his message in exchange for the children.
11:09He agrees to release two children every time his two-minute sermon is read on the radio.
11:16Can you give me your word?
11:17Hey, friend, I've given him my word.
11:20So what are we going to do?
11:21They broadcast this message on the radio and one of the agents says,
11:24we can't do that.
11:25How are we going to do it?
11:27And I told them,
11:28you have to read the Bible from the first page to the last on the radio if you release a child.
11:32That's what we'll do.
11:37Tell me word by word what you mean.
11:40Slowly, because I have to write it.
11:42My God who is seated on the throne.
11:44My God who is seated on the throne.
11:50It was electrifying.
11:52The first children who came out,
11:54they were all taken to the negotiating room of the FBI control station.
11:59Some of these children were sitting on the knees of the negotiators
12:03when we called the complex again and they put their phones on to talk to their parents.
12:09They were allowed to talk to David or whoever they wanted.
12:12They were lovely children.
12:14Hi, how are you?
12:15Fine.
12:16As the children are being released,
12:18they call their parents who were inside Mount Carmel.
12:21Are they treating you well?
12:22Yes.
12:23Very well.
12:24Remember what I said.
12:25God is seated on his throne.
12:27Yes.
12:28Cyrus was in that tank.
12:29Have you seen it?
12:30The one that was very big and old.
12:32Yes.
12:33Weren't you nervous?
12:34No.
12:35He gave many votes, but nothing more.
12:37And the men were very nice.
12:39In the next 24 hours, 18 children were released.
12:44The negotiations seemed to be progressing.
12:47However, the FBI, used to bank robbers and political terrorists,
12:51was confused with Cyrus.
12:53There have been some questions.
12:55Are we dealing with a delusional personality or with a conman?
13:00Does this man who is Jesus Christ really think
13:03or is it just a conman who is using religion
13:06to deceive all the people who were inside?
13:10The negotiators decided to go to Cyrus as if he were the Messiah they believed to be.
13:15I'm going to tell you something so you can think about it.
13:17Okay.
13:18The FBI would like to get an important broadcast of your message.
13:24Thanks to the broadcast of Cyrus' message on the local radio,
13:27the release of some children had been achieved.
13:29Based on this, the FBI offers Cyrus a national audience
13:32in exchange for the release of everyone.
13:34Could it be in the program of Ted Koppel or something like that?
13:37I mean something dynamic.
13:39Ted Koppel, who sees that?
13:41We need to get it to people who are religious.
13:45I got in touch with the Christian Broadcasting Network,
13:48who could facilitate not only national but also religious broadcasts,
13:52which we thought could have a double impact on Cyrus.
13:55But if we were going to provide it, we needed to have guarantees.
14:00Very well. And what do you want me to say?
14:02Let him read it again. I promise.
14:05I promise.
14:06That after the broadcast of this tape...
14:10That after the broadcast of this tape,
14:12I will go out peacefully with all the people immediately.
14:20My name is Dave Kores, and I speak to you from the center of Monte Carmel.
14:24The first thing I would like to say...
14:26We worked out a detailed surrender plan.
14:29And that's what you need.
14:31You need a plan, a surrender plan,
14:33because that's what you put in their heads.
14:35If they can visualize,
14:37and these are exactly the words you use,
14:39you can imagine this.
14:41You're going to go out through the main door.
14:43You're going to turn left.
14:45And then the four men, the other children and the women,
14:48will start to advance slowly in groups to help each other.
14:51Everyone I knew had their bags ready,
14:54and we all thought David was going to come out.
14:57There was a lot of crying, prayers, and all that.
15:00It took a long time until everyone could get close to him and give him a hug.
15:04Hey, can you see how things are going? Where is David?
15:06They're praying for him right now.
15:08You need them to come out through the door right now.
15:10Yes, very good. I'll tell them now.
15:12Very good.
15:13The buses were ready to pick up these people.
15:16Everything necessary was ready to offer medical attention
15:19to those who had been injured, for everything.
15:22Jim, this is Steve.
15:23Ah, Steve.
15:24Now we're going to put him on the stretcher.
15:26Steve Snyder is Kores' chief advisor.
15:29We were talking to Steve Snyder when he said,
15:32The kids are all in line.
15:34They've got their coats on, they've got their...
15:37Some of them had little baskets with their lunch and stuffed bears.
15:40They were at the front door, ready to come out.
15:43Steve, we're ready. Come on, let's do it.
15:46Well, I just talked to him and he's very upset.
15:49Everything that's happened to this man, I've never seen anything like it.
15:52But he wants me to remind you to read chapter 2 of the Psalms,
15:55and he's asked me to read chapter 18 of Revelation.
15:58Steve, what does this mean?
16:00Have you ever read the story of Christ,
16:02when he was already crucified on the cross,
16:04and he was dripping with blood because of all the anguish he was suffering?
16:09Can I read Revelation 18 to you?
16:11Just a moment, Steve.
16:12Everything is ready for us to come out right now,
16:15but all of a sudden he's started praying.
16:17He gave us his word.
16:18I know, I'm aware of that.
16:19That after the message is transmitted...
16:21Yes, but what if it's something more powerful than you and me,
16:24what an individual speaks to you? What would you do?
16:26That's the point.
16:27That's the point.
16:28That's why I said we have to be careful who we're dealing with.
16:31Remember that David told the world...
16:33I understand.
16:34...that he was going to come out.
16:35Can I read Revelation 18 to you?
16:37Steve, I want you to come out.
16:38I understand.
16:39When does he intend to come out?
16:41He says that his God has told him that he has to wait.
16:44How long? How long?
16:46Look, I know that you don't believe that in this world
16:49there is a supernatural power that speaks out loud to a person.
16:52Is David a man of his word?
16:54He's always been.
16:55What does confidence mean to you?
16:57Exactly the same as confidence to you.
16:59I have men in my position who are losing confidence in me.
17:02I just have to say that he's a man of his word.
17:05His God has told him that he has to wait.
17:07I was dismayed.
17:08I was ashamed.
17:09I was thinking, now I have to go and tell the commander of the place of the events
17:13that they had completely and absolutely bewitched us.
17:17God told him that he has to wait.
17:19Well, now what? What do we do?
17:21Now we have to form a perimeter.
17:24They were not going to come out.
17:26We had to get the control.
17:28We had to form a perimeter.
17:30And we had to strategically place the people safe.
17:33That would make us seem to have more control.
17:36We placed fake snipers.
17:38Actually, there was no one there.
17:40But it felt like there was.
17:42To be sure, they also put real snipers in their positions.
17:46We are the eyes of the negotiators.
17:48They can't see their centurions cleaning their weapons
17:51in front of the window while they watch us.
17:53And when a person is cleaning his weapon and collecting ammunition,
17:56and we had communicated that,
17:58we know that they are not going to give up.
18:00The hostage rescue team is already beginning to doubt
18:03that they can convince the Davidians to leave the complex.
18:07So this is Jeff Yammer's dilemma.
18:09His tactical men want to use force.
18:11Their negotiators are worried that the deployment of force
18:14will only serve to destroy the fragile trust they are creating with Koresh.
18:18I heard a crack or something like that.
18:20I went through the window and saw one of their tanks crush the crack.
18:23I found it very funny.
18:25What did you say?
18:26The tank just crushed it.
18:28Are you kidding?
18:30I know they've been told not to go near there.
18:33We need to put more pressure on those who are inside.
18:36The more uncomfortable they feel inside,
18:38the more willing they will be to negotiate.
18:41You can't treat a united group
18:43like if it were a group of bank robbers.
18:47Because the measures that can be used
18:49with bank robbers to get them out
18:51only served to unite the Davidians more.
18:54If we look inside a nuclear bomb,
18:57we see that it has a very compact ball of uranium.
19:00And what makes it so powerful is that it is very compact.
19:04The Davidians were a very compact group,
19:07and all we did was to fulfill the maxims
19:09and make the situation more volatile.
19:11Now they want war, don't they?
19:13They want to have it all, don't they?
19:16That's why he's furious.
19:17They lied.
19:18They've been dragging each other here.
19:20That's what the negotiators were afraid of.
19:23The division between the HRT and the negotiators widens.
19:27Oh, yeah, you're acting like a little lamb.
19:29You talk about peace, but you're lying.
19:31Probably, if you asked one of the members
19:34of the rescue team of Rennes
19:36what he thinks of the negotiators,
19:38he would see them as a flock of sloths.
19:42And the negotiators may think
19:45that these men are a little crazy,
19:48in the sense that they just want to get up in the morning
19:51and kick a door, drive a tank.
19:55That there is something a little strange
19:57in a person who likes to do this kind of thing.
20:01Sometimes I would approach the tactical positions
20:04located outside the complex, right in front.
20:08Once there was a painting
20:10in one of the portable annexes in front
20:13that said, Sage is a Davidian.
20:17Obviously, one of the tactical boys had written it.
20:23I was in a position
20:25where we had no annex building.
20:29Well, that would be very symbolic
20:33of the frustration there was.
20:35There was a great frustration.
20:37There was this tremendous abyss
20:39between the negotiators and the tactical team.
20:42I mean, if I had just seen the body language,
20:45they were closed to communication, looking elsewhere.
20:48On the seventh day, without any progress,
20:51Corence didn't even want to answer the phone.
20:54Even when the FBI makes them an offer
20:56that the Davidians desperately need,
20:58like milk for the children.
21:00We told David that if two children come out,
21:02they will get 23 liters of milk.
21:04That simple.
21:05He says that as soon as two children come out,
21:07they will get 23 liters of milk.
21:09Well, he said, kiss my ass.
21:11Well, coming from him, I was expecting something like that.
21:13The FBI uses a method
21:15consecrated by tradition to impose the law.
21:17Now, Corence sees them as bad policemen.
21:20To play the role of a good policeman,
21:22they make the sheriff come to the scene.
21:24They told me that he didn't want to answer the phone
21:26to talk to them.
21:28They asked me to call to see
21:30if I could get him to answer the phone.
21:32I'm not a negotiator,
21:34nor has anyone experienced it.
21:36The only thing I know is how to talk to people.
21:39Now they say they want four more children
21:41before giving us the milk.
21:43Well, it would be useful if they were sent the milk.
21:45The children, of course.
21:47I will try.
21:48Now what I wanted was to sit down and talk to you.
21:50Finally, the milk is delivered.
21:54No child is released.
21:57The failure has not been absolute.
21:59The FBI places very small hearing aids
22:02hidden in the bottom of the milk cartons,
22:04wrapped in polystyrene foam.
22:07Raquel, let's see if you keep those children under control.
22:10They're not going to sing that today.
22:13It was very risky.
22:15We could introduce them,
22:17but we didn't know where they were going to end up.
22:19There was one that worked for a long time
22:21and that, in fact, was very useful.
22:23It was in the room where Corence was.
22:26We have to send more men up
22:28and blow their heads off.
22:30Ten days had already passed
22:32and little progress had been made.
22:34The first two days belong to the negotiators.
22:36You have to give them the opportunity to get it.
22:40But the longer you have to wait for the tactical team,
22:43the less chances of success there are.
22:45Time runs in favor of the people who are inside.
22:48The deadline is ten days.
22:50Normally, these kinds of events end after ten days.
22:53If you think about it, if you think about all those crisis situations,
22:56you realize that it is a very long time.
22:58So on the tenth day,
23:00the special agent in charge, Yammer,
23:02cuts the electricity inside the building.
23:07That night we were going to be at minus six degrees.
23:10The idea was that if we were going to be cold in the dark,
23:13they were going to be cold in the dark too.
23:15Well, when I heard this morning
23:17that you had cut the electricity,
23:19I said, forget about those guys, leave it.
23:21The disadvantage was significant.
23:23We were going to be inside the building
23:26I'll be honest with you, John.
23:28I'm not even interested in anything you have to say today.
23:31Again, Koresh stops communicating,
23:33and the next day Yammer orders him
23:35to reconnect the electricity.
23:37Koresh is in charge.
23:39The FBI comes to take control,
23:41and they can't do anything
23:43other than infuriate this man.
23:45So what do you do?
23:47I don't know.
23:49I don't know.
23:51I don't know.
23:53So what do you do?
23:56I'm David Koresh.
23:58Steve Snyder is recording.
24:00It's four thirty in the afternoon.
24:02What Jeff Yammer is doing is going back to his negotiators.
24:05They want Koresh to record a video tape.
24:07David, say what you want.
24:09We just thought we'd break the ice a little
24:11and let people see exactly
24:13what kind of people we have here.
24:15But I'd like to start with my eldest daughter.
24:17Her name is Star.
24:19Come, sit down here, daughter.
24:22Come sit over here, son.
24:24We sent the camera in
24:26to try to get some information.
24:28First of all, we wanted to see
24:30what the children looked like.
24:32We also wanted to determine
24:34if the children had clean hair or not.
24:36If they have clean hair,
24:38do they need water?
24:40No.
24:42How old are you?
24:44Seven?
24:46Say hello to everyone.
24:48Do you have faith in God?
24:51Yes, this is our little girl, Paige.
24:53It's a charm, isn't it?
24:55I sat for hours
24:57watching the tapes of David Koresh
24:59and the children who sat in his lap.
25:01I wanted to get to know Koresh,
25:03but I also wanted to get to know the children
25:05and know the potential danger
25:07that those children were in
25:09if we decided to use force.
25:11Put on Daddy's face.
25:13You're my love, baby, aren't you?
25:15David took the maximum advantage of the situation.
25:17This is a good example.
25:19We sent this in to get something
25:21and he sent it out to get something.
25:23We sent it in to get information
25:25and he sent it out to manipulate us.
25:27We both achieved our goal.
25:29What would you like to do today?
25:31Go to the swings.
25:33Go to the swings?
25:35Say hello.
25:37I saw the ability that Koresh had
25:39to use the children.
25:41That is, I saw psychological warfare
25:43on his part when using the videotape.
25:45I saw the total innocence of the children.
25:51I saw David Koresh
25:53and the other Davidians
25:55totally abdicating their responsibility
25:57as parents,
25:59and I don't think there is
26:01anything more important than that.
26:03I think they abdicated their responsibility
26:05for their children
26:07and I think it's a real mistake.
26:09I think it's a real mistake.
26:11I think it's a real mistake.
26:13I think it's a real mistake.
26:43Why don't you come and sing with me?
26:45Maybe one day they'll come back
26:47and sing with us.
26:49I love you, Mina.
26:51In addition to being
26:53hindered in Waco,
26:55the FBI was also
26:57undergoing unprecedented
26:59turbulence in its dome.
27:01Its director,
27:03William Sessions,
27:05was under siege,
27:07fighting against
27:09indecorous conduct
27:11and an open insurrection
27:13of his senior staff.
27:15The situation was no calmer
27:17in the Department of Justice
27:19than the FBI.
27:21President Clinton had already lost
27:23his first two candidates
27:25to the Attorney General.
27:29On the thirteenth day
27:31of the Waco crisis,
27:33his third election swore his office.
27:35Janet Reno
27:37was a stranger to Washington,
27:39a stranger to the bureaucratic intrigue
27:41of the city.
27:43She was practically alone
27:45in front of the Department of Justice
27:47that she now ran.
27:49On her first day at work,
27:51she inherited the Waco crisis
27:53and that of the FBI.
27:55She had no confidence in Director Sessions.
27:57She felt that she had to resign
27:59to stop embarrassing the president.
28:01The situation was complicated.
28:03She treated him with respect,
28:05but at the same time
28:07he did not leave.
28:09That added to the difficulties
28:11of the moment.
28:17Back in Waco,
28:19nothing new.
28:21In these situations,
28:23there are many moments of inactivity.
28:25We sat down to have coffee and said,
28:27my God, damn it,
28:29this is ...
28:31where is this going?
28:37The Davidians were well equipped,
28:39well prepared,
28:41planning to eat.
28:43In the FBI,
28:45the only thing we had to eat
28:47was basically pizza.
28:49Practically,
28:51the negotiating team of the hostages
28:53became a hostage
28:55of the Davidian resistance.
28:59First of all,
29:01the ninjas are restless.
29:03If you are a teacher
29:05and you see a boy who is behaving badly,
29:07how many times are you going to ask him
29:09to stop before taking another measure?
29:11And we asked him,
29:13and they just didn't come out.
29:15So sooner or later you have to do something.
29:17If they went back
29:19and left these people a day or two
29:21at least to reflect
29:23on what is happening,
29:25they may discover some different options.
29:27But this kind of tactics
29:29they are showing us the ass,
29:31they have cheated us.
29:33Sometimes our superiors
29:35in Washington
29:37and even some here
29:39do not always understand what is happening.
29:41Kilometers away,
29:43in their isolated position,
29:45the negotiators are desperate.
29:47Hoping to re-establish contact with Koresh,
29:49they make their own family video.
29:51Gary has mentioned
29:53that we are all parents.
29:55I feel proud of mine.
29:57I can deduce from the tapes and conversations
29:59with you that you are also proud of yours.
30:01Here I have a picture of my son.
30:03When you look at the picture
30:05of course it looks like his father.
30:07I also have a family.
30:09We all have families and we are worried about yours.
30:11More than 20 different negotiators
30:13tried and failed
30:15to get the Davids out.
30:17So Yamar calls again
30:19the only negotiator who seems to be able
30:21to get to Koresh.
30:23Let me ask you, David, man to man,
30:25what can we do
30:27to get things going
30:29so you can tell those agents
30:31that as an American citizen
30:33someone has invaded my property
30:35and they are going to kick some asses.
30:37Is it going to be my ass or yours?
30:39What can I do?
30:41Tell me, because I am just
30:43an old serif from town.
30:45If you had not called us
30:47and said you had an arrest warrant,
30:49I would have met you in the city.
30:51David, I've been up all night
30:53thinking about this,
30:55and what I would really like
30:57I wanted to meet with Vernon,
30:59but he was injured.
31:01He could not leave the complex
31:03and I was not allowed to enter it.
31:05We decided to try something
31:07that, as a negotiation teacher,
31:09I say that it should only be done
31:11as a last resort.
31:13Organize a face-to-face negotiation.
31:19Am I nervous?
31:21Of course, I am very nervous.
31:23We know that this is a dangerous situation.
31:25If someone inside the complex
31:27decides to act on their own,
31:29I'm dead, Jack is dead.
31:33And we have another February 28th.
31:37We pulled down the driveway.
31:39I'm looking out the window
31:41wondering when this is going to end,
31:43if we are going to go and knock on the door.
31:45We are already more than half way
31:47when the Bradley finally stops.
31:51Wayne, this is Byron Sage.
31:53We talked to you on Sunday night.
31:57I have sound headphones.
31:59I have microphones, recorders,
32:01everything glued with tape
32:03to my body.
32:05I put on my son's blue Nike jacket
32:07because it was the biggest
32:09I could find.
32:11So I got ahead of myself
32:13being unprotected from the Bradley
32:15and it was the longest step
32:17I've ever taken.
32:19I don't understand why we don't have...
32:21The hostage rescue team
32:23is vigilant and prepared.
32:25I'm covering them with my gun
32:27and we're telling ourselves
32:29that this would be an ideal opportunity
32:31to get some of the heads out.
32:33To catch them.
32:35Because they were, I don't know,
32:37ten meters from the back of the Bradley.
32:39You just had to get them out,
32:41grab them, drag them, expose them
32:43and you're under arrest.
32:45That easy.
32:47I don't know.
32:49I don't know.
32:51I don't know.
32:53I don't know.
32:55I don't know.
32:57I don't know.
32:59I don't know.
33:01I don't know.
33:03I don't know.
33:05I don't know.
33:07I don't know.
33:09I don't know.
33:11I don't know.
33:13I don't know.
33:15I don't know.
33:17I don't know.
33:19I don't know.
33:21I don't know.
33:23I don't know.
33:25I don't know.
33:27I don't know.
33:29I don't know.
33:31I don't know.
33:33I don't know.
33:35I don't know.
33:37I don't know.
33:39I don't know.
33:41I don't know.
33:43I don't know.
33:45I don't know.
33:47I don't know.
33:49I don't know.
33:51I don't know.
33:53I don't know.
33:55I don't know.
33:57I don't know.
33:59I don't know.
34:01I don't know.
34:03I don't know.
34:05I don't know.
34:07I don't know.
34:09I don't know.
34:11I don't know.
34:13I don't know.
34:15I don't know.
34:17I don't know.
34:19I don't know.
34:21I don't know.
34:23I don't know.
34:25I don't know.
34:27I don't know.
34:29I don't know.
34:31I don't know.
34:33I don't know.
34:35I don't know.
34:37I don't know.
34:39I don't know.
34:41I don't know.
34:43I don't know.
34:45I don't know.
34:47I don't know.
34:49I don't know.
34:51I don't know.
34:53I don't know.
34:55I don't know.
34:57I don't know.
34:59I don't know.
35:01I don't know.
35:03I don't know.
35:05I don't know.
35:07I don't know.
35:09I don't know.
35:11I don't know.
35:13I don't know.
35:15I don't know.
35:17I don't know.
35:19I don't know.
35:21I don't know.
35:23I don't know.
35:25I don't know.
35:27I don't know.
35:29I don't know.
35:31I don't know.
35:33I don't know.
35:35I don't know.
35:37He had a small orchestra in there,
35:39and suddenly the music started playing,
35:41and we were about 200 meters away,
35:43and we had to shout at each other
35:45to hear each other.
35:47That lasted several hours.
35:49This concert, a rock concert,
35:51was simply showing us
35:53that their speakers were more powerful than ours.
36:03Hello.
36:05Yes, hello.
36:07Now it looks pretty sure that Oliver is going out.
36:09That's wonderful.
36:11On March 21st,
36:13surprise, more Davidians are coming out.
36:17On the 21st,
36:19we got seven people out.
36:21Something very significant
36:23from the point of view of the negotiation
36:25was the highest number of people
36:27we got out.
36:29But to call seven is not enough.
36:31They're going to do it.
36:33They're going to do it.
36:35They're going to do it.
36:37They're going to do it.
36:39They're going to do it.
36:41They're going to do it.
36:43They're going to do it.
36:45They're going to do it.
36:47They're going to do it.
36:49They're going to do it.
36:51They're going to do it.
36:53They're going to do it.
36:55They're going to do it.
36:57They're going to do it.
36:59They're going to do it.
37:01And that directly contradicted
37:03the efforts of the negotiators.
37:05Was that a mistake?
37:07From the point of view of the negotiation,
37:09I think it was an abysmal mistake.
37:11As David says,
37:13that's not true.
37:15Whenever we reach an agreement with you,
37:17something like that happens.
37:19I spoke to David and he said...
37:21Well, he just told me right now.
37:23No one is going to come out.
37:25Nobody?
37:27The exodus of the Davidians' complex
37:29Sage continues to press to reach a negotiated solution.
37:31But deep down,
37:33his anger and pessimism towards the negotiations
37:35and David Koresh is increasing.
37:39David Koresh said that
37:41these people can come out whenever they want.
37:43They're free to leave at any time.
37:45He had them...
37:47Remember, he had them totally and completely convinced,
37:49deceived,
37:51that he was their messiah.
37:53And for them to come out,
37:55they were supposed to go through
37:57what he called an exit interview.
37:59That is, that you or I,
38:01before we were allowed to leave,
38:03we would have to go and talk to David.
38:05You're free to leave,
38:07but realize that if you leave,
38:09you'll leave your eternal salvation here.
38:11You're going to leave wherever the beast is,
38:13but that's your decision.
38:15You're free to leave.
38:17Now, how many people are going to run out the door?
38:19Obviously, very few.
38:21Sage and the negotiators
38:23had followed the rules of the game of Koresh,
38:25insisting that his messianic attitude was sincere.
38:27Now, desperate,
38:29Sage decides to find out once and for all
38:31if Koresh really believes that he is Christ.
38:33You haven't kept your word.
38:35That's a lie.
38:37No, it's not.
38:39That's a lie.
38:41That's a fact.
38:43How will he know on the day of the final judgment?
38:45You know as well as I do that your challenge
38:47to reveal the seven prophecies is a scam.
38:49It's a false hope, and you know it.
38:51No, it's not.
38:53David, my personal commitment,
38:55my faith, and my personal salvation,
38:57you're not in a position to attack.
38:59I tell him that I am absolutely sure
39:01of my salvation,
39:03and that he is not in a position
39:05to challenge that.
39:07Now, if anyone were in a position
39:09to challenge my faith as a Christian,
39:11it would be someone
39:13who considers himself Christ.
39:15He does not adopt that position.
39:17From that point forward,
39:19I had no idea at all
39:21of what we were dealing with.
39:25This guy is not an illusion.
39:27He did not have a messianic complex,
39:29and he does not believe
39:31in his own scams.
39:35The siege lasted 23 days.
39:3723 days between two opposite solutions,
39:39negotiating or acting.
39:43Jamar, the special agent in charge,
39:45has opted for action.
39:47He clearly tells Sage that it is decided.
39:49Byron Sage,
39:51the most visible negotiator,
39:53recommends an escalation
39:55of the tactical measures,
39:57including tear gas.
39:59Have you decided it?
40:01Absolutely.
40:03I understand that recommending tear gas
40:05is a somewhat radical measure
40:07coming from the negotiation team,
40:09but we have been, how many?
40:1123 days of siege,
40:13and we have managed to get a child out
40:15since March 5.
40:17The rescue team has a plan,
40:19and is prepared.
40:21It is simple, aggressive and fast.
40:23Under cover of darkness,
40:25they would take the complex
40:27with Bradley tanks and gases.
40:29The Davidians, overwhelmed,
40:31would have to leave.
40:33They are ready to act,
40:35but first, the plan must be approved
40:37in Washington.
40:39The files reveal that it would cost them
40:41great effort for the Attorney General
40:43to approve the plan to use tanks
40:45and tear gas on children.
40:47Janet Reno had a reputation
40:49of being a fervent lawyer for children.
40:53And on Monday, April 12,
40:55she said no to the plan to use gases.
40:57The FBI did not applaud.
40:59They went back to the Attorney General.
41:01The plan is too aggressive,
41:03she said.
41:05Then they softened it a bit.
41:07She was worried that the Davidians
41:09would use the children as shields.
41:11If they did, the FBI promised to withdraw.
41:13What worried her the most
41:15was that the gas could harm
41:17the children irreversibly.
41:19A military expert assured her
41:21that the gas was harmless.
41:23For five days, the FBI
41:25tried to eliminate their objections.
41:27After the Huaco fire,
41:29Reno would declare over and over
41:31that he authorized the plan
41:33to use gases because they were
41:35abusing the children.
41:37We had reports where it was reflected
41:39that they had sexually abused them
41:41The first time I heard about this,
41:43I ordered it to be verified,
41:45and again the report insisted on the same thing.
41:47When she said,
41:49they told me they were abusing the children,
41:51I answered, how are they abusing the children?
41:53Do you mean they take the children and beat them?
41:55Yes, they told me they were abusing the children.
41:57Then you'll have to say who told her that,
41:59of course not me.
42:01She says she doesn't remember.
42:03Yes, it was so impressive,
42:05something that impressed her tremendously.
42:07Then she is responsible for what she said.
42:09When the FBI found Frontline,
42:11they confirmed that the office was
42:13pressuring Reno to approve the plan.
42:15Someone from the FBI told her
42:17that in Huaco they were abusing the children.
42:19But the FBI knew that the children
42:21were not being abused during the confrontation.
42:25When she said they had told her
42:27that they were abusing the children,
42:29according to her, and so they had informed her,
42:31Wes Hubble told me that he heard
42:33how they told her, did you tell her that?
42:35No.
43:05Of course not, never.
43:07If I did, I would be sentenced to eternity.
43:09Suicide case?
43:11Oh, no, no, no, no, never.
43:13These are people who love life and respect it.
43:15When we asked Cores
43:17if they would consider suicide,
43:19the answer was
43:21survival and the future.
43:25But there were warning signs.
43:27I did everything I could
43:29to alert the people
43:31I thought were Cores
43:33and I thought he was dragging us
43:35into a trap
43:37he had set for us.
43:39I said, you don't understand.
43:41This guy is not going to come out.
43:43And if we continue
43:45with what we are doing,
43:47they are all going to die inside that compound.
43:49Oh, the Lord will come with fire.
43:51The cars will be torches,
43:53He will burn us with flames of fire.
43:55When the Davidians spoke of death,
43:57they often referred to fire.
43:59Don't burn the building.
44:01Do you have means to fight fire?
44:03Do you have fire extinguishers?
44:05I think there must be one.
44:07The FBI knows that Monte Carmel
44:09is a deadly trap in the event of a fire.
44:11Part of our job was to refer
44:13descriptions of each section of the building.
44:15It was very poorly built.
44:17It rose quickly.
44:19Sometimes we could even see
44:21through a door of an open window
44:23and we saw hay or straw piled up in the corridors.
44:25There was clothing spread over the floor.
44:27This place could really burn like hell.
44:29Even so, incredibly,
44:31the FBI had not developed any plan
44:33for the protection of fires
44:35when the gases were fired at the complex.
44:37Nowhere in the 568-page assault plan
44:39presented to Janet Reno
44:41and which she signed
44:43are measures against fires.
44:45The FBI is not concerned about fire
44:47and is not prepared to fight any.
44:53Sunday night, April 18.
44:55The attack is scheduled
44:57for the morning of the next day.
44:59The Davidians have no idea
45:01what's coming at them.
45:03That night, when I tried to fall asleep,
45:05I thought...
45:07I didn't think the gas would get us out.
45:11I feared for a collective suicide
45:13and I saw everything
45:15exploding in our faces
45:17and those kids dying.
45:21It's really interesting the way
45:23my mind works.
45:25I didn't expect any of that,
45:27but it was time to do it,
45:29to take action.
45:35It was still dark when we set off.
45:37Soon there would be light and we could see,
45:39but it was dark,
45:41so they couldn't see us.
45:45I go up to what we call Sierra Uno Alfa,
45:47which was just across the street
45:49from the complex,
45:51and at 5.59 in the morning
45:53I call the complex.
45:55My heart's in my throat
45:57and I'm hoping
45:59that everything goes well.
46:01We've had enough.
46:03Let's get out.
46:05Steve,
46:07this is Byron Sage.
46:09We're in the process of throwing tear gas
46:11into the building.
46:13This is not an assault.
46:15We're not entering the building.
46:17Everybody put on their masks.
46:19We knew they had a lot of gas masks.
46:23We knew they had a lot of automatic weapons.
46:29I began to hear the shots early
46:31and that first vehicle
46:33that was carrying the gas
46:35seemed to be on fire
46:37because of the amount of bullets
46:39that were bouncing on it.
46:43The FBI had told General Prosecutor Janet Reno
46:45that they were planning
46:47to use tear gas slowly
46:49for a period of 48 hours
46:51to force the Davidians to leave.
46:53However, the shooting
46:55showed that the Davidians
46:57were not willing to leave
46:59and the rules now allowed the FBI
47:01to make a spectacular escalation of the operation.
47:03They would use all the gas in two hours.
47:05Are there more masks there?
47:09I could hear people talking.
47:11That's why I knew they didn't have
47:13their gas masks on.
47:15They didn't want to leave the complex.
47:19That early morning,
47:21the meteorological service had warned
47:23of strong winds in the Waco area.
47:25The FBI ignored it
47:27and now a gust of wind
47:29of almost 47 km per hour
47:31was deflecting the gas out of the building.
47:33So the rescue team
47:35advances the tanks inside the building
47:37trying to corner the Davidians.
47:39They expect the women and children
47:41to run to a school bus
47:43Our theory was to get in
47:45that gas area
47:47that led to the underground bus
47:51to avoid getting in there
47:53by making them go to the corridor
47:55so they wouldn't run into the bus
47:57where they would have
47:59an even more defensible position
48:01than they already had.
48:03The women and children
48:05ended up in a bunker
48:07under the tower
48:09where they stored weapons and ammunition.
48:13From the air,
48:15the FBI infrared radar
48:17offers the clearest view
48:19of how the fire started
48:21almost simultaneously
48:23in three different sections of the complex.
48:25Move towards the sound of the speakers
48:27if you can't see.
48:29David, don't do this to your people.
48:31Be a messiah, not a destroyer.
48:33During the course of the morning
48:35we had given them specific instructions.
48:37With the fire,
48:39they became supplications
48:41and continued until the end
48:43in what was going to be
48:45half an hour of pure anguish.
48:47I had to turn my back
48:49physically to the monitor
48:51and concentrate
48:53on what I was trying to communicate
48:55to these people
48:57because until then
48:59not a single person
49:01had come out.
49:05We were waiting
49:07for some sign from God
49:09and now what do we do?
49:11Even Wayne Martin
49:13had his back on the wall
49:15he let himself slip
49:17until he was sitting on the floor
49:19and said,
49:21what do you think we should do?
49:23We wait to see what God says
49:25and when we want to realize
49:27he was surrounded by smoke and flames.
49:29The first thing I thought
49:31was that I was burning
49:33the crime scene
49:35and I expected people to come out.
49:37If the place is on fire,
49:39they will come out.
49:41That is, we expected it immediately
49:43and when they didn't
49:45it was horrible.
49:47We had a feeling of absolute horror.
49:49I think
49:51almost all of us there
49:53had the same reaction.
49:57We were all there in the control room
49:59and you could see
50:01the expression on everyone's faces
50:03when they saw
50:07that they didn't see anyone coming out
50:09and someone said,
50:11why aren't they coming out?
50:15Where are the kids?
50:37Only 9 of the 84 Davidians
50:39were able to escape the flames.
50:43At some point
50:45I threw myself
50:47and fell on a plasterboard.
50:49I looked over my shoulder
50:51I had just crossed this hole
50:53I looked back
50:55and this hole was on fire
50:57and I said,
50:59my God, I'm the only one who came out.
51:01I couldn't believe it
51:03and I thought,
51:05nobody came out.
51:07It was incredible.
51:09So the only thought was
51:11that they had gone to the bus
51:13and that now they were there.
51:15We immediately started
51:17clearing the area of debris
51:19to get to the bus.
51:21Six minutes after the fire
51:23Yamar warns the firefighters
51:25but for fear of being shot at
51:27he keeps them on the perimeter.
51:29I remember saying to them
51:31they won't come in
51:33and that took several minutes.
51:39Once the fire trucks
51:41came in
51:43we were hoping to get
51:45to where the bus was
51:47and see where the kids were.
51:49That was the urgency,
51:51to see if there were survivors,
51:53mainly kids, on that bus.
51:55The rescue team made a great effort
51:57to get to the bus,
51:59to the bus that was buried.
52:01I got there around 12.30.
52:05Basically in shock.
52:09The first thing I asked
52:11was where the kids were.
52:15Nowhere.
52:19What do you mean by nowhere?
52:21They had not come out.
52:23They'd been consumed.
52:31The ground took a week
52:33to cool enough
52:35to allow a careful examination
52:37of the evidence.
52:39The testimony of the experts
52:41in the eyes of Congress
52:43seemed to show
52:45that the Davidians set the fires.
52:49The tapes that recorded
52:51the hidden microphones
52:53in the morning of the fire
52:55were the decisive evidence.
53:01Anyone in the car already?
53:07How did the Davidians die?
53:09Was Huaco a collective suicide?
53:11There are several medical answers.
53:17David Correz died
53:19of a bullet wound.
53:21He had only one bullet wound
53:23on his forehead.
53:25His lieutenant, his collaborator
53:27and his partner, Snyder,
53:29and his superior.
53:31In total, 20 people died
53:33of bullet wounds that day.
53:35There were about six bodies
53:37on the surface
53:39and about 27 buried
53:41between the ammunition,
53:43literally up to the hip.
53:45The bodies were tangled
53:47and all these were women and children.
53:49They were hugged.
53:51Some were covered with blankets
53:53and others had masks.
53:55Almost all died
53:57because they had killed
53:59with a shot and another child
54:01was stabbed to death.
54:07You can't escape the judgment
54:09that Huaco was a monumental failure
54:11for the FBI.
54:13Now it seems incredible
54:15that the FBI decided to send tanks
54:17and tear gas to a building
54:19full of children.
54:21But they had never met
54:23anyone like David Correz.
54:25He ignored
54:27what they told him,
54:29laughed at their tactics
54:31and finally led them to a path
54:33whose imminent danger
54:35they could not see.
54:37Perhaps the biggest failure
54:39of the FBI was to let him
54:41write the last act.
54:43The report that you have just seen,
54:45Huaco, analysis of a story,
54:47ended with Correz affirming
54:49that this operation was possibly
54:51one of the biggest failures
54:53of the FBI.
54:55Today, federal agents take into account
54:57what happened three years ago
54:59in another scenario,
55:01in a ranch in a remote town
55:03in Montana, where for a few weeks
55:05a group has been armed
55:07to the teeth.
55:09It is a militia that processes
55:11a kind of right-wing anarchism
55:13that rejects the authority
55:15of the United States,
55:17refuses to pay taxes
55:19or to have license plates
55:21in the superiority
55:23of the white race.