Clinton Says Koresh Responsible for ‘Horrible Human Tragedy’

Here is the transcript of a statement made Tuesday by President Clinton about the fire at the cult compound in Waco, Tex., and excerpts of a question and answer session that followed:

On Feb. 28, four federal agents were killed in the line of duty trying to enforce the law against the Branch Davidian compound, which had illegally stockpiled weaponry and ammunition and placed innocent children at risk. Because the BATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) operation had failed to meet its objective, a 51-day standoff ensued.

The FBI then made every reasonable effort to bring the perilous situation to an end without bloodshed and further loss of life. The bureau’s efforts were ultimately unavailing because the individual with whom they were dealing, David Koresh, was dangerous, irrational and probably insane.

He engaged in numerous activities which violated both federal law and common standards of decency. He was, moreover, responsible for the deaths and injuries which occurred during the action against the compound in February.

No Provocative Actions

Given his inclination toward violence and in an effort to protect his young hostages, no provocative actions were taken for more than seven weeks by federal agents against the compound. This weekend I was briefed by Atty. Gen. (Janet) Reno on an operation prepared by the FBI, designed to increase pressure on Koresh and persuade those in the compound to surrender peacefully. The plan included a decision to withhold the use of ammunition, even in the face of fire, and instead to use tear gas that would not cause permanent harm to health but would, it was hoped, force the people in the compound to come outside and to surrender.

I was informed of the plan to end the siege. I discussed it with Atty. Gen. Reno. I asked the questions I thought it was appropriate for me to ask. I then told her to do what she thought was right, and I take full responsibility for the implementation of the decision.

Yesterday’s action ended in a horrible human tragedy. Mr. Koresh’s response to the demands for his surrender by federal agents was to destroy himself and murder the children who were his captives as well as all the other people who were there who did not survive. He killed those he controlled, and he bears ultimate responsibility for the carnage that ensued.

Now, we must review the past with an eye toward the future. I have directed the U.S. departments of Justice and Treasury to undertake a vigorous and thorough investigation to uncover what happened and why and whether anything could have been done differently. I have told the departments to involve independent, professional law enforcement officials in the investigation. I expect to receive analysis and answers in whatever time is required to complete the review. Finally, I have directed the departments to cooperate fully with all congressional inquiries so that we can continue to be fully accountable to the American people.

I want to express my appreciation to the attorney general, to the Justice Department and to the federal agents on the front lines who did the best job they could under deeply difficult circumstances.

Again, I want to say, as I did yesterday, I am very sorry for the loss of life which occurred at the beginning and at the end of this tragedy in Waco. I hope very much that others who will be tempted to join cults and to become involved with people like David Koresh will be deterred by the horrible scenes they have seen over the last seven weeks. And I hope very much that the difficult situations which federal agents confronted there and which they will be doubtless required to confront in other contexts in the future will be somewhat better handled and better understood because of what has been learned now.

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Question: Could you describe what Janet Reno told you in the 15-minute conversation you had with her on Sunday about the nature of the operation and how much detail you knew about it?

Answer: I was told by the attorney general that the FBI strongly felt that the time had come to take another step in trying to dislodge the people in the compound. And she described generally what the operation would be, that they wanted to go in and use tear gas, which had been tested not to cause permanent damage to adults or to children, but which would make it very difficult for people to stay inside the building. And it was hoped that the tear gas would permit them to come outside.

I was further told that under no circumstances would our people fire any shots at them even if fired upon. . . .

I asked a number of questions. The first question I asked is, why now? We have waited seven weeks. Why now? The reasons I was given were the following:

Limits on Resources

No. 1, that there was a limit to how long the federal authorities could maintain, with their limited resources, the quality and intensity of coverage by experts there. They might be needed in other parts of the country.

No. 2, that the people who had reviewed this had never seen a case quite like this one before. And they were convinced that no progress had been made recently and no progress was going to be made through the normal means of getting Koresh and the other cult members to come out.

No. 3, that the danger of their doing something to themselves or to others was likely to increase, not decrease with the passage of time.

And No. 4, that they had reason to believe that the children who were still inside the compound were being abused significantly, as well as being forced to live in unsanitary and unsafe conditions. . . .

The second question I asked the attorney general is whether they had given consideration to all the things that could go wrong and evaluated them against what might happen that was good. She said that the FBI personnel on the scene, and those working with them, were convinced that the chances of bad things happening would increase with the passage of time.

The third question I asked was has the military been consulted? As soon as the initial tragedy came to light in Waco, that’s the first thing I asked to be done because it was obvious that this was not a typical law enforcement situation. Military people were then brought in, helped to analyze the situation and some of the problems that were presented by it. And so I asked if the military had been consulted. The attorney general said that they had and that they were in basic agreement that there was only one minor tactical difference of opinion between the FBI and the military, something that both sides thought was not of overwhelming significance. . . .

Q: Can you address the widespread perception reported widely--television, radio and newspapers--that you were trying somehow to distance yourself from the disaster because. . . .

A: No, I’m bewildered by it. The only reason I made no public statement yesterday . . . is that I had nothing to add to what was being said. And I literally did not know, until rather late in the day, whether anybody was still alive, other than those who had been actually seen and taken to the hospital or taken into custody. It was purely and simply a question of waiting for events to unfold. . . .

Surprised at Suggestion

I will say this, however. I was frankly-- surprised would be a mild word--that anyone would suggest that the attorney general should resign because some religious fanatics murdered themselves. And I regret what happened, but it is not possible in this life to control the behavior of others in every circumstance. . . .

These people killed four federal officials in the line of duty. They were heavily armed. They fired on federal officials yesterday repeatedly, and they were never fired back on. We did everything we could to avoid the loss of life. They made the decision to immolate themselves, and I regret it terribly, and I feel awful about the children. . . .

Q: Can we assume, then, that you don’t think this was mishandled in view of the outcome, that you didn’t run out of patience? And if you had it to do over again, would you really decide that way?

A: I think what you can assume is just exactly what I announced today. The FBI has done a lot of things right for this country over a long period of time. This is the same FBI that found the people that bombed the World Trade Center in lickety-split record time.

I--we want an inquiry to analyze the steps along the way. Is there something else we should have known? Is there some other question they should have asked? Is there some other question I should have asked? Can I say for sure that no one--that we could have done nothing else to make the outcome different? I don’t know that. That’s why I want the inquiry. . . .

Q: I think that they knew very well that the children did not have gas masks while the adults did, so the children had no chance because this gas was very--she said it was not lethal, but it was very dangerous to the children, and they could not have survived . . . without gas masks. And on Feb. 28--let’s go back--didn’t those people have a right to practice their religion?

A: They were not just practicing their religion, they were--the Treasury Department believed that they had violated federal laws, any number of them. . . .

Tear Gas Had Been Tested

I can’t answer the question about the gas masks except to tell you that the whole purpose of using the tear gas was that it had been tested. They were convinced that it wouldn’t kill either a child or an adult, but it would force anybody who breathed it to run outside. And one of the things that I’ve heard . . . that they were speculating about today was that the wind was blowing so fast that the windows might have been opened and some of the gas might have escaped, and that may be why it didn’t have the desired effect.

They also knew that there was an underground compound--a bus buried underground where the children could be sent, and they were--and I think they were hoping very much that the children were not released immediately outside, that the humane thing would be done and that the children would be sent someplace where they could be protected.

Q: When you learned about the actual fire and the explosion, what went through your mind during those horrendous moments?

A: What happened when I saw the fire, when I saw the building burning, I was sick. I felt terrible. And my immediate concern was whether the children had gotten out and whether they were escaping or whether they were inside trying to burn themselves up. That’s the first thing I wanted to know.