NRA-ILA FAXLINE NRA Institute for Legislative Action 11250 Waples Mill Road * Fairfax, VA 22030 Phone: 1-800-392-8683 * Fax: 703-267-3918 7/31/95 NRA-ILA Special Report THE WACO HEARINGS: DAY NINE Confirmed: Involvement of the Military -- FOREIGN Military Ambassador H. Allen Holmes confirmed today that members of the Special Air Service, a crack commando team of the British Military, were on hand at Waco. Because S.A.S. was not brought into the Waco operation under Department of Defense auspices, the Ambassador could not elaborate on the role played by the British commandos. Schumer Concedes That Questions Have Not Been Adequately Answered In his opening statements today, Rep. Charles Schumer said that there are some serious questions concerning how the Waco raid was conducted that have not been adequately answered. He was mainly referring to the unnecessary destruction of the Davidian's gymnasium. Schumer said that the tank's actions only frightened those inside and further caused them not to come out, while federal officials still tried to assure the people inside that an attack was not taking place. Schumer concluded that these actions only helped fulfill Koresh's philosophy. The Demolition of the Gym... The demolition of the gymnasium was discussed several times throughout the day. Jeffrey Jamar, former FBI special agent, testified that because only 1/3 to 1/2 of the ferret rounds fired were penetrating the walls of the complex, the FBI wanted to penetrate the front and rear ends of the complex to insert the CS gas. Dick Rogers, former head of the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, explained that one CEV, not equipped to insert gas, was attempting to make a path for another CEV should they later decide to insert gas into the bunker complex. The CEV knocked over the main support beam of the gym and the roof then began to collapse, according to Rogers. While in photos of the incident, it looked as if the CEV was trying to drive onto the roof, in actuality, Rogers said, the CEV was simply trying to flatten the structure at that point so the next CEV could enter to insert gas. He further stated that the incident was not a departure from their plan, nor was it an intentional destruction. "Time was always on the side of law enforcement..." A New York Times editorial pointed out today that time was always on the side of law enforcement, simply because David Koresh was not going anywhere. Yet when Rep. McCollum asked Mr. Jamar to comment on the article, he simply said that, as time passed, the dangers of the situation would only increase. When Jamar said that Koresh got the end that he wanted on April 19, he only confirmed that the FBI mindset was that nothing could have stopped Koresh. Dick Rogers said that the New York Times just didn't understand the situation and claims that the Davidians had plenty of water, while a surviving Davidian testified last week that they were lacking fresh water and had to collect rain water. This still leaves the never- ending, unanswered question: Did the FBI stop negotiations too soon? Was there a lack of planning, patience and knowledge that may have contributed to the death of over 80 people? FBI Distrust Blinded Them Through a reading of phone conversation transcripts, Rep. McCollum shed further light on the fact that there were signs that progress was being made by Koresh to write his interpretation of the Seven Seals. Koresh had indicated that he would exit the center once he completed his interpretation. Networks Yawn, NBC Snores Through Network evening news viewers saw little of last week's Waco hearings, including less than 10 seconds per night on NBC, according to an ongoing study by the Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA). Press coverage of Day 8 varied, as the New York Times attacked both the National Rifle Association (NRA) and Attorney General Janet Reno, while the Washington Post continued to raise issues of religious freedom. According to (CMPA), among the "big three" networks only CBS aired a full-length story on Day 8 of the Waco hearings. Television news focused on a survivor's first person account of the April 19 fire, while major newspapers used their weekend coverage to explore various angles on the hearings and their significance. What the public learns about the Waco hearings depends on where they get their news, as distinctive media profiles have emerged: The commercial networks have averaged just over one minute of nightly airtime apiece on the Waco hearings, including only 35 seconds on NBC. Since last Tuesday, NBC's Nightly News has aired just 45 seconds on Waco, less than 10 seconds per night on average. But PBS's MacNeil/Lehrer has devoted nearly twice as much airtime to Waco as all three commercial broadcast networks combined (72 vs. 38 minutes) New York Times Zaps Both Reno and NRA The Sunday New York Times ran a lengthy piece criticizing the NRA's role in the hearings. But according to CMPA, Monday's unsigned editorial on "Waco's Unlearned Lessons" was just as critical of the Clinton Administration: "the real puzzle remains the lack of prudence and reasonable foresight (by)...Reno and other Clinton Administration officials." Washington Post Sees Threats To Religious Freedom CMPA research found that the most significant Washington Post weekend pieces also fell outside the realm of hard news. On Sunday, the Post reasserted its interest in religious freedom issues raised by Waco with a book review and an op-ed critical of the government's disdain for the Davidians' religious status. Washington Post religious editor Bill Broadway's lead review of two new books on Waco (authored by two of last week's panelists) questioned the government's tin ear for Koresh's "Bible babble." An op-ed by former Washington Post columnist Nicholas von Hoffman warned that "demonizing the Davidians" threatened the freedom of more mainstream churches and sects. Aiming At Reno Hard news coverage following Friday's Day 8 of testimony focused on the decision to end the siege with a gas assault on April 19. According to CMPA, this brought renewed criticism of the FBI, which suffered 86% negative comments by sources. It also increased attention to the decision-making role of Attorney General Janet Reno, who will testify tomorrow (August 1). CMPA research indicates that Reno has already gotten more coverage than any other individual involved in the Waco hearings (24 stories, compared to 22 apiece for Reps. Bill Zeliff and Charles Schumer, 18 for witness Kiri Jewell). Meanwhile, the decision to end the siege (35 stories) has finally surpassed earlier coverage of child abuse charges (27 stories), to emerge as the hearings leading news topic. Dueling Headlines "President Had No Influence on Resolution of Waco, Hubbell Says" -- Washington Post, July 29 "Clinton Involved in Waco Decision, Prober Says" -- Washington Post, July 31 EVEN LOWER MEMBER DISCOUNT ON TRANSCRIPTS!! Complete transcripts of the hearings are available to NRA members for an even LOWER DISCOUNT RATE of $9.95 a day!! Call Jack Graeme at the Federal News Service at 1-800-969-3677 to receive a daily transcript. Be sure to mention that you're an NRA member to secure the incredible discount rate. Hearing quotes excerpted from Federal News Service transcripts. =+=+=+=+ This information is provided as a service of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, Fairfax, VA. This and other information on the Second Amendment and the NRA is available at any of the following URL's: http://WWW.NRA.Org, gopher://GOPHER.NRA.Org, wais://WAIS.NRA.Org, ftp://FTP.NRA.Org, mailto:LISTPROC@NRA.Org (Send the word help as the body of a message) Information may also be obtained by connecting directly to the NRA-ILA GUN-TALK Bulletin Board System at (703) 934-2121.