Fifty One Day Siege Essay

1614 Words7 Pages

The tragedy of Branch Davidian’s Mount Carmel struck the city and lives of innocent people. FBI and ATF officials raided in hopes of finding David Koresh red handed. Officials believed Koresh possessed illegal weapons. Their objective was to capture Koresh, dead or alive. Janet Reno granted entry and approved the FBI’s assault plan. When tragedy struck, she felt to blame. However, former attorney general, Vince Foster, was the forefront of the Waco siege. His failures of stepping in led to his end. He believed this incident could have been prevented if he had alleged the case. Following the Waco massacre, congressional hearings were held to help better distinguish what truly happened during the everlasting fifty-one-day siege. Officials tried …show more content…

This occurred due to the suspicion of weapon violations. The raid on this religious cult led to a bloody gun battle. Four ATF agents and six Branch Davidians were killed.1 This became known as: The Fifty-One Day Siege.2 ATF members raided the homes and land of innocent people. Many citizens were injured. During this long fifty-one-day battle, members of the land hid in their homes in hopes of not being shot and surviving. Regardless, federal agents still managed to get in. This ended in a total of 80 people murdered, including Mount Carmel’s leader, David Koresh on April 19, 1993.3 The complex was burned to the ground. The Waco massacre has been an ongoing investigation to better determine what led to this and who truly was at fault for this …show more content…

He was the point-man for the Waco affair. His initial actions and decisions left him in shock. 90-days after the incident, he committed suicide.13 Foster was found dead at Fort Marcy Park in Virginia. His wife claimed that he was under a lot of stress, that he was depressed, and that Waco laid heavily on his mind. Prior to his death, he claimed that FBI officials lied and he felt that he truly could have done something to prevent this tragedy. His conscience was guilty due to the many innocent lives that were taken. He felt at fault for not intervening. Shortly after his death, a thorough investigation of Foster’s office was done. They realized that many files relating to Waco had gone missing. Per Secret Service Officer, Harry O’Neill, he saw Maggie Williams (First Lady’s assistant) remove files from Foster’s desk the night of his death.14 She had placed all files in a box and took them to a room where Hilary Clinton would review. This is what he was told. Suspicions arose and the case