As the controversy heats up about lies and misinformation over authorized use of pyrotechnic devices during the FBI's 1993 siege of Branch Davidians at Waco, Tex., other information has surfaced.
First, the background: The cult was begun in the mid-1950s by Benjamin Rhoden and his wife, Lois. Benjamin died in the late 70s and Lois led the group for another decade. Upon her death, Koresh and the Rhoden's son shared joint leadership until rumors surfaced that Koresh had raped Lois before her death.
Rhoden booted Koresh and a few followers from the cult compound and a shoot-out with the local sheriff's department resulted. When the dust settled, Koresh was the sole leader of the cult and Rhoden was incarcerated (where he still is) for murder.
As early as March 1992, the FBI was alerted to the possibility of nefarious activities in the Branch Davidian compound, according to an FBI file we have recently obtained.
According to the file of Vernon Howell (a.k.a. Branch Davidian leader David Koresh), the FBI investigated allegations, set forth in two sets of accusatory letters from members of Congress, that Koresh was planning a mass suicide for the members of his religious sect at his group's Waco headquarters. The letters contained an 11-page affidavit from a former cult member and a two-page letter from a relative of a cult member.
The letters alleged that Koresh had kidnapped some of his "followers" and held them as slaves -- particularly the children. Mistreatment, perhaps sexual, was alluded to in the letters, as well as kidnapping, tax evasion and "reports of possible mass self-destruction" that were to take place during Passover.
The San Antonio office of the FBI conducted an investigation. But rather than going to the compound, the FBI relied on interviews from Waco locals and a Texas Child Protective Services (CPS) official.
The interviewees reported that they had heard allegations from former members of the cult that Koresh planned a mass suicide event and that many people were being held in the compound against their will. However, the CPS representative told the FBI that the children in the Koresh compound did not appear to be kidnap victims. The children told the child welfare staff that everything was fine, and the case was closed.
Later evidence indicates Koresh hand-selected the children he would let speak to the CPS officials. After the fiery end of the compound, many of the surviving cult members said that Koresh sometimes severely whipped children as young as 8 months old and had sex with girls as young as 11.
Also, evidence gathered by Texas reporters months after the Waco fire reveals that the CPS telephoned ahead on at least two of their visits to let Koresh know they were coming.
With the CPS interview standing alone as evidence, the FBI closed their Branch Davidian investigation in July 1992 for lack of corroboration, though Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) provided the FBI with information that Koresh was stockpiling weapons and converting semi-automatic rifles to automatic ones -- weapons that would later be turned on the FBI and ATF agents.
FBI headquarters revisited the matter in October 1992, but the San Antonio office stapled the July interview with the CPS official on the new memo and sent it back: Case (still) closed.
But in February 1993, before the February 28 FBI raid on the compound that turned into a 51-day stalemate, the FBI did do a little more background research on Koresh and his cult.
Included in the file is a two-page backgrounder and Koresh's business card, which reads: "Messiah Productions," and has an eight-pointed star over the 'I' and a dagger through the double 'S' in Messiah. The card lists a Southern Californian address and under Koresh's name are the words, "Guitars, vocals."
-- Jack Anderson and Douglas Cohn are columnists for United Feature Syndicate.
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