Tripped Up By Lies

A report paints a devastating portrait of ATF's Waco planning -- or, rather, the lack of it

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ATF's future has already been much debated. Al Gore has asked that it be dismembered, its firearms division merged with the FBI and the remaining sections sent over to the IRS. But Bentsen believes he has solved ATF's problems with the change of management. He will talk merger if the FBI agrees to preserve ATF's special knowledge of firearms. Also, some say, he would like the FBI to cede to the Secret Service more financial investigations. That is unlikely to happen. While some reports indicate that a Justice Department report, expected this week, will rebuke lower- and mid-level FBI agents for the disastrous operation, sources have told Time that the criticisms will be relatively mild. In any case, the controversial question of mass suicide -- and how carefully the FBI weighed it -- is expected to be a large part of the report. The Treasury study indicated that the cult's self-destructive tendencies were already apparent in the first raid. Three of the cult fatalities were caused by gunshot wounds delivered at close range, indicating that they were suicides or executions.

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