“Ranger Investigation” , March 1993

The third series contains documents related to the investigation, by several entities, of the events and handling of the Branch Davidian standoff near Waco. The Investigations series is arranged according to the entity that conducted the investigation and produced the original documents. Since many government agencies were involved in the events in question there is some overlap of documents between agencies.The

Investigations series is divided into six sub-series described below.

A. Department of Justice: These files contain documents produced by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and its agencies, the FBI and the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT). The bulk of documents are FBI documents, including major event and monitor logs, negotiations between the FBI and Mount Carmel occupants, interviews and statements of those involved in the events, and VHS tapes of Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) recordings ofApril 19, 1993.

B. Department of Treasury: This sub-series contains interviews and reports conducted by the Department of the Treasury (DOT) and statements of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (BATF or ATF). Since the ATF was an agency under the DOT in 1993 the ATF documents are arranged under the DOT(in 2003 the ATF was transferred to the Department of Justice).

C. Department of Defense: These files contain statements and reports by the Department of Defense (DOD) and army.

D. Attorney General: This sub-series contains briefing documents for Attorney General Janet Reno on the events near Waco. Also included is an affidavit for a search warrant of Vernon Howell’s residence, documents related to the effects of CS gas, and a “Proposed Operations Plan.” Within this sub-series is the John C. Danforth investigation report.

E. Texas Rangers: The Texas Rangers sub-series consists of interviews, images, statements, and reports produced by the Texas Rangers. Interviews and statements by ATF agents to the Texas Rangers are here, as well as documents related to an investigation into the media leak of the February 28, 1993 raid on Mount Carmel.

F.Additional Investigations:This series contains records requested by Lee Hancock under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), a folder on the protocol for a FLIR imagery trial by Vector Data Systems, and the United States General Accounting Office report on military assistance during the standoff. Also included in this series is the briefing of Dr. Igor Smirnov, recorded on VHS, on the possibility of using Russian psychotherapeutics to encourage the Branch Davidians to surrender at Mount Carmel. A viewing copy on DVD is available