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You covered the breakdown in FBI command and control over the situation well. You did not go into the problems the negotiators had in understanding the different world view of the BDs and their unwillingness to seek assistance from Biblical scholars. You also did not expose the BATF rational for the initial raid and the legality of the involvement of the military in the initial assault. I understand the time constraints but a followup program would be of interest to me.
Black Hawk, CO

Date: 10/20/95 4:45 PM
To: Frontline
From: Chad E. Litton, clitton@csd.uwm.edu

I am greatly disturbed by the inability of the mainstreamor liberal press to take into consideration the constitutional and religious implications of this event. My masters thesis (Creation of a Cult: Media Representations of the Branch Davidians) shows a consistent lack of clear, critical treatment of this event. I am grateful for the ability to search through some of your data, but it would have been nice for you to put less emphasis on the government's view of the events. It would have also been nice if you could have shown some interest in the problems of the trial of the Branch Davidians. I think this is a good start but it is not enough to get at the extreme tragedy of this event.

Date: 10/22/95 8:12 PM

To: Frontline
From: terry.preston@pcgfx.com
From: Alice Mercer
Oakland, CA.

Your advertising for this show bordered on bait and switch. You promised information that would tell what really happened at Waco, suggesting (1) definitive conclusion(s) and (2) That the story was different than what we had heard up to this point.
There were no surprises, and no clear answers. You end the program with the statement that the F.B.I. lost, but no one still can answer, why?
I have no quarrel with this conclusion or the lack of definitive answers about what happened at the end, etc. but your ads were more worthy of the 11 O'clock news than PBS, with their suggestions that never panned out.
Although the ending of this stand-off was horrific, I still have not heard any good alternatives fully explored either in your piece or elsewhere. They were suggested with state- ments from the Tac Squad that they be more aggressive sooner and from the negotiators, who felt their efforts to work with Koresh were undermined, but neither was convincing.

Date: 10/21/95 12:06 AM
To: Frontline
From: wgol@netdepot.com
From: wm golson

All the lives lost and money spent for weapons violations. It does not ad up. Occasionally our government uses excessive force simply to show that it can. I hope that this kind of symbol-making will not happen again.