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Reno to Speak in Waco NewsMax.com WiresWACO, Texas (UPI) - Former Attorney General Janet Reno will speak this fall at Baylor University, only a few miles from the scene of the deadly Branch Davidian siege that confronted her in the first weeks of her administration eight years ago. Reno will speak on ethics in public service, as well as share some reflections on the 1993 standoff, during her visit Sept. 13, as part of the President's Forum lecture series. University spokesman Larry Brumley said Reno's representatives initiated the visit, the Waco Tribune-Herald reported Friday. "Although it won't be the focus of her presentation, she is going to make some comments about what she learned from the Branch Davidian episode and will more than likely have some pretty candid observations," he said. "Given the indelible mark that event left on Waco, there was a feeling that as a university that is rooted in this community, there would be some value in hearing her and having her address face-to-face people in this community who've been left with the aftereffects of that tragedy." Baylor President Robert B. Sloan Jr. talked to local public officials, as well as the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, before inviting Reno, the spokesman said. Davidian survivors and their relatives were not contacted in advance about the planned visit, he said. Clive Doyle, a Davidian survivor who lost his daughter in the fire, told the Tribune-Herald that he might attend Reno's speech. He said he did not blame her for what happened. "She came into the job after a lot of this had started, for one thing," he said. "I think there were other people that knew a whole lot more that kept her in the dark to a certain extent." The siege began Feb. 28, 1993 when Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents attempted to arrest Davidian leader David Koresh at the compound 10 miles east of Waco. The 51-day siege ended April 19 when FBI agents fired tear gas into the building and a fire broke out. Koresh and more than 80 of his followers died in the blaze. Reno approved the use of tear gas on the Davidians in an attempt to force them to surrender peacefully. She later said she would not have approved the plan if she had known it would lead to deaths. A federal judge and special counsel have blamed Koresh for the deadly fire. Copyright 2001 by United Press International. All rights reserved.
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