Ashes of Waco - An Investigation (Paperback, 1st Syracuse University Press ed)

Rushed to press to catch the wave of summer congressional hearings on the Waco debacle, this account by former Texas Monthly senior editor Reavis may raise a few hackles both within the Beltway and beyond. In the course of his reporting, Reavis gained access to a large trove of classified documents: 17,800 pages of transcripts of telephone conversations between government agents and Branch Davidians at Mt. Carmel. These documents, along with government reports, a study of Branch Davidian theology, and interviews with survivors of Waco as well as rivals of Koresh's, lead the author to a surprising conclusion. Contributing to the post-Waco trend charging that we too often scorn religious sects as cults, Reavis writes: "The people who had lived at Mt. Carmel were more akin to the Shakers and to the Oneida community - parts of today's Americana - than to the members of the Charles Manson cult." (Kirkus Reviews)

This is the story the daily press didn't give us, the definitive book about what happened at Mt. Carmel, near Waco, Texas, examined from both sides - the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the FBI on one hand, and David Koresh and his followers on the other. Dick J. Reavis points out that the government had little reason to investigate Koresh and even less to raid the compound at Mt. Carmel. The government lied to the public about most of what happened - about who fired the first shots, about drug allegations, about child abuse. The FBI was duplicitous and negligent in gassing Mt. Carmel - and that alone could have started the fire that killed seventy-six people. Drawing on interviews with survivors of Koresh's movement (which dates back to 1935, long before Koresh was born), on published accounts, on trial transcripts, on esoteric religious tracts and audiotapes that tell us who Koresh was and why people followed him, and most of all on secret documents that the government has not released to the public yet, Reavis has uncovered the real story from beginning to end, including the trial that followed.

General

Imprint:	Syracuse University Press
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	November 2022
First published:	May 1998
Authors:	Dick J Reavis
Dimensions:	229 x 152 x 18mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	320
Edition:	1st Syracuse University Press ed
ISBN-13:	978-0-8156-0502-7
Categories:	Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Emergency services > Police & security services Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Central government > Central government policies Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political control & freedoms > Human rights > General Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Christianity > Protestantism & Protestant Churches > Other Protestant & Nonconformist Churches > General Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Protestantism & Protestant Churches > Other Protestant & Nonconformist Churches > General Books > Christianity > Protestantism & Protestant Churches > Other Protestant & Nonconformist Churches
LSN:	0-8156-0502-1
Barcode:	9780815605027

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