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Salon News has learned that U.S. Army Delta team commando officers sat in on a meeting at CIA headquarters to discuss the ongoing Waco hostage situation in March 1993, according to a former CIA security officer. Such involvement by U.S. military personnel in a domestic conflict could be illegal.

Former CIA officer Gene Cullen told Salon News he attended a meeting at CIA headquarters on the Waco crisis where Army representatives were "mostly observers," but indicated they were prepared to step in and help if any more federal agents were killed. The standoff ended with the fiery deaths of 76 people at the Branch Davidian religious compound.

"My charter at the agency was facilities personnel, and operations worldwide. So we called this meeting [at CIA] during the Waco crisis ... to see how the [FBI's hostage rescue team] would respond if it was one of our buildings in this country, and if it were overseas, how Delta would respond.

"So we're all sitting around the room talking about scenarios. The FBI gave us a briefing on what had transpired. The Delta guys didn't say much. They were playing second fiddle to the FBI."

Pentagon officials denied the story. "We had no operational involvement in this activity, or planning," an official said.

Salon has also learned that a senior Army Special Forces lawyer advised the special operations command that aid to federal police forces could violate the so-called posse comitatus provision of U.S. law barring the use of U.S. military forces in domestic operations, except for training, maintenance of equipment or "expert advice." There is also an exception to the law allowing the use of military personnel in drug operations if requested by an agency head.

Next page | "They were ready for war"