The Bangor Daily News from Bangor, Maine • 1

9 9 iv VOL NO 262 crrx Sports: Markova post victories in 97th Boston Marathon FBI believes as many as 86 dead UM team Clinton John Day Washington Bureau WASHINGTON President Bill Clinton survived Gennifer Flowers and the Vietnam draft controversy but on Monday he escape the clutches of the Black Bears and their kangaroo court At a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden on a day dominated by fast-breaking news Clinton praised the University of Maine NCAA championship hockey team for being a role model for the nation Clinton used the occasion to tweak Senate Republicans who have stalled enactment of his $163 billion economic stimulus bill while White House reporters seized the moment to question Clinton about the decision to raid the religious compound in Waco Texas which See KANGAROO on Page 2 thought God they Bob Ricks FBI spokesman By Laura Tolley WACO Texas (AP) Doomsday cult leader David apocalyptic vision came true Monday when fire believed set by his followers destroyed their prairie compound as federal agents tried to drive them out with tear gas after a 51-day standoff As many as 86 members of the Branch Davidian religious sect including Koresh and 24 children were thought to have died as the flames raced through the wooden buildings in 30 minutes Only nine were known to have survived The blaze fanned by stiff winds erupted about 12:05 pm just six hours after FBI agents began using armored vehicles to pound holes in the complex of buildings and spray them with tear gas Attorney General Janet Reno said she personally approved the assault in hopes of forcing a peaceful ending to the standoff She said she never considered the were great for mass despite warning in a letter just last week that any agents trying to harm him would be by Federal authorities said they would not know the precise death toll until they could search an underground maze of passageways Four of the survivors were hospitalized with burns and broken bones the five others were in custody in the McLennan County Jail One survivor told authorities that people inside the compound had set the blaze said Justice De my are killing partment spokesman Carl Stern The man said that as he left one of the buildings could hear above him people saying been lit the been Stern said The end of the standoff plainly stunned the FBI because Koresh had repeatedly promised there would be no mass suicide tell you the shock and the horror that all of us felt when we saw those flames coming FBI spokesman Bob Ricks said in a solemn afternoon news conference thought my God they are killing can only assume that there was a massive loss of Ricks said was truly an inferno of Ricks said multiple- witnesses including FBI snipers positioned outside die compound spotted cult members setting fires One person Ricks said knelt down with his hands cupped from which a flame The agents reported seeing a man wearing a gas mask and black uniform throw something inside followed by a fireball Additionally Ricks said a man found Monday afternoon in a bunker on the grounds said lantern fuel had been spread throughout the wooden complex and that the fire was started simultaneously in several places did not introduce fire into this Ricks said cannot tell you the shock we felt David Koresh we believe gave the order to commit suicide and they See MOST on Page 8 A RAGING FIRE turned the Branch Davidian ing to reports the fire was started in several compound in Waco Texas into an inferno that places simultaneously and destroyed the complex few of David followers escaped Accord- within 30 minutes (AP Photo) Bangor nephew safe after leaving compound good and evil is ultimately won or His nephew David Thibodeau a 1987 Bangor High School graduate and a musician who hooked up with David Koresh two years ago to be a drummer in his band was one of a handful of Branch Davi-dians who on Monday chose not to remain inside as Ranch Apocalypse burned flat Among the others inside were girlfriend and her children Ganem said he could see his nephew giving up his own life for the children But although he believed in Koresh said Ganem Thibodeau was not going to die for David His sister Balenda Ganem David mother was allowed two minutes Monday night to talk to her son by telephone froin jail where he and seven others who emerged reportedly were being held as material witnesses and will be allowed to visit with him By Margaret Warner Of the NEWS Staff While his nephew was holed up at a religious cult compound near Waco Texas Bob Ganem of Bangor found solace in a quote he copied from a magazine and stuck on his refrigerator: whole course of human history may depend on a change of heart in one individual for it is in the solitary mind and soul of the individual that the battle between Tuesday The conversation did not include details about the events preceding the fire fine OK very upset lost a lot of said Bob Ganem recounting his message was very happy to talk to her and looking forward to a face-to-face meeting As he watched his nephew grow Ganem surrendered his own garage for him to practice his rock music Before the standoff Ganem UM faculty resist plan to merge By Doug Kesseli Of the NEWS Staff ORONO University of Maine faculty urged the administration Monday to postpone or even scrap proposed college and department consolidations during a hearing on downsizing the campus About 110 of the nearly 640 faculty turned out for the meeting during which UM President Frederick Hutchinson and his top administrators fielded questions and comments on a $9 million plan to restructure and streamline the university over the next several years The downsizing plan which was unveiled last Thursday could See UM on Page 5 Holocaust unfamiliar to many By Howard Libit Los Angeles Times WASHINGTON Just three days before the dedication of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum a survey released Monday found that one in three Americans are open to the possibility that the Holocaust never occurred at all The survey by the Roper Organization for the American Jewish Committee also discovered that more than one-third of American adults and half of all high school students do not know that the term refers to Nazi extermination of 6 million Jews numbers of people who will look at the title' (of the Holocaust museum) and have no idea what is inside that building demonstrates the level of ignorance that we have to said Dr David Singer See SURVEY on Page 3 Mount Desert By Kathy Harbour Of the NEWS Staff MOUNT DESERT Threatening police action to quell comments from the audience Chairman Joanne Smith took swift action at the Board of Selectmen meeting Monday evening to terminate the employment of Town Manager Dick Vander Zanden Smith quickly made it clear that Attorney General Reno firing of tear gas By James Rubin had advance notice of the assault heard from Thibodeau monthly As it wore on he passed the time by talking to friends trying to keep his mind off it and reading Cult Mind a book written by a former Moonie a member of the Unification Church founded by Sun Myung Moon From that Ganem who also min-ored in psychology in college said he learned that it could happen to anybody See NEPHEW on Page 8 Penobscot Edition IBtMl 378 I 12345 WASHINGTON (AP) Attorney General Janet Reno took responsibility Monday for the decision to shoot tear gas into an armed compound in Texas and said the operation was designed to be merely step toward a peaceful end to the standoff if I had thought that the chances were great for mass suicide I would never have approved the Reno said President Clinton said that he A BATTERING RAM attached to ad armored ve- vehicle ripped into the compound punching holes hide pierces the Branch Davidian compound near into the walls and tearing off pieces to allow the Waco Texas early Monday morning The armored FBI to pump tear gas inside (AP Photo) but that Reno and the FBI made the decision to begin the operation Reno only a few weeks into office said at a news conference that she gave the go-ahead because of concern for fatigue of federal agents and after receiving reports of severe child abuse within the compound She said officials took steps to shield babies and youngsters from the initial tear gas assault She expressed regret for the loss See RENO on Page 8 one member abstaining to end Vander Zanden 'S employment with the town after a 30-day notice Under the conditions of his employment contract the town will owe him six months in salary The salary amount would not be owed if he were fired for just cause The selectmen did not cite a just-cause issue See MOUNT on Page 14 board fires town manager The weather Rain likely with mixed precipitation north Highs in 40s and 50s low tonight near 40s Scattered showers on Wednesday Details on Page 2 discussion of the town employment would be limited to selectmen only and denied Vander Zanden any opportunity to address the board on his contract When audience comments later could be heard during the discussion Smith angrily retorted: anyone says another word be getting the police in here Now cut it Board members voted 3-1 with distribution: 79777 Sioond cUm poilsgi pak) at Bangor Main 04401 PublicaUon numb USHS 041000.