Day 30 of the Waco Standoff

March 29, 1993
The proposed face-to-face meeting between Koresh and DeGuerin caused significant controversy within law enforcement. SAC Jamar made the decision to permit the meeting, clearing it with U.S. Attorney Ederer. The AUSAs and the Texas Rangers, who would be responsible for the eventual prosecutions, strongly opposed the meeting. Jamar was focused on resolving the standoff safely, while the prosecutors and the Texas Rangers were focused on the integrity of future court proceedings. The prosecutors and Texas Rangers were afraid that the defense attorney would give advice to Koresh which could result in the destruction of evidence and cause a more difficult prosecution.
The negotiators attempted unsuccessfully to contact Koresh between 3:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. to establish a procedure for the meeting with his attorney. On each call, the negotiators were informed by various individuals that Koresh was unable to come to the telephone. Finally, at 11:28 a.m., Koresh came to the telephone and was told that his attorney was ready for the proposed face-to-face meeting. A dispute arose between Koresh and the FBI over whether the meeting would occur in the compound or in a neutral site, such as the front of the compound. In an attempt to break this impasse, Koresh spoke to his attorney at 12:05 p.m. in an unmonitored telephone call. It was agreed that the attorney would come to the front door of the compound, while Koresh remained just inside the door.
The meeting between Koresh and DeGuerin took place at the front door of the compound between 4:12 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The FBI debriefed DeGuerin about the meeting; however, no attorney-client information was discussed. DeGuerin described it as a positive meeting. Schneider confirmed this impression in a subsequent telephone conversation with negotiators. Schneider also complained, however, that DeGuerin's fees were too high.
In a conversation with Koresh at 8:54 p.m., another meeting with DeGuerin was scheduled for 10:00 a.m. the next morning.

(The Myth: None of the Davidians was ever given any access to an attorney!)

[The Truth: (Looks at entry for March 29th.) Yeah, riiiiiiiight.]