Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, who approved the use of tear gas that preceded the deadly 1993 fire at the Branch Davidian compound, is coming to Waco.
Reno will speak Sept. 13 at the Ferrell Center as part of Baylor University's President's Forum. The school will release ticket information for the event in August.
Reno's representatives initiated the visit, school spokesman Larry Brumley said.
"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," said Brumley, who said Reno will also discuss ethics in public service.
"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 after-effects of that tragedy," he said.
Phone calls to the New York speaker's bureau representing Reno were not returned Thursday.
Early in Reno's tenure in 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms unsuccessfully tried to arrest Davidian leader David Koresh at the compound 10 miles east of Waco. A 51-day standoff between cult members and the FBI followed.
Reno approved the April 19 use of tear gas on the compound in an attempt to end the standoff by forcing the Davidians to leave the building. A massive fire followed and 76 sect members died.
She later said she would not have approved the plan had she known it would lead to the deaths. A federal judge ruled last year that Koresh was solely responsible for the debacle.
Brumley said Baylor President Robert B. Sloan Jr. talked to local government leaders, as well as the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, before inviting Reno. He said Davidian survivors and their relatives were not included in those talks.
Chamber President and CEO Jack Stewart said he some voiced concerns that a Reno visit would not help the area. But he said the group concluded that she could bring both closure and an interesting historical perspective.
"I think probably there will be an opportunity in some people's minds to get closure to that event from her presentation," Stewart said. "I'm sure others will be disappointed that this is again in the limelight."
Clive Doyle of Waco, a longtime Davidian who survived the fire, said he may attend Reno's speech, and he hopes she tries to express remorse for what happened eight years ago. But he also said he does not blame Reno for the events.
"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."
Doyle, who lost a daughter in the fire, noted that Baylor will host Reno. He said some faculty and students have been sympathetic to the Davidians, but the school as a whole has not.
The Ferrell Center will hold up to about 6,500 people for Reno's speech, Brumley said. Audience members will be able to submit written questions that will be screened by a group of faculty members. Some questions will be passed along to Sloan, who will moderate a question-and-answer session with Reno.
Brumley noted it's the same format that has been used in past president's forums, which have included Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes. Reno will also attend a question-and-answer session with students and have a news conference for local media.
Brumley would not discuss what type of security will be used to protect Reno. He also did not disclose her speaking fee, but said it is less than previous guests of the President's Forum.
Bringing Reno is also an effort by Baylor to strike a balance "between the left and the right," Brumley said. High profile conservatives such as Forbes and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher have visited the school in recent years.