Preview above: Expert negotiators explain how to resolve conflict, with personal stories of when things go right, when they go wrong and the techniques behind negotiating better. Negotiators, Tuesday, August 11, at 8:30pm on SBS and On Demand.
In 1993, Gary was the lead negotiator overseeing a 51-day standoff between the leader of a religious sect, the Branch Davidians, and US law enforcement.
The siege began after federal agents attempted to raid the sect’s compound and arrest leader, David Koresh, over reports of modifying firearms illegally and allegations of child abuse.
After an initial shootout, the negotiation team needed to engage Koresh, while more than 80 people remained inside the building.
“We had to try to listen to what he had to say without trying to argue with him,” Gary tells Insight.
“We made an enormous amount of effort to try to demonstrate that we're not there to make your day worse…we're here to help you get out of this situation safely.”
Gary’s negotiation team were striking small deals, sending in milk, providing magazines, appealing to the emotions of the parents within the compound. And after almost three weeks, the approach resulted in the release of 35 people, including 21 children.
Gary is best known for his negotiation during the WACO siege. Source: Supplied
“You have to earn the right to be of influence and you earn that right by becoming a good listener to the other person's point of view, being open minded about what they have to say,” says Gary.
“What a negotiator must do in a volatile situation is lower the emotional content of the situation…[so] the people we're dealing with are better able to think and behave in a rational manner.”
But this careful approach was at odds with tactical commanders in the FBI who were growing impatient with the amount of time it was taking to end the siege.
“There was a feeling amongst some FBI officials that I was an impediment to them engaging in a more aggressive set of activities to force people out,” the former negotiator explains.
“It's an accurate charge, I was an impediment to that, I opposed it every opportunity I had.”
Twenty-five days into the siege, Gary was rotated off and a new leader of negotiations took over. Commanders began to pursue more aggressive tactics, like blaring noise and lights through the windows of the compound and crushing cars parked outside.
“They're basically saying, 'if you don't do what we want, there's a price to pay for that',” says Gary.
On day 51, tensions came to a head when the FBI began moving their tanks closer to the complex and threw tear gas inside. Amidst the chaos, fire erupted and engulfed the building killing 75 sect members, including children.
Leader of the religious sect, the Branch Davidians, David Koresh. Source: distributor
Gary was watching the end of the siege unfold from FBI headquarters and describes it as one of the saddest points of his career.
“All of us hate to see a tragic outcome like that,” says Gary.
“It should have been avoided and I wish we'd handled it better.”
As scenes out of the US show clashes between protestors and police, Gary says lessons from Waco show focus ought to be around de-escalation.
“As negotiators we call it the paradox of power – the harder your push the more likely it is that you are to gain resistance,” he tells Insight.
“The most effective way is to demonstrate a willingness to listen and understand.
“If you go into the process with that strong desire to learn and listen…you will ultimately achieve a relationship that will get you to the best outcome.”
For Gary, the tragic outcome of Waco reinforces the need for peaceful resolution in times of conflict.
“Obviously Waco still remains one of the most impactful events in the history of the FBI,” says Gary.
“[As a negotiator] you have to persist, you have to stand up for what's right and you have to continue to advocate for what you know from your experience and your training as the best way forward.”
