And, despite Clinton's denials, this is the same sort of excess that lead to the deaths of many at Waco, and the unwarranted killing of Vicki Weaver at Ruby Ridge. Vicki Weaver died because a piece of wood was three-eights of an inch to short. It was possible that others could have been killed in this action in Miami through the excessive use of force to obtain a child. I am not saying that Elian should remain in the states. However, I find no reason to threaten lives simply because of a breakdown in mediation.
Diplomacy has many methods.
For instance, two or three Spanish-speaking agents could have gone to the Miami Gonzalez home with Juan Gonzalez to speak to the child. Therefore, all parties concerned would have been privy to the conversation, and claims of coercion could have been avoided. An MP5 is overly excessive for this mission, we are not taking on terrorists. Moreover, it was not a safety interlock I could see, but hte man keeping his finger off the trigger taht would keep the weapon from firing. As a firearms instructor, I am pleased to see that there is some actual training in the ranks of government agents.