Summary

Before commencing the forcible retaking of D yard, Oswald and Rockefeller’s aides drafted a final ultimatum to the inmates, coincidentally not phrased as an ultimatum, leaving out a warning to the inmates of the danger that was to come. Meanwhile, hundreds of state troopers, who appeared “angry,” “haggard,” and “exhausted,” anxiously waited outside of the walls for the retaking to commence (165). Commissioner Oswald, state police officials, and representatives of the governor drafted a written plan of the retaking the previous night, a plan that excluded crucial details like when the officers were to open fire, when they were to stop firing, and what they were to do with the prisoners after control was regained. State protocol dictated that the National Guard, who were trained specifically in hostage extraction, control the retaking. However, the state police and correction officers were to...