ZTL CTLR DESCRIBED TCAS RA AT FL320; RESULTING IN CONFLICT WITH THIRD ACFT; CTLR QUESTIONING TCAS RA INSTRUCTIONS.

Narrative

ACFT X CALLED AND ASKED TO DEVIATE L OF COURSE 3 TIMES; 2 OF WHICH WERE BLOCKED BY OTHER ACFT CALLING AT THE SAME TIME. ON THE THIRD CALL; WHEN I FINALLY HEARD HIM; I APPROVED A L DEV TO GO TO THE N SIDE OF A DEPICTED CELL; AND THEN DIRECT TO ATL WHEN ABLE. MY PLAN HERE WAS TO HAVE ACFT X NOW PASS ON THE N SIDE OF ACFT Y AND KEEP MY LATERAL SEPARATION IN THAT WAY. ABOUT 6 SECONDS ALTER; I NOTICED THAT ACFT X WAS ONLY GOING TO SKIRT THE EDGES OF THE DEPICTED WX; AND NOT FOLLOW THE SAME PATH AS THE OTHER ACFT FLYING THROUGH THERE; AND WAS NOW GOING TO BE IN MORE OF A CONFLICT WITH ACFT Y (ABOUT THIS TIME A TRACKER PLUGGED IN AND BEGAN MONITORING THE SITUATION). AT THIS TIME; I STOPPED ACFT X AND ASSIGNED HIM PRESENT HDG; THINKING I STILL HAD LATERAL WITH THE OTHER ACFT Y. NOW; MY ATTN WAS DIVERTED TO THE CLOSE PROX OF ACFT Z AND THE OVERFLT OF SQS AT FL340 FROM THE NORTHERN SECTOR. AFTER SEVERAL MINS OF NEGOTIATING WITH THE PLTS; I WAS ABLE TO RESOLVE THE SITUATION. AT THE SAME TIME THIS WAS HAPPENING; AN ACFT NEAR RMG VORTAC WAS HOPING TO CLB AND DEVIATE TOWARD ATL -- WHICH TOOK BOTH MY ATTN AND THE D-SIDE'S ATTN. I THEN LOOKED BACK AT THE ACFT X AND ACFT Y SITUATION AND ANALYZED THAT. IT WAS APPARENT NOW THAT THE PH WAS NOT GOING TO WORK; SO I ISSUED A 20 DEG R TURN TO ACFT Y; TO WHICH HE RESPONDED AND ACCEPTED. I THEN TURNED ACFT X AN ADDITIONAL 15 DEGS R; TO WHICH HE ACCEPTED AND TURNED. NOTICING THAT THE ACFT Y HAD NOT BEGAN HIS TURN; I ISSUED AN ADDITIONAL 20 DEGS R (TOTAL OF 40 DEGS) TO THE ACFT (41 SECONDS AFTER THE INITIAL VECTOR WAS ISSUED); TO WHICH HE ACCEPTED. I THEN RETURNED TO ACFT X AND TOLD HIM TO FLY A HDG OF 180 DEGS FOR TFC; TO WHICH HE RESPONDED; 'ROGER; WE ARE TURNING R; RESPONDING TO AN RA.' I ACKNOWLEDGED THAT; AND TOLD HIM TO FLY A HDG OF 180 DEGS WHEN HE WAS FINISHED WITH HIS RA. AT THIS POINT; THE ACFT WERE ABOUT 5.2 MI APART FROM ONE ANOTHER; DIVERGING BY APPROX 130 DEGS. AS THE 2 ACFT CONTINUED THEIR TURNS; ACFT Y SNUCK INSIDE THE 5 MI HALO OF ACFT X AND ACFT Y BEGAN A CLB. A SECOND OR TWO LATER; ACFT X ADVISED THAT HE WAS CLBING TO FL330 IN RESPONSE TO THE RA HE RECEIVED. I IMMEDIATELY TOLD HIM; 'ROGER; TFC IMMEDIATELY OVERHEAD AT FL330 (AN ACR ACFT); DSND AND MAINTAIN FL320 ASAP.' HE ACKNOWLEDGED AND BEGAN HIS DSCNT BACK TO FL320. EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS AN FL340 OVERFLT ON TOP OF THE FL330 OVERFLT; NEITHER OF THOSE ACFT RESPONDED TO ANY RA; THANKFULLY; AND CONTINUED THEIR FLTS. IN SHORT; THE TCAS SHOULD HAVE TOLD THE ACFT X TO DSND TO FL310; WHICH; UPON REVIEW; WAS OPEN AND AVAILABLE. INSTEAD; IT INSTRUCTED THE PLT TO CLB DIRECTLY INTO ANOTHER ACFT (THE WORST AND MOST UNSAFE OPTION AVAILABLE). FOLLOWING AIRLINE SOP'S; THE PLT RESPONDED TO THE RA ADVISORY; AND TO THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT HE WAS GIVEN BY ME. ACFT X AND ACFT Y WERE 4.7 MI AND AN ADDITIONAL 400 FT LATERALLY SEPARATED AT THE SAME ALT AND ACFT X AND ACFT Z WERE 1.2 MI LATERALLY AND 600 FT VERTICALLY SEPARATED.