Author Description

In a work that is sure to stir controversy, Hamm convincingly argues that the force used by the FBI during the sieges at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, and at Randy Weaver's cabin in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, followed by an unwillingness to admit to errors in judgment, fueled the radical right's suspicion and hatred of the federal government and provided the motive for the explosion in Oklahoma City. According to the author, the incidents at Ruby Ridge and Waco became rallying symbols of excessive government intervention for right-wing activists with ideologies of varying extremes. Hamm skillfully untangles the complex web of catalysts that contributed to the conspiracy to bomb the Murrah Building, and uncovers startling revelations about the groups and individuals involved in terrorist activities against the government. He considers the importance of April 19 as a symbolic date for the radical right; discusses the role of Christian Identity, a theology that gives the blessing of God to the racist cause; and examines the significance of The Turner Diaries, a popular novel among militia groups that details a blueprint for anti-government violence. Hamm also discloses that a plan to bomb the Murrah Building was devised as early as 1983 by Christian Identity member Richard Wayne Snell. The author offers bold insights into the ways in which suspects Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were motivated by these influences. Hamm delves into the differences and similarities of their backgrounds, revealing that the seeds for the destructive blast may have been planted when these two men were brought together in the U.S. Army. McVeigh and Nichols, he argues, were loose cannons on the outer fringes of the radical right. Their misguided plan to avenge Ruby Ridge and Waco brought the weight of adverse public opinion on militia groups and set the movement in decline.