Aberration in the Heartland of the Real: The Secret Lives of Timothy McVeigh

by Wendy S. Painting

the Wild West, McVeigh formed relationships with a number of high profile Neo-Nazis, other white supremacists and former or aspiring terrorists. When questioned by the FBI, a number of people said they recognized McVeigh and had seen him before, but that they knew him by other names including Tim Tuttle and Sergeant Mac. McVeigh admitted to his attorneys that he had used these and other aliases as well as disguises during his travels and interactions with his many “underground right wing connections” who, unlike movement spokespeople, avoided the limelight so they could engage in their activities unimpeded. Among the organized groups he associated himself with were the Aryan Nations and National Alliance, whose founder wrote The Turner Diaries. McVeigh attended at least one Bullhead City National Alliance chapter meeting and in the days before the bombing, placed at least ten calls to their regional headquarters (located near Kingman, Arizona in Bullhead City). McVeigh explained that he was looking for an “Army” to disseminate literature and progress his rebellion further and although he never found it, he came close with the Bullhead National Alliance. His occasional allusions to a much larger group of conspirators consistently wavered.