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In Bad Company: America's Terrorist Underground

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The author has offered himself as an expert in the field as a PhD, university criminology professor and author of numerous related materials.

Throughout the entire book there is not one footnote, not one attribution to connect definitive statements (statements offered as fact in most instances) or quotes to actual and credible sources. Instead, in the "Notes" section, the author states, "To facilitate the narrative, sources for each chapter have been gathered into one single note." Then follows a list of references grouped by chapter. This is hardly an authoritative or scholarly method to support a work product that makes such significant conclusions; allegedly based on factual research.

Most of the conspiracy conclusions are centered on the thinnest of speculation by claiming broad overlapping timelines based on some simplistic statistical probability that allegedly connect Timothy McVeigh to Peter Langan, Richard Lee Guthrie, and others, and the Aryan Republican Army (ARA) to the Oklahoma City bombing.

The problem with the conclusions is that none of the source material is properly identified and quoted, or, is erroneously used to prove a weak theory.

For instance, the author bases much of his conclusions on the ninety-one page FBI initial two-week debriefing (FD-302) of Guthrie and Guthrie's "manuscript" (a 315 page handwritten story, entitled The Taunting Bandits, he wrote in jail between his arrest in January and his suicide in July 1996). I for one know that material because I wrote the FD-302, spent hundreds of hours with Guthrie, read the "manuscript" carefully, along with all the other material of an extensive nearly four year FBI investigation into ARA and its bank robbery and white supremacist activities.

Without attribution, the author, to use a phrase, cherry-picks, out of context statements that support this broad conspiracy theory--but completely ignores--explicit and factual material that totally disproves his weak conclusions. The book is peppered with; could have's, would have's, may's and perhap's, without foundation. Knowing the record of this case, it's apparent that the author made up things as he went along. It would be impossible to legitimately source some of the author's allegedly factual claims.

The factual and substantive errors in the book would literally take another book to document and explain. Aside from the erroneous statements in pages 171-174, two other key definitive statements that support the author's theories, page 291 that "...details of the connection were explained in "The Taunting Bandits," and page 263 regarding a supposed meeting with McVeigh in Arkansas, are simply not true and cannot be proven by the author.

If In Bad Company was fiction, it would have been either ignored or dismissed, but that it purports to be a factual basis for alternative theories for April 19, 1995, it is dreadfully lacking in credibility and does a disservice to the victims and their families.

When Hamm sticks to telling the story of Pete Langan and his Aryan Republican Army cohorts, he does a passable job. His sometimes huge jumps in logic to connect Tim McVeigh to the ARA muddy the book. Hamm does not make as strong a case as he thinks when trying to convince a reader that McVeigh was tied to these guys. Hamm's thesis is that McVeigh was a "slash-and-burn" terrorist who didn't have the skill, patience or brains to plan a big project on his own (in his previous "Apocalypse," he makes the case that McVeigh was also a drug addict). Yet the guy sat silently and patiently for six years in prison and went to his death without opening his mouth while Langan told Hamm his story and Richard Guthrie chose prison suicide over time in the slammer. For a not-too-bright "slash-and-burn" criminal, McVeigh did pretty well keeping his mouth shut and being patient. A lot of the connections Hamm makes seem not too well grounded in fact. For example, he discusses a letter he received from McVeigh's Death Row pal David Hammer in reply to one Hamm sent to McVeigh about a robbery mentioned in the book. McVeigh supposedly tells Hammer to write back with the names of guys from the ARA, thereby proving to Hamm that McVeigh is acquainted with these guys. The content of the letter and any follow-up with Hammer or McVeigh then die in their tracks. There's not a lot of good reporting here, just a lot of theories.

Author Hamm has written a silly book. If he would just call it fiction stop pretending that it is an academic work it would be more honest - but then it would not be as good as books by Joseph Wambaugh or John Grisham.

For the record the largest FBI probe in history (prior to Sept. 11) investigated the Oklahoma City bombing for years and found none of the conspiracies that Hamm writes about.

Hamm claims that his subjects ("targets" would be a more appropriate word) - right-wingers - are motivated by "conspiracy theories." But he himself concocts a ridiculous conspiracy theory in which a half dozen sexually perverted teenagers - who would stick out in San Francisco much less the Midwest - run around the country for months robbing banks and planting bombs - all the while eluding the FBI.

This book reads like a long press release from the Anti-Defamation League or the Southern Poverty Law Center trying to drum up contributions to stop "white supremacy" - e.g. the silly rantings of poor, working-class white kids who, far from being supreme, have neither power, education, or influence in American society.

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Hamm's silly conspiracy-mongering is a sad indictment of Indiana State University which allows him to masquerade as a criminologist.

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I have not yet completed the book but find it factually interesting. One of the previous reviews faulted the author as attempting to convince the reader that a group of 6 ARA members could elude capture and the reviewer felt this was unlikely. Having arrested one of the ARA members and knowing several of the others (I went to high school with several of them and one lived down the street when I was growing up), I can say his facts are pretty accurate. Guthrie evaded capture for years. There are strong ties with several of these individuals to McVeigh. I disagree with any Government coverup theories and strongly disagree with the author's theories on "macho" militarism regarding the FBI and HRT. After arresting one of the individuals 10 years ago, I was able to look through the ARA garbage he carried with him. The book does give the reader an insight into this dangerous movement. From a "home boy" perspective, the book is interesting.

Think there wasn't a conspiracy and government cover up in the OKC bombing? I suggest you get 'Secrets Worth Dying For' as soon as it comes out on paperback. I have read the electronic copy from 1stbooks.com and have found it to be the most convincing and ironically credible book regarding the bombing yet. And I say ironically because it is penned by two of McVeigh's prison buddies. He spilled all to them and the story he told them jives SO closely with the known evidence that it's almost SCARY. Scary to know that there are rougue organizations in our government that would go THAT far to discredit and destroy the right wing militia movement. Langan was used in this effort BY McVeigh, who was quite obviously a government operative. Guthrie was also used as was Strassmeir. If you think there was not government assistance in this bombing you are sadly naive-you need to take a look at the evidence and the witnesses as well as Cary Gagan's PROOF that he contacted authorities regarding the plan to bomb the Murrah in the months before the bombing. He was ignored, yet no ATF workers showed up for work on April 19,1995. Like I said, read Hammer's book-it is going to blow this case WIDE OPEN.

In Bad Company: America's Terrorist Underground by Mark S. Hamm (Professor of Criminology, Indiana State University) is a timely, ground breaking, seminal work of impressive scholarship and expertise. Professor Hamm carefuly and meticulously presents an informative survey of one of the most important and potentially lethal American clandestine paramilitary underground organizations -- The Aryan Republican Army (ARA). This was the group associated with Timothy McVeigh and embraces a violent neo-Nazi subculture that compels domestic terrorist activities and attacks against their fellow Americans. In Bad Company presents a complete history of the ARA, including the troubled life histories of its founders, profiles of "foot soldiers" in the movement, the role of the White Supremacy movement and Christian identity in support of a range of criminal acts ranging from tax evasion to assassination. In Bad Company is essential reading for students of domestic terrorism and is as timely as today's newspaper headlines.

Much of "In Bad Company" centers on possible links between Tim McVeigh and the Aryan Republican Army -- and examines a multiple John Doe No. 2 theory that will keep you awake nights.

All in all, a well-written, fast-paced -- and extremely disturbing book.

This book is the best, most factual book I have read about the far right conspiracy in America and those who denigrate it must have some sort of ax to grind. Hamm not only backs up his theories concerning John Doe in the Oklahoma City bombing, the photos he presents are indisputable. With all we know of the FBI's incompetence following the 9-11 attack, they can only be complemented for jailing all of these guys, although they didn't seem to know why they were doing it and many of the conspirators are ready to walk out of prison today. If you don't believe this is true, check the book reviews on a book written by one of their own,
Richard K. Hoskins, Vigilantes of Christendom.