July 28, 1997:Opening Statements - The federal conspiracy trial of Tulsan Carol Howe is living up to its billing. High drama in courtroom manoeuvring, there will be evidence allowed that may show others who may have been involved in the Oklahoma City bombing and a classic example of one lone attorney battling it out with the federal government. The main adversaries in this trial, Assistant US Attorney Neal Kirkpatrick and defense attorney Clark O. Brewster were exchanging heated barbs even before selection of the jury was finished. The first exchange came when Brewster told the prospective jurors they were the judges not only of Ms. Howe but also of the "these guys right here", pointing to the prosecutor table. As the day went along, there were so many meetings of attorneys at the bench of Federal Judge Michael Burrage, that the afternoon session was mostly taken up with secret talks. One very important ruling was made by Judge Burrage today. He denied a motion from prosecutors who sought to keep out all mention of Ms. Howes' work at Elohim City as an informant for the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. It is that undercover work that many court observers believe will eventually disclose information to show that Ms. Howes' observations should have tipped federal authorities to the Oklahoma City bombing. The last two questions to prospective jurors from prosecutor Kirkpatrick showed the level of the governments concern, about Ms. Howes' information. Kirkpatrick asked the jurors if any of them believed that the government would not have done all it could to stop the Oklahoma City bombing and if anyone believed that the government had "specific" warning of the bombing.
No one raised their hand. - After the 7 woman five man jury was selected, the prosecution gave its opening statement. Assistant US Attorney Kirkpatrick told the panel that the government would show that Carol Howe was involved in a conspiracy, did make a bomb threat, and possessed the materials necessary to make a pipe bomb. Kirkpatrick claimed that the ultimate goal of Ms. Howe and her now convicted ex-boyfriend, James Viefhaus, was to start a race war. During the afternoon, the prosecution began playing a series of tape recordings made by Mr. Viefhaus and Ms. Howe. Those recordings were played over their National Socialists Alliance of Oklahoma telephone hotline. On the tapes, Viefhaus and Howe repeatedly mention the need for "Aryans" to get ready to the coming "war" with the government. Kirkpatrick claimed that the alleged threat to bomb 15 US cities was a real threat and he can prove it. He said he could prove it by the tone of the tape recorded messages, and the literature that was found inside the couples Tulsa home. The literature at issue is widely available through mail order book stores and off the World Wide Web. Defense attorney Clark O. Brewster was able to cross examine only one witness today. That was Kenneth Piernick, the head of the FBI's Domestic Terrorism Unit. Piernick admitted that it was a call from a reporter, who apparently was looking for a story, that first alerted the FBI to the telephone message that resulted in the federal charges against Howe and Viefhaus. The call came from seasoned newspaper reporter Bill Moreland of the Spokane Spokesman-Review newspaper. During his opening argument, prosecutor Kirkpatrick claimed that the call so "scared" Mr. Moreland that he contacted the FBI's top man, agent Piernick. Some court room reporters scoffed at the notion that a telephone recording would scare veteran reporter Moreland, whose own newspaper was bombed by a sect known as the Phineas Priesthood.
Members of that sect were recently convicted of bombing the newspaper and robbing banks in Spokane. During his cross-examination of Piernick, Brewster made his point that Ms. Howe was still a working informant for the BATF when he first heard the recording and in fact had worked as an informant for the FBI for a short time. While Piernick stated that he had no idea at the time, that Ms. Howe was a BATF informant he did admit that it would have been standard procedure to contact an informant who was on the inside of a matter that the bureau was about to investigate before seeking a search warrant and conducting a raid. That left Piernick in the unenviable position of having to admit that no contact was ever attempted with Ms. Howe, before her home was raided in December of 1996. Interestingly, the leader of a now defunct neo-Nazi group that committed murders and specialized in robbing armored cars during the early 80's was obviously still very much on the minds of the FBI and federal prosecutors. Robert Mathews was the leader of a group known as "the Order". On the tape recordings, Viefhaus was heard numerous times praising Mathews who was killed in a shoot-out with FBI agents in Washington state on December 8, 1984. (note: exactly 12 years later Viefhaus and Howe put the message on their telephone answering machine that resulted in the charges they now face). Prosecutor Kirkpatrick questioned Special Agent Piernick at length about Mathews in an apparent effort to place Ms. Howe in the same league. Readers of conspiracy theorist J.D. Cash will be disappointed to learn that he won't be writing any stories about this trial, at least not first hand accounts. He was ordered out of the courtroom today because he has been subpoenaed by the PROSECUTION as a possible witness in Ms. Howe's trial. Defense attorney Brewster opted to reserve his opening statement until he begins his side of the case. While prosecutors say the trial should last only 3 or 4 days, defense attorney Brewster told the court, it very well could last longer than a week.
July 29, 1997: Tangled Webs - A far different story is beginning to emerge from the federal trial of Tulsan Carol Howe concerning her "reliability" as a confidential informant, from what the government has been saying about the former ATF operative. Since the public at large found out about Ms. Howes' work, the federal government has been telling reporters, "on background" that the former debutante turned infiltrator was "let go" because she had become unreliable or unstable. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms documents presented as evidence in her conspiracy trial today, tell a far different story. During unrelenting cross-examination, defense attorney Clark Brewster managed to weave a picture today from testimony of several FBI agents, that showed Carol Howe was highly regarded by the ATF and by some FBI agents. After Ms. Howe learned that her work as an informant had been revealed by an FBI agent, her ATF handler Agent Angela Finley-Graham wrote a Threat Assessment. In the assessment, Finley-Graham wrote that in the two years she had known Ms. Howe she never appeared to be overly paranoid or fearful and that her belief that she is in serious danger was likely real. Finley-Graham's advice to Howe was to take every precaution necessary to protect herself. Finley went on to stress the importance of Howes' work by writing that she was "the key in identifying individuals at Elohim City which is tied to the Oklahoma City bomb case." Probably the most riveting moment of the days court proceedings came, when FBI agent Chris Peters testified. Peters was part of the team of agents who searched Howes' residence in December of 1996. Peters testified that he had no knowledge of Carol Howes' work for the ATF at the time of the raid. He then testified, nervously, that ATF agent Angela Finley-Graham is his wife.
There was no explanation offered for the different last names. - After a very long and dramatic pause, defense attorney Brewster asked Agent Peters if his wife had ever mentioned that she was very upset or angry that one of her informants had been revealed by the FBI, during the spring of 1996. Agent Peters said he did remember that his wife was very upset about the matter, but insisted that he never knew the informants name. FBI agent Peter Rickel underwent nearly two hours of intense questioning from Brewster. Rickel admitted that in the spring of 1996, he had a telephone conversation with Carol Howe because he was interested in information on Elohim City. Rickel testified, however, that they never discussed Elohim City, because Ms. Howe wanted to talk about witness protection. Rickel stated that before he could begin the conversation about Elohim City, Ms. Howe advised him that the FBI had revealed to Timothy McVeigh's defense team that she had been an ATF informer. "She was very concerned about her personal safety," said Rickel who admitted that her fears were probably real. His advise was to tell Howe that she should contact the ATF. Rickel admitted that he wrote no report, did not talk to his supervisors or even check to see why the ATF was telling one of its informants, to go to the FBI for help. The testimony had the effect of showing that Ms. Howe was still an active ATF informant and highly thought of. So much so that even the FBI was calling her for information, long after the Oklahoma City bombing. It also showed, that Ms. Howe was caught in a government run-around. The agency she worked for took her fears seriously but told her to go to the FBI. The FBI told her to go to the ATF. And no one did anything to protect her. Rickel then admitted, that given those facts it would have been an option for Ms. Howe to continue her work as a member of the white supremacist movement.
Rickel added that to do so and be believable, Ms. Howe would have had to use strong rhetoric, like that which was played for the jury, from tape recordings found in her home during the FBI raid. Rickel also admitted that several FBI agents were "angered" that her work had been disclosed and were very concerned about her safety. Rickel offered no explanation for his in-action on the matter. Rickel also stated that he did not make the connection, until several hours into the raid on Ms. Howes' residence, who she was. Rickel also testified that no one else in the FBI ever mentioned or realized during preparations to raid the house who Ms. Howe was. Again today, there were fireworks between defense attorney Brewster and Assistant US Attorney Neal Kirkpatrick. Repeatedly, Brewsters objections over leading questioning of witnesses by Kirkpatrick, were sustained by Federal Judge Michael Burrage. Numerous sessions were held at the bench to settle objections. During one meeting at the bench, the court reporter was told to stop typing. During Brewsters cross-examination of FBI agent Peters, prosecutor Kirkpatrick jumped to his feet and heatedly objected claiming the information was privileged conversation between husband and wife. That too took a meeting at the bench. Kirkpatricks objection was over-ruled. It appears that the prosecution may end its case late tomorrow or early Thursday. Brewster would then present his case, and major components of Ms. Howes' undercover work are expected to be revealed for the first time. During his questioning, Brewster revealed that Ms. Howe gave the BATF over 70 briefings and made more than 47 undercover tape recordings of white supremacists. Only tidbits of her work have ever been revealed. Her entire BATF file remains under seal by order of Judge Burrage. That seal will be ripped away, once Brewster begins his case.
Other testimony from today's proceedings: Bill Moreland, reporter for the Spokesman-Review from Spokane Washington, told the court that he had spent 6 months working on a story about white supremacists in America, when he discovered the phone message on Ms. Howes' telephone answering machine. He could not remember how he got her phone number. He stated that the message, alarmed him "a bit" and he decided to contact the FBI's number one man for domestic terrorism. Moreland riled when he was asked if he had ever before been a government informant. He told defense attorney Brewster he had never been an informant and he only called because he thought the bureau should know about the message. FBI agent Ken Kaminski, a member of the December 1996 raid team. He testified about a black box that was found in Ms. Howes' converted garage, that contained a length of pipe with end caps, containers marked powder, cannon fuse, citric acid and hexamine tablets. On cross-examination, it was revealed that the citric acid was a retail item that is used to can vegetables and the hexamine tablets are used to start camp fires. The pipe with end caps turned out to be empty. FBI agent Daniel Argo, testified that it was a .40 caliber handgun he found in Ms. Howes' purse at the beginning of the search of her residence. Brewster pointed out that it wasn't a .40 caliber but a .45 semi-automatic. Argo also testified that the reason he found the gun in Ms. Howes' purse was because she asked for her medicine from the purse just after the FBI arrived on the scene. Earlier testimony from FBI agent Josh Nixon was that she didn't ask for her medicine until she had left the residence and was in the car with him and another FBI agent and he was the one who went and got her purse. FBI para-legal specialist Bart Lowrance testified that he was the one operating the video camera during the raid on Howes' home. He explained that the time and date stamp on the video showed incorrect information because he didn't know how to reset them.
July 30, 1997: Prosecution Jitters - The prosecution is nervous and it is beginning to show at the conspiracy trial of Tulsan Carol Howe. While reporters struggle to keep to the facts, on the side, they are talking about what the Tulsa US attorneys office already knows, their case in chief is in trouble. The real evidence of how nervous prosecutors are is showing up outside the courtroom. The father of Howes' convicted boyfriend was called to US Attorney Steve Lewis' office to try and convince him that his son should turn states evidence against the former ATF informant. It is known that several earlier attempts had been made to reach a deal with Viefhaus in return for his testimony against Ms. Howe. Those efforts have only increased since his conviction. Prosecutors would not be pressing Viefhaus now, if they believed their case in chief was solid. Viefhaus is standing fast and refusing to testify, either suspicious of the federal governments offers or still being loyal to his fiancee. From trial testimony it has become apparent that the couples relationship was already strained to the breaking point last December when the house they shared was raided by the FBI. FBI agent Josh Nixon gave new details today of Howes 4-hour plus interview on the day of the raid. Nixon stated that Howe told him that Viefhaus had gone, "too deep into the white supremacist movement and that he wanted to be a martyr." Nixon said that Howe told him that she agreed to stay in the relationship only after Viefhaus had agreed to see a psychiatrist because the only emotion he was capable of expressing was hatred.
Nixon also testified, that Howe admitted the couple wrote the message together, that has resulted in her current trial. However, he explained that Howe told him that she did not want the tape recording to include references to 15 US cities being bombed. Nixon said that Howe urged Viefhaus to leave that out but Viefhaus ignored her. It was also revealed that the alleged bomb threat was transmitted to Viefhaus and Howe by long time Tulsa white supremacist and former Klansman Dennis Mahon. Mahon, received the information from convicted Muskogee bomber Willie Ray Lampley. The letter from Lampley in which the original bombing was predicted has never been produced but he is scheduled to testify for the defense. Lampley is known to have already admitted that he wrote the letter to Mahon but that he did not mean that pipe bombs would be detonated, but that he had received the "prophecy that nuclear bombs", would be detonated. Part of the charges against Howe allege that she possessed the components necessary to build a pipe bomb. In other testimony today, FBI bomb technician Robert Heckman stated that the mere presence at Howes residence, of a length of pipe with end caps and gunpowder constituted the makings of an explosive device. Earlier testimony from FBI agents who discovered the pipe showed that there had not been a hole drilled in the pipe for a fuse. But the FBI expert stated a fuse hole wasn't necessary to make it an explosive device. He said that if the pipe had been loaded with explosive material, just shaking it or throwing it against something could cause it to go off, so it was an "unpredictable explosive device".
The length of pipe was removed by the Tulsa bomb squad during the FBI raid and it was found to be empty. Heckman said that he was cleared by a recent Inspector Generals office investigation into the FBI Laboratory, of charges that he crafts his testimony to fit the trial. The charges were made by whistle blower Frederic Whitehurst. However, during cross examination, Defense attorney Clark O. Brewster produced testimony that Heckman had given in February of this year in another bomb trial. In that case, Heckman told the court that the pipe bomb lacked one final step to become an explosive device..."a hole drilled in the pipe for a fuse". When the attorney in that case questioned further, Heckman testified that, "without that hole for a fuse, the device was not a bomb". When pressed by Brewster, Heckman finally admitted that there was nothing illegal about owning steel pipe and gunpowder. Prosecutors also called a pair of young men to testify. 16-year old Johnny Gamble told the jury that he contacted Howe and Viefhaus in the summer of 1996, wanting to join their organization, the National Socialists Alliance of Oklahoma. Gamble said the couple told him he was too young, but they gave him literature and the idea to start his own youth group which he dubbed, "the Fourth Reich". Gamble stated that he was referred to Howe and Viefhaus by Dennis Mahon. Under cross-examination, Gamble said that Carol Howe also instructed him to: not take drugs, be polite, stay in school, don't take a knife to school, and avoid violence.
19-year old Jesse James Allison testified that he met Gamble, Howe and Viefhaus at a fast food restaurant in Broken Arrow in 1996. Allison said that during the meeting, he revealed that his father was an electrician and that he was an apprentice. Gamble then said, "well you could help us wire the bomb". Viefhaus, he testified, then said that Gamble and he would build the bomb, Howe would deliver it and he, Allison, could wire it. Allison said Viefhaus claimed that he had given the government an ultimatum and that 15 bombs would go off around the country and a race war would start. Under cross-examination, Allison said, that Carol Howe seemed shocked at the statement. He also said that she never really took part in the conversation. While the prosecution did not officially rest their case today, they are expected to do that tomorrow morning, unless they convince Viefhaus to testify. Defense attorney Brewster is expected to begin his case tomorrow with his opening statement. He is expected to begin introducing documents from Howes' ATF work at Elohim City. Those documents are currently under seal by Federal Judge Michael Burrage. Increasing media pressure, however, may convince the Judge to unseal the files. Either way, much of the unknown work of Carol Howe is expected to begin being made public tomorrow.
July 31, 1997: The Defense Begins - The US rests. The defense begins. And true to his opening statement, defense attorney Clark O. Brewster is showing the jury a different way to look at Carol Howe and the charges she faces. The government had sought to block all references to Ms. Howes' work for the ATF as a paid confidential informant and especially her work that related to the Oklahoma City bombing. Prosecutors tried to block Brewster from calling ATF, FBI and former federal officials from coming to the witness stand. The government lost every motion it filed seeking to stop Brewster from presenting his defense case for the Tulsa woman the way he planned it. In his opening statement, Brewster told the jury that he would prove that Carol Howe was an active government informant until just after her house was raided by the FBI in December of 1996. He promised to show that much of the material that she is charged with possessing that the government claimed were the components of a bomb, were actually acquired for the ATF during her undercover work. He also promised to show that Ms. Howes' undercover work took her into the heart of a terrorist training camp where people talked daily about blowing up federal buildings, before the feds came to get them. "She is a bright, hardworking woman", he told the jury. Brewster said Ms. Howe went inside of Elohim City and brought out, telephone numbers, car license tags, names, family trees, descriptions of people - including the location and design of tattoos - drawings of buildings, pictures and a list of individuals that are involved in terrorist and criminal activity.
Brewster also described a woman who came to live in almost constant fear of her life. Faced with her identity as an informant being made public, and left with no protection from the federal agencies who paid her to do the work that put her in such danger, her only choice was to go even deeper into the white power movement. And for the first time in this case, the names of Andreas Carl Strassmeir and James Ellison have come up. Brewster said the nazi arm band that the jury saw Ms. Howe wearing in a picture used by the prosecution, was actually purchased by the former German army officer while she was working for the ATF. His first witness was Howes' former ATF handler, agent Angela Finley-Graham. In previous court hearings, Agent Graham was combative and unresponsive to Brewsters questions. Today, she was polite and referred to Brewster at all times as "sir". She even apologized for her lapses in memory and constant need to be referred to her own reports. She still had trouble recalling anything, until the documents were placed in front of her by Brewster. Even though she testified that she reviewed her entire file including over 40 tape recordings Howe made in order to get ready for her stint in the witness seat. Brewster began questioning Graham about her reports on Howes' work. In the very first report Graham wrote she told her supervisors that Elohim City had become the primary training facility for the White Aryan Resistance, a national organization of which Dennis Mahon is the number three man in charge. While Mahon was the original focus of the ATF investigation, it soon changed to a much broader probe once Ms. Howe went to the anti-government compound in far eastern Oklahoma. Grahams first report stated that Howe had learned that W.A.R. was preparing for war with the government in the near future, and was rapidly stockpiling weapons. Her first report also included a mention of the Turner Diaries.
Howe had given her ATF handler a copy of the book and told her to read it, because, "it was the bible to the people at Elohim City". The Turner Diaries was also a fixation of convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. During Brewsters sometimes heated examination of Graham, she admitted that Howe had brought her a container of Pyrex gunpowder, cannon fuse and safety matches as part of her work for the ATF. She also got a length of steel pipe from Dennis Mahon but was told it didn't mean anything. Those very items are now some of the evidence the government is using to prosecute Howe. Graham admitted that she would log in the evidence acquired from Mahon and then gave it back to Howe, telling her, "give it back to Mahon". Brewster asked if it was normal procedure to give such dangerous materials back to the target of an undercover investigation. Graham responded that there wasn't enough information to bring a charge against Mahon, besides she thought that he wanted it back. More interesting information was revealed during Brewsters questioning of Graham about her January 1995 report on Howes' work. Graham reported that James Ellison was in regular contact with Elohim City and was planning his return in April after he completed his federal probation . Ellison's Covenant, Sword and Arm of the Lord cult compound was raided by the FBI on April 19th 1985. He was convicted of charges stemming from that raid and in early 1995 was about to finish up his sentence. Graham reported that Howe had learned that Ellison planned to return to Elohim City, round up his followers and reconstruct the CSA. The report also says that the Rev. Robert Millar had revealed that he planned to consolidate his compound with other groups in Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas to get ready to fight a war with the federal government.
Millar, she wrote, had friends who died at the April 19th, 1993 raid at Waco. Ellison, it was revealed, also planned for his new militia to be armed with fully automatic weapons, and members of the Posse Comatitus of Pennsylvania had come to Elohim City to take part on the converting of weapons to fire fully automatic. Graham testified that she had wanted Howe to move into Elohim City for at least three months, but all of that came to an abrupt end, in late February and early March. After Howe sought psychiatric treatment from the pressure of working undercover, Graham said she wrote a recommendation that Howe be terminated as an informant for being unstable. But a few weeks later, one day after the Oklahoma City bombing, Ms. Howe was re-activated as an informant and sent back into Elohim City by the FBI and ATF with a substantial pay raise. Her new contract raised her pay from $25.00 per day to $400.00. Graham was also forced to finally admit, that despite limited work by Howe after her last trip to Elohim City, the former debutante was kept on the ATF active informant list until just after her house was raided in December of 1996.
Under cross-examination by the government Graham testified that Howes' work never produced any important information. That no criminal case could be made. It should be noted, that while Brewster has not brought it up as yet, it is widely known that in early 1995, the ATF and INS were planning a joint raid on Elohim City. The two federal agencies were preparing to bring in Andreas Strassmeir and the information that led to the planned raid had been developed by Carol Howe. Interestingly enough, the raid and Carol Howes' work as an informant both came to a halt in late February. An explanation for the decision by higher ups in the federal agencies to delay the raid, has never been given. A few weeks later the Alfred P. Murrah Building was bombed. The raid on Elohim City was forgotten about. Howe had told the ATF, that a group of people were meeting almost daily at Elohim City, planning ways to attack the federal government first and one of their main goals was to bomb a federal building in Oklahoma or Texas. The court session today was cut short when Ms. Howe became ill. That will likely mean that her trial will carry over into next week.
August 15, 1997 Background information - On April 22, 1985, James Ellison was pleading his innocence in a Ft. Smith Arkansas Federal courtroom. His attorney, Neal Kirkpatrick, was arguing that his client should be released on bond........... On July 28, 1987, Neal Kirkpatrick was giving his opening arguments as a federal prosecutor, seeking to convict former ATF informant Carol Howe. Both cases had one other thing in common...Elohim City. James Ellison and his followers had held an small army of lawmen at bay for four days. It ended on April 19, 1985. After his surrender lawmen found a cache of weapons, explosives, poison, a machine shop for converting weapons to full automatic fire, a training camp for domestic terrorists. Kirkpatrick would argue during the trial, that the compound started by Ellison, the Covenant, Sword and Arm of the Lord, was not to promote white supremacy but instead was a religious commune. Ellison was found guilty and began cooperating with the federal government. Every day of Ellison's trial, there was a contingent of people from Elohim City there to support him. Neal Kirkpatrick saw them and talked with them everyday. In April of 1987, the cooperation of Ellison lead to the now in-famous sedition trial at which he was the governments star witness. Ellison again found himself working with Neal Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick was no longer a defense attorney but was now working for the US Attorney's office in Ft. Smith Arkansas. Ellison and Kirkpatrick were working together to convict the nations top white supremacists of plotting to overthrow the government.
All of those charged in the case were found not guilty. One of the jurors later married one of the defendants. James Ellison went back to jail. Neal Kirkpatrick eventually ended up working for the US Attorney in Tulsa Oklahoma. Ellison is now living at Elohim City. Where Carol Howe saw him before and after the Oklahoma City Bombing. Ms. Howe reported to the ATF that Ellison planned to return to Elohim City at the end of his federal probation in April of 1995, and reconstitute his CSA in the form of a skinhead army. Howe told the ATF that a group was meeting daily at Elohim City, wearing special T-shirts which said, "Hasten ye the day", in preparation of Ellisons return. The group was talking about blowing up federal buildings. It was being led, in part, by a German national who was in the country illegally. That information led the ATF and INS to plan a joint raid on Elohim City for early spring, 1995. But the raid never happened. And Neal Kirkpatrick ended up prosecuting the informant whose work produced information that resulted in plans for a raid that if it had occurred, would have ensnared his old acquaintance Jim Ellison in another federal crime.
August 1, 1997: The Verdict - Not guilty on all counts. The verdict took about five hours to reach in Tulsa, for former ATF informant Carol Howe. Some will argue that it was the brilliant work of her defense attorney Clark O. Brewster that resulted in the acquittal. Others will claim that the facts just weren't there to prove the prosecutions case. But no one who was in the courtroom in Tulsa has any doubt what really swang the case in favor of the former debutante. Four things: first, it was clear that the majority of the evidence the government presented against Howe had actually been acquired by her on behalf of the ATF, second her testimony on the witness stand, it was far more believable than any that came from federal law enforcement agents, third the dramatic closing testimony from Ms. Howes' father and finally, the passionate and sometimes angry closing argument by her attorney. As far as the evidence was concerned, defense attorney Brewster, on the final day of the trial, showed the jury that the components that the government claimed constituted possession of an explosive device had all at one time been in the hands of the ATF. The length of pipe with end caps, the cannon fuse, the Pyrex gunpowder and even the hexamine tablets had all been acquired by Ms. Howe from former KKK leader Dennis Mahon who was the original target of her investigation. Howe got the material from Mahon but the ATF told her it did not constitute a criminal offense. For some unexplained reason, the government changed its mind when the same material was in the possession of one of their own informants. Throughout the trial, the government presented pictures, literature, books and tape recordings of Ms. Howe that they claimed showed her state of mind to be that of a neo-Nazi terrorist.
As it turned out much of the material came back to haunt the government. The tapes showed that ATF agent Angela Finley-Graham was not telling the truth during her earlier testimony. The tapes proved that Ms. Howe had told Graham about Dennis Mahons storage shed which was full of steel pipe, cannon fusing and gunpowder. The tapes showed that Ms. Howe had told Graham about her new boyfriend James Viefhaus who was convicted on the same charges last week. The tapes showed that Ms. Howe had told Graham about Mahons plans to build and use pipe bombs. Graham had claimed none of that information had ever been turned over to her. One of the pictures that the government fought to have entered as evidence, showed Ms. Howe with an unidentified male, both wearing black uniforms and wearing swastika arm bands. As it turned out, the arm bands were purchased for Ms. Howe by Andreas Strassmeir during Howes' undercover work at Elohim City. The pants she was wearing were purchased for her by ATF agent Graham in the early days of her undercover work, to help Howe appear to be properly dressed for her undercover work. While no record was ever found of Ms. Howe handing over Ragnars Big Book of Improvised Munitions to the ATF, the tapes showed she had talked to Agent Graham about the manual and that she got it from Dennis Mahon. The government had claimed it was a book that Howe was using to get ready to build a bomb and that her story was just a cover for plans to blow up something in Tulsa. When Carol Howe took the witness stand today, the courtroom was standing room only. Everyone wanted to see how the petite 26-year old handled herself.
She was very believable. Her version of what happened was far more believable than federal agents who testified against her, especially the testimony of her ATF handler, agent Angela Finley-Graham. While Graham bobbed and weaved around the questioning from Brewster and appeared to not recall much of the case as it was documented, Howe was clear, straight to the point and only had to refer to notes on a couple of occasions. Finley-Graham was constantly having to be reminded of what had actually happened in the case, and most of the time her recollections turned out to be incorrect. Even under cross-examination, Howe remained cooperative and open. While prosecutors made mistakes and appeared frustrated. At one point, Assistant US Attorney Neal Kirkpatrick sharply attacked Howe saying she made a statement on tape that showed her state of mind was that of a terrorist ready to strike. Howe calmly pointed out, she never made the statement, her ex-fiancee James Viefhaus did. The last person to testify today was Robert Howe, Carol's father. Brewster called him to the witness stand for one reason, to read a letter from Carol that had been written to her family in late August of 1994. The letter had been given to a close friend of Ms. Howe to be given to her family only, "if something happened to her". Brewster said later that it was the first time that Robert Howe had seen the letter. The writing was powerful, and before the second line was out of Mr. Howe's mouth, he was in tears. Before it was over, Brewster, his legal assistance, Carol Howe, her mother and father and other family members in the courtroom and some observers were all in tears.
In the letter, Ms. Howe told her family if they were reading it, that meant she was in the federal witness protection program. She wrote that she had gone to work for the ATF against her fathers urging and had done so with her eyes wide open. Howe wrote that she had seen the true nature of the threat to her country, "these people have the means and the desire to start a terrible war in America...they must be stopped, one group at a time." She wrote about a fight she got into with her mother, Aubyn Howe in which her mother had told her she, "had never done anything for anyone else." Howe wrote that now she had a chance to do something for every American, help stop a devastating war. She wrote that she was willing to give up her life, her name and her future. By the time Robert Howe had finished reading the letter, the prosecution knew their case was sunk. They had planned to call Ms. Howes' ex-husband as a rebuttal witness to attack her character. Instead, prosecutors sent him packing realizing that nothing else they could do would be able to erase the impact Mr. Howe's testimony had made. To conclude, Clark Brewster delivered a closing statement that was so passionate, his voice caused the sound system in the courtroom to overload. Brewster waved his arms and shouted at the prosecutors, " there was no bomb threat here, the only threat here is what the government can do to people when they don't like what you say or what you might say...I'm offended I'm outraged here. Then they say, `let's make her a convicted felon but we need accomplices', 12 of them, you 12 people, the jury. Don't let them do this. This is wrong. A way to deliver a message in this case is deliberate on a verdict promptly, with speed. Come right back and tell them NO! Five hours later, that is exactly what the jury did.
August 1, 1997: Follow-up, Opinion and Analysis - It is the story that everyone wants. Everyone has a shot at getting it first. But that's the rub, no one really wants to run the story first, at least not at the national level. The day he got this case, Tulsa attorney Clark O. Brewster lost part of his life. Friday night, a Federal Court jury gave part of it back and then took some more away. Brewsters life will likely never quite be the same. Brewster had just won what is probably the most important criminal case of his career. He had shown a jury and the national news media, that the government trumped up a case against one of their own informants, hoping it would shut her up. The Plan worked against James Dodson Viefhaus, convicted on all three counts. It didn't work against his ex-fiancee because the government was not prepared for Clark Brewster. And now Carol Howe will get her chance to talk, the only question is, to who. Carol Howe has become the interview of the year. No other interview has been more sought after. Penthouse offered $10,000, but they didn't want the story as much as the pictures. That offer never was in the running, as far as Mr. Brewster was concerned. Brewster knows exactly what he will face every morning. Phone messages, faxes, e-mail, express mail, fed-ex, you name a message delivery system and the worlds news media have used it to try and get an interview with Carol Howe. Her noted Tulsa defense attorney has turned down, everyone. Only J.D. Cash has interviewed Carol Howe and that was before her home was raided by the FBI in early December of 1996. Cash got the interview, only because Dennis Mahon of WAR fame kept bugging him to go talk to, "Freya and Thorsen", their handles in the movement. Mahon has tried to distance himself from Carol Howe ever since.
The problem with the stories Mr. Cash produced is that some of the basic facts are in dispute. But his account has spread so far and wide that no matter what Ms. Howe tells the news media now, she will likely be dogged with the same bottom line, "you didn't actually give the ATF or anyone else, specific threat information before the Oklahoma City bombing." In his courtroom presentation this week, Brewster has made it clear, NO one ever said she did provide such a warning. Mr. Cash's story, however, so muddied the water on the facts that this story has yet to pull itself out of the muck. The truth of the story is...Carol Howe gave the ATF so much valuable information on the activities of people of Elohim City, that the ATF and INS were planning a joint raid on the cult compound. It was called off, for reasons that are not clear, in early March of 1996. Elohim City is: politically way-far-right, neo-Nazi, Phineas Priesthood, a White Aryan Resistance Terrorist training camp, home of the Aryan Republican Army bank robbers and the base of operations for all white supremacist criminal activity in America. Skinheads from all over the Unites States have "graduated from Elohim City". And this has been going on for over 10 years. The FBI knows this. The ATF knows this. The INS knows this. The CIA knows this. The Pentagon knows this. The State Department knows this. The US Justice Department knows this. The German government Knows This. And this is NOT a conspiracy. It's just a fact.
Elohim City is undoubtedly one of the most heavily investigated places on the map. Former FBI agent James Rodgers had developed a massive FBI raid on Elohim City in 1988 but it was called off for reasons that have never been clear. Even then, the FBI knew that Elohim City was stockpiling automatic weapons. And who got sent in to spy on the place. Carol Howe. She heard so much stuff in her first few visits, that she was exploding with information. Her notes are filled with more details that most federal lawmen get from an informant in a life-time. Names, places, pictures, family-trees, descriptions of people including eye color and tattoos, diagrams, license plates, telephone numbers, meetings, dates, times, travel plans, associates, plans for the future, current operations, it has to be seen to be appreciated. The point the news media has missed is this. It's not that Carol Howe ever gave the feds a clear, direct and specific threat report involving a bombing in Oklahoma City. She gave them everything they needed to start rounding up the people who were behind it. The morning after the bombing, a person who has been a long-time source of information on Elohim City for the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, was called to Oklahoma City. He/she meet with 6 federal agents in a motel room at 6:00 in the morning. When he/she arrived there were sleeping bodies on the floor. The agents had managed a couple of hours of rest. He/she was their very first assignment of the day. The agents and the source talked for over an hour. They went to work, the source continued on his/her way. The FBI or at least several agents knew within hours, where the bombing came from. They knew Elohim City was involved. They knew Andreas Strassmeir, who is now in Dublin Ireland drinking in bars with members of Sinn Fein, was a key in their investigation. Not because, "everyone was in on it."
The agents knew in part, because of Carol Howe and because information on what goes on at E.C. has been flowing in for a very long-time. For some reason, the place continues to exist. Many of their members, followers, supporters and associates, however, are in jail or are about to be. Clark Brewster wanted to admit into evidence during Ms. Howe's trial, research that showed that since the summer of 1994, 37 people either from Elohim City or closely affiliated with it have run afoul of the law. When it came time to introduce the research, it had been mis-placed in that big stack of documents he wheeled into the courtroom every morning. That list included the entire Aryan Republican Army/Midwestern Bank bandits cell, a couple of Christian Identity preachers, Tim McVeigh, lots of skinheads and soon members of a Phineas Priest skinhead cell that has been killing people all over the country. That includes a family from Arkansas. The Muellers. Because arrests have not been made yet, to go any further into this matter now may jeopardize impending arrests. However, the people who will be charged with that killing, have direct ties to Elohim City. And the Muellers were killed in part, to send a message to anyone who was thinking about, `ratting off' . No wonder Carol Howe went somewhat nuts and feared for her life. The Mueller murders claimed three lives, Bill and Nancy and their 8-hear old daughter. Pulled from their home at gun point. Taken to a bayou. Bound with handcuffs hand and foot. Plastic bags tied around their heads with duct tape. A 40 pound boulder tied to the three of them. And then tossed into the murky water. Their bodies were not found for six months. All of that story for another time.
Carol Howe was sent into a nightmare, by an ATF agent who was new to the job. Angela Finley-Graham likely had no idea what she was getting into. Carol and her both found out soon enough. There was another Waco type confrontation in the offing. Only this time it would not have been the feds sealing off a big building. This time the feds would have to go into the Cookson Hills of Oklahoma. Outlaws have gone there to hide from the law since law came to the former Indian Territory. To this day, there are parts of the Cookson Hills that you don't go into unless you know someone. Makes no difference who or what you are. The legends abound about the place. Some say a big load of stolen gold was hidden back up the hills in a cave by Jesse & Frank James and it's still there. So is Elohim City. Right in the middle of it. Elohim City is booby trapped, and patrolled day and night. The only chance law enforcement has against the place is a full military, commando, Navy Seal/82nd Airborne, total sneak attack and even then lots of people will die. After Waco, no matter how bad the people out there have been, the US government doesn't think it can take the fallout such a raid might cause. Somewhere, in her writings, her meticulous notes, is the information that the US government doesn't want anyone else to know. It's not that Carol Howe knew the building was going to be bombed. It's that her information holds the key to the rest of the people involved. Once that gets out you will find, many of the co-conspirators in the Oklahoma City bombing are already in jail. The problem is, the guys who were really behind it all still aren't. The feds haven't yet found a way to take them down. Since the mid-80's the Federal Government has been trying to quietly put the main figures behind white supremacy in America, behind bars. They are still working on it. The reason they want to keep it quiet...white supremacy has a way of spreading, mutating, drawing in new recruits.
The government can't afford to take another big shot and miss. In 1988 the feds tried with the well publicized sedition trial in Arkansas. Every defendant, the kingpins of hate in America walked away free, except those who had to go back to prison on previous convictions. In 1990, at the wedding of long-time white supremacist lawyer Kirk Lyons in Hayden Lake Idaho - home of the Aryan Nation- the Rev. Robert Millar was introduced to the other leaders of the movement as the man who would provide the place to train a new army. That army now boasts hundreds of foot soldiers, scattered all over the country. Thousands of weapons. Millions of rounds of ammunition. Stolen military equipment from rocket launchers and shoulder fired missiles to chemical weapons. The Federal Government knows, understands, and is scared to death of the real threat these people pose. Carol Howe walked into the middle of it. How she is still alive, is but by the grace of God. When her full story gets out, and somehow it will, the federal government knows that the lid will be off the story. The militarization of American civilians on their own has been underway for a very long time. She was not wrong when she wrote to her father in a secret letter in August of 1994, that "these people have the means and desire to start a war that would be devastating to America. They must be stopped." The souls of at least 168 people from Oklahoma City won't rest, until they are stopped. Carol Howe will be a really good interview (Carol Howe).
RELATED READING:
Pink Noise
Government Madness Proof
Communicating Via the Microwave Auditory Effect
Modern Human Experimentation / Torture
Alan Yu Story (Revision-10-22-95)
She Warned the Government About the Oklahoma City Bombing
The Carol Howe case and testimony.
Undercover: The Howe Revelations
Did the Federal Government Have Prior Knowledge of the Oklahoma City Bombing?
Timeline: Oklahoma bomb
The Oklahoma City Bombing & The Trial of Timothy McVeigh
Pink Noise
Government Madness Proof
Communicating Via the Microwave Auditory Effect
Modern Human Experimentation / Torture
Alan Yu Story (Revision-10-22-95)
She Warned the Government About the Oklahoma City Bombing
The Carol Howe case and testimony.
Undercover: The Howe Revelations
Did the Federal Government Have Prior Knowledge of the Oklahoma City Bombing?
Timeline: Oklahoma bomb
The Oklahoma City Bombing & The Trial of Timothy McVeigh
