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Esquire's Phil Bacharach: Oklahoma Bomber Tim McVeigh's Letters

by Susan Marie Kovalinsky | April 19, 2010 at 12:06 pm

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Esquire journalist Phil Bacharach revisits his time interviewing Oklahoma Federal building bomber Timothy McVeigh, and the packet of letters he received from the terrorist in 1996.

McVeigh, in person, and in his letters, appears intelligent, charming, cheerful, articulate, and without any sense of remorse:

You quote me as saying that the FBI are "wizards at PR." What I actually said is that they are wizards of propaganda--which Webster's defenes as "information or ideas methodically spread to promote or injure a cause." This is where I drew the parallel between the FBI's efforts in my case, and those at Waco.

Tim McVeigh's Demeanor in Prison

McVeigh greeted Bacharach with a warm smile and a boyish laugh, a polite handshake, and joked about Oklahoma media and New York winters.

He looked forward to watching Seinfeld episodes, joked about being moved to a better section of the prison, which had lots of cable TV stations ("so many movies, so little time"), and fussed over what negative things the media might say about him, that would mar his image.

When Terry Nichols was brought into the prison, he cheerfully informed the journalist, like a businessman talking about one of his associates ("Oh, Terry Nichols arrived today.").

Indeed, this is a young man who went to his death, by all reports, happily. He had the personality of a soldier, with the congenial aloofness and business-like attitude to "what had to be done."

He clucked over the media making so much of "The Turner Diaries," and it is difficult to find anything - other than his crime - which is in any way "off" about him.

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stejeb

at 12:29 on April 19th, 2010

I find it strange that people are so surpirised every time a nutcase is revealed to be a "very normal type" in the way they appear to others, how many times do we hear that?

To say that terrorism is a "political act, with political targets" doesn't exactly ring true when you consider that the victims of terrorism are almost exclusively civilian, with no power to make change or meet their demands....it should rather be described as an act of cowardice against an innocent population unable to defend itself against psychopaths bent on destroying the fabric of civilisation for obscure, often personal or religious ideals.

Far from being "war", it is purely and simply criminal behaviour....murder.

Susan Marie Kovalinsky

at 12:51 on April 19th, 2010

Yes, I think the Esquire journalist wanted to rid people of the delusion that this was in any way a "madman". But this makes the crime worse, not better. I think McVeigh went to his death not the slightest bit disturbed or remorseful.

Karen Hatter

at 13:15 on April 19th, 2010

Susan, it has been my experience that pretending those that do horrendous, anti social acts are out of the ordinary, demented mad men, gives comfort to those who don't want to face the reality that there are those that walk among us that are not necessarily easily identifiable, who are capable of such behavior, disconnected from any remorse.

Rory Cripps

at 14:09 on April 19th, 2010

Karen: Yeah! I know what you mean. I know a couple of people like that. I just tell them that if they F with me I'll shoot 'em in the head. Funny thing is that they believe me. :)