Lou Michel - American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing

Praise for

AMERICAN TERRORIST

SOME STORIES MUST BE TOLD, EVEN A KILLERS. Potentially an important contribution to history. The story of McVeighs rationale for killing is a chilling one.Michel and Herbeck should be applauded for pursuing the story with dogged determination.

New York Daily News

SOLID, SURPRISING IN THIS IMPECCABLY REPORTED BOOK, MICHEL AND HERBECK TELL US MUCH about the man who is arguably the most notorious American criminal [of his time] American Terrorist represents good journalism and an honest attempt to honor shades of gray in a story people desperately want, maybe even need, to see in black and white.

Cleveland Plain Dealer

Information about McVeigh may help us to prevent tragic stories like his from happening again.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

ILLUMINATING, FRIGHTENING.

Albany Times Union

MICHEL AND HERBECK HAVE GIVEN US THE BEST SNAPSHOT TO DATE ABOUT THE MIND OF THIS MAN.

Daily Oklahoman

Michel and Herbeck did what reporters are supposed to do. They answered our questions about how and why McVeigh carried out this crime, and by filling in the blanks helped us to make sense of this seemingly senseless puzzle. THEY COMPLETE AN IMPORTANT STORY.

Newsday

A GOOD BOOKA VALUABLE BLUEPRINT of just how twisted a seemingly ordinary life can become. American Terrorist unfolds as the warped reflection of the American Dream.

Fort Worth Star-Tribune

Undoubtedly, many details of the tragedy will be tough to take, but UNDERSTANDING PAINFUL HISTORY IS SOMETIMES AN OBLIGATION.

Minneapolis Star Tribune

WE KNOW WHO DID THIS. AND NOW WE CAN KNOW MORE THAN JUST HIS NAME.

Cincinnati Enquirer

The book provides those who have followed the case with some new information. While McVeigh gets to tell his story, much of the book is downright unflattering and frequently damning.

Tulsa World

AMERICAN TERRORIST IS THE CLOSEST WELL GET TO THE OFFICIAL TESTIMONY OF TIMOTHY MCVEIGH. The authors are to be praised for their persistence and hard work in producing this explanation of a senseless, murderous act.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

We cannot honor the victims unless we understand why they became victims. We are obligated to explore the world and words of a man who committed a hate crime of this magnitude.

Peoria Journal Star

All photographs in this book, unless otherwise credited, are courtesy of the McVeigh family.

Copyright 2001, 2002 by Lou Michel and Dan Herbeck

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First Avon Books paperback printing: January 2002

First HarperCollins hardcover printing: May 2001

Printed in the U.S.A.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN: 978-1-6822249-5-3

To our wives, Barbara Michel and Joyce Herbeck, whose love and patience made this work possible

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This was not an easy story to tell. We neededand receivedmuch help. First and foremost, we would like to thank God for lifting us up, removing obstacles, and showing us the way forward so many times during the five years it took us to research and write this book.

We dedicate this work to our loving and supportive wives and childrenBarb, Chris, Brian, and Amy Michel; and Joyce, Rich, and Chris Herbeck. As husbands and dads, we couldnt be luckier or more proud.

We are in deep gratitude to the people in the book business who were willing to take a chance on a controversial book by two new authors. We thank our agent, Noah Lukeman of Lukeman Literary Management Ltd. in New York City, and everyone at ReganBooks and HarperCollins, especially publisher Judith Regan, our brilliant and levelheaded editor, Calvert D. Morgan, Jr., his assistant, Jamilet Ortiz, managing editors Cassie Jones and Kim Lewis, and publicist Jennifer Suitor. We also appreciate the sage legal advice of our attorneys, Terrence M. Connors and Victor Kovner. It would be remiss to leave out the federal Bureau of Prisons, which allowed us many hours of access to Timothy McVeigh. For that we are deeply appreciative, and we hope that the bureau will continue to open its doors to journalists.

We are fortunate to work with a wonderful group of reporters and editors at an outstanding newspaper, the Buffalo News . We are especially indebted to three News copy editors who, on their own time, provided invaluable help and expertiseGene Krzyzynski, Kevin Noonan, and Joseph Roland. We also appreciate the patience and cooperation of our editors, especially Margaret Sullivan, Stephen Bell, Edward Cuddihy, Stan Evans, Bill Flynn, and retired editor Murray B. Light.

The News staffers whose advice and encouragement helped to keep us pushing on are too many to mention, but we would like to thank David Valenzuela, Andrew Bailey, Gene Warner, Mike Beebe, Mike Vogel, George Gates, Robert J. McCarthy, Kevin Collison, Roger Durant, Jerry and Barb Sullivan, Henry Davis, Susan Martin, Donn Esmonde, Tom Buckham, Agnes Palazzetti, Pat Lakamp, Larry Felser, Karen Brady, Susan LoTempio, Charles Bud Anzalone, Peter Simon, Jay Rey, Jim Staas, Janice Habuda, Brian Meyer, Sharon Linstedt, Chet Bridger, Harold McNeil, Tom Ernst, Jay Bonfatti, Phil Fairbanks, Charity Vogel, Elizabeth Gaughan, Randy Rodda, Mark Sommer, Carolyn Raeke, Bruce Andriatch, Rod Watson, Laura Winchester, Margaret Kenny, Richard Baldwin, Mary Muzyka, Bobbie Rein, Dick Bradley, Tom Dolan, Jean Westmoore, Dom Catalano, Jim and Sue Kelley, David Robinson, Mary Kunz, Andy Galarneau, Lauri Githens, Margaret Hammersley, James Heaney, Jerry Zremski, Dave Condren, Jim Brennan, Tony Cardinale, Gerald Goldberg, Vic Carucci, Jack Connolly, Louise Continelli, Jeff Simon, Paula Voell, Ed Kelly, Bob Summers, Dick Haynes, Paul Price, Lonnie Hudkins, Scott Thomas, and Rick Stanley.

So many others, from so many walks of life, have also helped us, including: Alice Holland, Lou and Mary Michel, Bill Michel, Patricia Muscarella, Maryanne Cox, Jacqueline Michel, Regina Barone, Rosemary Michel, Bobby Michel, Anthony Michel, Tommy Quigley, Fran and Eleanor Malczynski, Roy and Maryann Tripi, Mary Yeskoot, Peter Yeskoot, Susan Muchow, Rosemary Johnston, Esther and Lionel Barrick, Jim and Diane Thompson, Father Stephen Collins, Father Jerome Machar, Monsignor James Campbell, Sister Noreen McCarrick, Jimmy Breslin, Lee Brown, Leo Damore, Marshall Brown, Joe Mombrea, Marc Lacey, Juan Forero, Carmen Granto, Lynn Hemmings, Lew Jeckovich, Richard Kloch, Phil Kiefer, Gary Luczak, Bob Calabrese, Charles W. Beinhauer, Maryanne Murphy, James Giammaresi, Edward Hempling, Joseph Riga, Lauren and Matt Krzyzynski, Harry and Mary Lou Herbeck, Joe and Dawn Herbeck, Patty and Bill Charles, Betty and Ray Reformat, Larry and Betsy Hertel, Anne Marie Gorlewski, Richard Duke Abbott, Jeff Balsom, Richard and Nancy Holland, Corky Cray, Leo Garrison, Thomas H. Burton, Lisa Flynn, Thomas Eoannou, Frank Clark, Don and Nancy Flaig, Peter and Sandy Cammarata, Craig Toth, Joe Flaig, Dick Flaig, Bob Schreck, Cate McCauley, Doug and Paulette Pagano, Greg Zoerb, Bill Bodkin, Matt Murphy III, Gabe DiBernardo, Glenn Murray, John Molloy, Mike Taheri, Joseph Terranova, Mary Murray, Tom Beilein, Denise ODonnell, Paul Moskal, Bernard Tolbert, Norman Toy, Father Pete Brophy, Dennis Vacco, Father Paul Seil, Dave Gorlewski, Monica Roland, Bob Penders, George Maziarz, Rocco J. Diina, Larry J. Baehre, Paul Cambria, Lee Coppola and the Russell J. Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication at St. Bonaventure University, the mass communications program at Buffalo State College, all the judges and staffers at U.S. District Court in Buffalo, David Belding and R. Gil Kerlikowske, and the men and women of the Buffalo Police Department. Also thanks to Elmer Arnet, Thomas Fowler, and Glenn Koeppel.