The Oklahoma City Bombing and the Politics of Terror

This book is extremely well researched and stunning in its conclusions. That this event could happen as described should shake to the core every American's faith in governments and their law enforcement institutions.A note on reading the book: it is extremely dense. It is easy to lose site of the forest in each chapter as you hack your way through the trees. A clearer focus on story line instead of overwhelming us with an incredible density of detail would have made what is already a powerful read even more powerful. Also, I think the credibility of the author's message would have been enhanced if he just let the chilling facts speak for themselves, rather than resorting, at times, to shrill and childish editorializing.However, neither of these criticisms should dissuade anyone from reading this book. As a matter of fact, it should be required reading for all people of democratic societies to rid them of the naive belief that governments work in the best interest of the people they supposedly serve.Without intending to sound too cliche, it is people like David Hoffman who are the true defenders of the Bill of Rights in the American Constitution.If this book interests you, you might also like any non-fiction by Gore Vidal (a big proponent of this book), Christopher Hitchens (The Trial Of Henry Kissenger, No One Left To Lie To) and the "fiction" of James Ellroy (American Tabloid, The Cold Six Thousand).

Like most of the people who read this book I was shocked and saddened by what I learned. At one time I would have dismissed books like this as conspiracy. But I happened to see it at a used book store one day right after McVeigh was executed and remembered seeing a few family members of the victims on TV (very briefly, since the camera's moved on quickly from them) saying they wanted more investigations, and the other suspects that were reported by witnesses to be found. They were sayng that justice has not been done. Also about this time the FBI was in the news for withholding documents in that Alabama church bombing in the 60's, and for the 3000 pages of documents that mysteriously re-appeared just before the execution. (In the book McVeigh's attorney had stated all along that they were not forthcoming with all the information they had). In addition, an expose about this was on '60 Minutes' with agents being interviewed. So I bought it, and I have since continued to read other books like it. It is disappointing and disheartening to learn the truth, but sticking my head in the sand is not the solution. As the title indicates, the book is not just about the Oklahoma bombing, but the politics of terror in general. It is full of information we never knew about our government, and many dirty dealings. And after the 9/11 attack, many things mentioned in the book were validated even more, if there was any doubt. As mentioned by another person, it was poorly edited, but it should be no surprise that it would be hard to get any of the better and well known publishers to take this book. It's just unforunate that most of America prefers to be willfully ignorant and oblivious, and will not bother to read this or any other book like it. If they weren't so content sitting on the sofa and ordering pizza, and instead read this kind of material, we might have a real people's movement in this country and demand better conduct from our leaders--especially abroad. Then we might not be so hated around the world and we might not be under attack now. It's sad to see how ignorant our people are compared to the rest of the world.

This is an important book. It will not be available for long, so buy it NOW. The heaps of amazing quotations from former CIA directors alone, are worth 4 times the cover price. The details of the OKC event will prove to you that the Washington D.C. asylum is run by brilliant, and very, very creepy lunatics and criminals. If you can winnow out a few gaffs here and there, and collect the gems, you will see our Federal Government increasingly as a hog should regard an Oscar Meyer hotdog plant. The coincidence between a planned, national raid on militia groups three weeks before the OKC bombing - and the toothskin prevention of those raids by Texas Rep Steven Stockman, raises a really sickening possibility that becomes clear, if you BUY this book. Jane C. Graham, a HUD worker in the Murrah building wants the feds to know that people like her are NOT expendable for the sakes of their sting-operations-gone-bad. Are all of us expendable for the sake of the right sort of Reichstag event? Was the OKC bombing a sting operation, or an officially sanctioned event? In order to prime your credibility to the real possibilities, order Day of Deceit by Robert B. Stinnet on the Pearl Harbor event. With that in mind, buy and read Hoffman.

Given the incredible detail the author includes, the references and footnotes, the book is an amazingly fast read. A fascinating analysis of all parts of the bombing and the people associated with it.

This enormous compendium of information about the Oklahoma City Bomb contextualizes that event with the data that official investigations and the press have abandoned now that the fix is in and Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols have been declared the lone bombers. It supplements Jim Keith's previous work, OKBomb!, in many ways, crissing-crossing what's in that book , adding to its body of knowledge and examining the OKC bomb as part of the "politics of terror" strategy that currently dominates international affairs. It includes an introduction by Oklahoma State Representative Charles Key adapted from an appeal letter that "does not necessarily imply Rep. Key's endorsement of the author's conclusions," noting also that author Hoffman and Key shared investigative leads and information. One conclusion that Key no doubt would affirm is the basic premise of the book: federal agencies know far more about the Oklahoma City bombing than they're willing to admit.