Lot 1673
TIMOTHY MCVEIGH''S ESSAY ON "HYPOCRISY" IN RESPONSE TO OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING
TIMOTHY MCVEIGH (1968 - 2001) American terrorist who detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. The attack killed 168 people, including many children, and injured over 600. This remains the most significant act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. Insightful and provocative A.Ms.S., 5pp. folio, Florence, Colorado, March 1998, an essay submitted by McVeigh while incarcerated at the ADX Florence "Supermax" facility, to alternative right-wing magazine "Media Bypass". McVeigh, writing in black ink on yellow legal notepaper, seeks to highlight what he views as the hypocrisy between the American response to his bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and the bombing of foreign countries, most particularly Iraq, by the U.S. military. In small part: "...I suggest that one study the histories of World War I, World War II, and other ''regional'' conflicts that the U.S. has been involved in to familiarize themselves with the use of ''weapons of mass destruction''. Remember Dresden? How about Hanoi? Tripoli? Baghdad? What about the big ones - Hiroshima and Nagasaki?... If Saddam is such a demon, and people are calling for war crimes charges and trials against him and his nation, why do we not hear the same cry for blood directed at those responsible for even greater amounts of ''mass destruction'' - like those responsible and involved in dropping bombs on the cities mentioned above? The truth is, the U.S. has set the standard when it comes to the stockpiling and use of weapons of mass destruction. Hypocrisy when it comes to the death of children? In Oklahoma City, it was family convenience that explained the presence of a daycare center placed between street level and the law enforcement agencies which occupied the upper floors of the building. Yet when discussion shifts to Iraq, any daycare center in a government building instantly becomes ''a shield''. Think about that...Yet another example of this nation''s blatant hypocrisy is revealed by the polls which suggest that this nation is greatly in favor of bombing Iraq. In this instance, the people of the nation approve of bombing government employees because they are ''guilty by association'' - they are Iraqi government employees. In regard to the bombing in Oklahoma City, however, such logic is condemned. What motivates these seemingly contradictory positions? Do people think that government workers in Iraq are any less human than those in Oklahoma City? Do they think that Iraqi''s don''t have families who will grieve and mourn the loss of their loved ones?... Whether you wish to admit it or not, when you approve, morally, of the bombing of foreign targets, by the U.S. military, you are approving of acts morally equivalent to the bombing in Oklahoma City. The only difference is that this nation is not going to see any foreign casualties appear on the cover of Newsweek magazine..." McVeigh signs and prints his name at the conclusion, adding his prisoner number "12076-064". Also present is an A.L.S., 2pp. 4to., Florence, March 1998, McVeigh''s cover letter transmitting the above essay to Media Bypass news editor Rich Azar, in part: "...My current (''unique'') environment does not provide access to a typewriter, a word processor or a copier (hell, I''m lucky they let me have a pen!), so I hope you understand why this is being submitted handwritten - and I hope you can overcome this shortcoming... I have chosen Media Bypass as a possible forum for this piece because, frankly, I realize that it is quite provocative - and I doubt that any mainstream media would touch it. (Note that although the enclosed is very provocative, it was written to provoke thought - and was not written with malevolent intent)..." McVeigh again signs and prints his name at the conclusion. The package also includes two photographs, a magazine image of destruction at Hiroshima and a computer printout of Nick Ut''s photograph of Vietnamese children fleeing a napalm attack, as well as a further legal pad sheet showing the suggested layout for these photographs when printed, with the hand-written caption: "Timothy McVeigh says that Iraq is not the first nation to have harmed or killed women and children with weapons of mass destruction." Completing the group is McVeigh''s original envelope transmitting the essay, cover letter and inclusions to Azar, bearing his handwritten name "T. McVeigh" and prisoner number as part of the return address at top left. The essay and cover letter show mailing folds, while the envelope shows a horizontal tear affecting the return address, else very good. Also present with McVeigh''s package are a number of items related to the eventual publication of the above materials, including: the June 1998 edition of "Media Bypass" magazine, 64pp. 4to., featuring McVeigh''s essay as its cover story and reprinting almost all of the work, eliminating only the opening statement, in which McVeigh states that he writes in response to a letter to the editor printed by the Oklahoma Gazette. The magazine also reprints McVeigh''s enclosed photographs, eliminating his suggested caption. Also present is a photocopy of an article from the July 1998 edition of the magazine, written by Rich Azar in response to the publication of McVeigh''s essay and the resulting fallout, as well as a copy of the letters section of that issue. Rounding out the collection is a selection of computer printouts of articles from the Deseret News, and Vanity Fair, discussing both the publication of McVeigh''s essay and his actions as a whole. In the end, excerpts of this essay were published globally in an attempt to fathom McVeigh''s motivation in committing this most horrific domestic terrorist act. McVeigh was executed by lethal injection at 7:14 a.m. on June 11, 2001, without making a final statement.
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