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The Order, also known as the Silent Brotherhood, was a
neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...
terrorist organization active in the United States between September 1983 and December 1984. The group raised funds via armed robbery. Ten members were tried and convicted for
racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercion, coercive, fraud, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. ...
, and two members were tried and convicted for their role in the 1984 murder of radio talk show host
Alan Berg Alan Harrison Berg (January 1934 – June 18, 1984) was an American talk radio show host in Denver, Colorado. Born to a Jewish family, he had outspoken atheistic and liberal views and a confrontational interview style. Berg was assassinated b ...
. The Order's main objective was to start a white supremacist revolution against the United States, after which, blacks, Jews, "race mixers", and other perceived enemies would be exterminated. Inspired by '' The Turner Diaries'', the organization declared war on the federal government, which it called the " Zionist occupied government". The Order drew up a hit list of enemies, and on June 18, 1984, radio talk show host
Alan Berg Alan Harrison Berg (January 1934 – June 18, 1984) was an American talk radio show host in Denver, Colorado. Born to a Jewish family, he had outspoken atheistic and liberal views and a confrontational interview style. Berg was assassinated b ...
was murdered in front of his home by Bruce Pierce, assisted by other members of the Order. Berg was number two on the Order's list. In December 1984, authorities were able to track down Robert Jay Mathews, the organization's leader, to a house on
Whidbey Island Whidbey Island (historical spellings Whidby, Whitbey, or Whitby) is the largest of the islands composing Island County, Washington, Island County, Washington (state), Washington, in the United States, and the largest island in Washington stat ...
where he refused to surrender. Mathews was suspected of wounding an FBI agent in a previous shooting in
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
. During a shootout, the house was ignited by incendiary
flare A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala, bengalo in several European countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illuminatio ...
s and became engulfed in flames, and Mathews was killed. Mathews is considered a
martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...
by many white nationalists.


History

The Order was founded by Robert Jay Mathews in late September 1983 at his farm near Metaline, Washington. Reportedly, Mathews's farm was where the members trained. Mathews had previously formed the Sons of Liberty, an
anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...
militia mostly made up of Mormon
survivalist Survivalism is a social movement of individuals or groups (called survivalists, doomsday preppers or preppers) who proactively prepare for emergencies, such as natural disasters, and other disasters causing disruption to social order (that is, ...
s, fundamentalists and associates of John Singer that had no connection to the historical American organization of the same name. A fundamental goal of the Order was revolution against the American government, which its members, and those of other white supremacist groups, believed to be controlled by a cabal of
Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
with internationalist and Jewish-racial loyalties, rather than loyalty to the American nation. The Order was named after, and partly modeled on, a fictional terrorist group in
William Luther Pierce William Luther Pierce III (September 11, 1933 – July 23, 2002) was an American Neo-Nazism, neo-Nazi Activism, political activist. For more than 30 years, he was one of the highest-profile individuals of the white nationalist movement. A physic ...
's novel '' The Turner Diaries''. The Order's goals included the establishment of a homeland (now the Northwest Territorial Imperative) from which Jews and non-
white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
s would be barred. They often referred to the
United States federal government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...
as ''ZOG'', an
acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...
for Zionist occupied government. Members of the Order included Randy Evans, Gary Yarborough, Bruce Pierce, Denver Parmenter, Frank DeSilva (also known as Frank Silva), Richard Scutari, David Lane, Randy Duey, and David Tate.


Funding

Next, the group discussed how to fund actions of the Order, considering bidding on lumber-jacking and timber contracts,
counterfeit A counterfeit is a fake or unauthorized replica of a genuine product, such as money, documents, designer items, or other valuable goods. Counterfeiting generally involves creating an imitation of a genuine item that closely resembles the original ...
ing money, diaspora funding from overseas oil countries, and robberies. Though timber contracts were legal, counterfeiting money appealed to the ideals of the group in that it undermined the government by devaluing US currency. Robbery was first denied as an option due to its perceived sinful nature, until someone suggested they could rob pimps and drug dealers, which would raise money for the organization as well as set back street criminals in their businesses. The organization won a bid on a timber trimming contract for a trail in the Salmo-Priest Wilderness. After five hours of grueling work, Mathews decided to call off the work and head home. Headed back to the trucks, David Lane muttered, "Well, we're going to have to be better thinkers than our fathers were, because we're sure not the men they were," while Mathews mentions that the pay off from the job "would not fund the right wing for a week anyway." The Order decided to try their hand at robberies, attempting to target pimps and drug dealers. After weeks of trailing black men in flashy cars, they realized they had no idea what a pimp or drug dealer looked like, and decided to switch to other crimes for funding. The Order raised money through robbery. This began with the robbery of a pornographic video store, which netted them $369.10. Their later robberies were more effective, including a
bank robbery Bank robbery is the criminal act of stealing from a bank, specifically while bank employees and customers are subjected to force, violence, or a threat of violence. This refers to robbery of a bank Branch (banking), branch or Bank teller, tel ...
, followed by a series of three armored car robberies. In the armored car robberies, they took a total of $4.1 million, including their final armored car robbery near Ukiah,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
that netted them $3.8 million. The Order detonated a timed firebomb in a movie theater in Seattle (causing no deaths or injuries), in order to occupy the police during their second planned armored car robbery that took place the next day. They also detonated a bomb at the only
synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
in
Boise Boise ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Located on the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and nor ...
,
Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...
. Proceeds from these robberies were distributed to leaders of sympathetic organizations such as William Pierce ( National Alliance) and Frazier Glenn Miller, Jr. ( White Patriot Party). The Order also ran a
counterfeiting A counterfeit is a fake or unauthorized replica of a genuine product, such as money, documents, designer items, or other valuable goods. Counterfeiting generally involves creating an imitation of a genuine item that closely resembles the original ...
operation, but their bills were of poor quality, especially early on, and they led to Bruce Pierce being jailed early on, which later precipitated the group's downfall.


Downfall

The Order was ultimately brought down when a member, Tom Martinez, approached the FBI and offered to turn informant. His role in the organisation had been to pass counterfeit money and he had been arrested on June 29, 1984, for passing counterfeit ten dollar bills to buy liquor. After he was released on his own recognizance Mathews convinced him to go underground and during this period Martinez learned that Mathews intended to kill the liquor store owner in order to prevent him from testifying. When he learned of Mathews' plan, Martinez approached the FBI and offered to turn informant. On December 8, 1984, Mathews was cornered in a rented waterfront house off Smugglers Cove Rd near Greenbank Washington on
Whidbey Island Whidbey Island (historical spellings Whidby, Whitbey, or Whitby) is the largest of the islands composing Island County, Washington, Island County, Washington (state), Washington, in the United States, and the largest island in Washington stat ...
. After a two-hour shoot-out, which involved the use of machine-guns, tear gas and a helicopter used to illuminate the target with flares, Mathews house was engulfed by flames and, according to FBI officials, exploded in "a huge fireball". Mathews had been wanted for the shooting of an FBI agent in Oregon two weeks before.


Convictions

Ten members of the Order were tried and convicted under
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was e ...
(RICO) statutes with the help of the testimony of Frazier Glenn Miller, Jr., who testified against Order members in order to have his own sentence reduced. In a separate trial, three other members of the Order were tried and convicted of violating the
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
of Alan Berg. No one has been charged in the murder of Berg. David Lane, the
getaway driver A crime scene getaway is the act of departing from the location where one has committed a crime. It is an act that the offender(s) may or may not have planned in detail, resulting in a variety of outcomes. A :crime scene is the "location of a c ...
for Berg's assailants, was sentenced to 190 consecutive years on the charges of
racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercion, coercive, fraud, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. ...
,
conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...
, and violating Berg's civil rights. He died in prison in 2007. Order member Bruce Pierce was sentenced to 252 years in prison for his involvement in the Berg murder, and died of natural causes at the
Allenwood Federal Correctional Complex The Federal Correctional Complex, Allenwood (FCC Allenwood) is a federal prison complex for male inmates in Pennsylvania, United States. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The p ...
on August 16, 2010 at the age of 56. Like Mathews, Lane and Pierce are regarded by many
white-supremacists White supremacy is the belief that white people are Supremacism, superior to those of other Race (human classification), races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any Power (social and political), power and White privilege, privi ...
as heroes, political prisoners, and martyrs. In another trial, 14 men were charged with
sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech or organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, establ ...
, conspiracy, and civil rights violations. Thirteen of them were acquitted, and the judge dismissed the charges against the fourteenth man for lack of evidence. A 2011
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
report claimed that some of the people associated with this group were imprisoned in a highly restrictive communication management unit. Richard Scutari, a member of the Order, was sentenced to a 60-year prison term in 1986, and was transferred to USP Marion CMU in July 2008.


Members


The Order II (Bruder Schweigen Strike Force II)

The Order II, which is also known as the Bruder Schweigen Strike Force II, was an attempt to perpetuate the activities of the first Order by David and Deborah Dorr, both of whom were previously members of
Aryan Nations Aryan Nations is a North American antisemitic, neo-Nazi and white supremacist hate group that was originally based in Kootenai County, Idaho, about miles (4.4 km) north of the city of Hayden Lake. Richard Girnt Butler founded Aryan N ...
, but their activities were confined to the state of
Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...
. The group launched its first attack on March 6, 1986, when it sent a packaged bomb to Gary Solomon, a local Jewish businessman who owned the Solomon Trucking company in Hayden Lake, Idaho. No casualties resulted from the incident and it is unknown whether or not the explosion caused any property damage. The bomb was sent by David Dorr, the leader of Order II, a group that grew out of the original Order, which had previously collapsed. Order II (Bruder Schweigen Strike Force II) was also anti-government and antisemitic. On August 7 of the same year, a 12-inch tube bomb exploded at Fred Bower's auto repair shop in Hayden,
Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...
, causing about $2,000 in damage. No casualties resulted from the incident. The two perpetrators, David and Deborah Dorr, and an alleged third perpetrator, Edward W. Hawley, were members of the Bruder Schweigen Strike Force II. On September 16, 1986, an explosion was reported in front of the house of a Catholic priest who lived in the city of Coeur d'Alene, in Idaho. The explosion caused no injuries. It only caused property damage. On September 29, 1986, his latest attack targeted a federal building, a telephone and luggage store, and a restaurant parking lot in Coeur d'Alene, without causing any injuries. The ATF and local, state and federal security forces collected evidence from the scene of the blast and executed a federal search warrant at Dorr's residence three days later. Special agents discovered a shelter that housed AR-15s converted to select-fire assault rifles in violation of federal firearms laws. Thirty other firearms, large amounts of ammunition, and counterfeit money were also found. They also discovered bomb-making components that were used in the September 29 explosion, as well as in previous bombings. The militants received federal sentences which ranged from 6 to 30 years and state sentences which ranged from 5 years to life in prison.


In popular culture

Several projects premiered during 1988, which drew inspiration from—albeit seldom direct depictions of—the events that unfolded during The Order's brief reign: The
Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born ) is an American filmmaker. Stone is an acclaimed director, tackling subjects ranging from the Vietnam War and American politics to musical film, musical Biographical film, biopics and Crime film, crime dramas. He has ...
-directed film ''
Talk Radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, Interview (jo ...
'', starring
Eric Bogosian Eric Michael Bogosian (; born April 24, 1953) is an American actor, playwright, monologuist, novelist, and historian. Descended from Armenian-American immigrants, he grew up in Watertown and Woburn, Massachusetts, and attended the University ...
(who adapted his own play) as a fictional radio DJ similar to
Alan Berg Alan Harrison Berg (January 1934 – June 18, 1984) was an American talk radio show host in Denver, Colorado. Born to a Jewish family, he had outspoken atheistic and liberal views and a confrontational interview style. Berg was assassinated b ...
, drew inspiration from his assassination. That same year, the film '' Betrayed''—directed by
Costa-Gavras Konstantinos "Kostas" Gavras (; born 12 February 1933), known professionally as Costa-Gavras, is a Greek-French film director, screenwriter, and producer who lives and works in France. He is known for political films, such as the political thril ...
and starring
Debra Winger Debra Lynn Winger (born May 16, 1955) is an American actress. She starred in the films '' An Officer and a Gentleman'' (1982), '' Terms of Endearment'' (1983), and '' Shadowlands'' (1993), each of which earned her a nomination for the Academy Awa ...
as an undercover FBI agent, tasked with infiltrating
Tom Berenger Tom Berenger (born Thomas Michael Moore; May 31, 1949) is an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes in ''Platoon'' (1986). He is also known for playing ...
's clandestine "family"—also drew inspiration from The Order and its activities. In addition, a play from playwright Steven Dietz titled ''God's Country'' documented the real-life events in a
triptych A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...
, utilizing several key individuals as characters. It premiered at
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
's ACT Theatre on August 18, 1988. In 1989, the
non-fiction Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or content (media), media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real life, real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to pre ...
book ''The Silent Brotherhood: The Chilling Inside Story of America's Violent, Anti-Government Militia Movement'' (re-released as ''The Order: Inside America's Racist Underground''), written by investigative journalists Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt, was published detailing The Order's history of events. A 1999 television film called '' Brotherhood of Murder'', based upon the
autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...
written by group member-turned-FBI
informant An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a "snitch", "rat", "canary", "stool pigeon", "stoolie", "tout" or "grass", among other terms) is a person who provides privileged information, or (usually damaging) information inten ...
Tom Martinez (along with co-writer John Guinther), aired on Showtime. It starred William Baldwin as Martinez;
Kelly Lynch Kelly Ann Lynch (born January 31, 1959) is an American film and television actress. She had her breakthrough role in the 1988 film ''Cocktail,'' before playing a romantic lead opposite Patrick Swayze in the cult film '' Road House'' (1989). She w ...
as his wife, Susan; and Peter Gallagher as The Order's leader Robert Jay Mathews. The crime drama-thriller film '' The Order'', loosely based on the aforementioned Flynn & Gerhardt book ''The Silent Brotherhood'', was released in 2024. It features portrayals from Nicholas Hoult as Mathews;
Alison Oliver Alison Oliver is an Irish actress. She is known for her debut role as Frances in the BBC Three and Hulu miniseries '' Conversations with Friends'' (2022), and she was named in '' Variety''s "10 actors to watch" in 2023. Early life and educa ...
as his wife, Debbie; Sebastian Pigott as Bruce Pierce; Phillip Forest Lewitski as David Lane; Odessa Young as Zillah Craig; George Tchortov as Gary Yarbrough;
Victor Slezak Victor Slezak (born July 30, 1957) is an American stage, television and screen actor who has appeared in numerous films, including ''The Bridges of Madison County (film), The Bridges of Madison County'' (1995), ''Beyond Rangoon'' (1995), ''The D ...
as Richard Butler, founder of
Aryan Nations Aryan Nations is a North American antisemitic, neo-Nazi and white supremacist hate group that was originally based in Kootenai County, Idaho, about miles (4.4 km) north of the city of Hayden Lake. Richard Girnt Butler founded Aryan N ...
; Daniel Doheny as Walter West, also assassinated by members of The Order; Matias Lucas as Tony Torres (based on Tom Martinez); Chantal Perron as Jean Craig; and
Marc Maron Marc David Maron (born September 27, 1963) is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, actor, and musician. In the 1990s and 2000s, Maron was a frequent guest on the ''Late Show with David Letterman'' and appeared more than forty times ...
, in a cameo as Berg.
Jude Law David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He began his career in theatre before landing small roles in various British television productions and feature films. Law gained international recognition for his role in An ...
,
Tye Sheridan Tye Kayle Sheridan (born November 11, 1996) is an American actor. He made his feature film debut in Terrence Malick's experimental drama film ''The Tree of Life (film), The Tree of Life'' (2011) and had his first leading role in Jeff Nichols's ...
, and
Jurnee Smollett Jurnee Diana Smollett (born October 1, 1986) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress appearing on television sitcoms, including '' On Our Own'' (1994–1995) and ''Full House'' (1992–1994). She gained greater recognition ...
also star, in composite FBI roles. The film was directed by Justin Kurzel, with a screenplay written by Zach Baylin.


See also

*
Aryan Nations Aryan Nations is a North American antisemitic, neo-Nazi and white supremacist hate group that was originally based in Kootenai County, Idaho, about miles (4.4 km) north of the city of Hayden Lake. Richard Girnt Butler founded Aryan N ...
*
Aryan Republican Army The Aryan Republican Army (ARA), also dubbed "The Midwest Bank bandits" by the FBI and law-enforcement, was a white nationalist terrorist gang which robbed 22 banks in the Midwest from 1994 to 1996. The bank robberies were spearheaded by Donna L ...
*
Atomwaffen Division The Atomwaffen Division (''Atomwaffen'' meaning "atomic weapons" in GermanModern standard German prefers ''Kernwaffen'' () for the concept.), also known as the National Socialist Resistance Front, was an international far-right extremist and ...
, another far-right American neo-Nazi terrorist militia group * The Base (hate group) * Elohim City, Oklahoma * * Far-right subcultures * *
Fascism in the United States Fascism in the United States is an expression of fascist political ideology that dates back over a century in the United States, with roots in white supremacy, Nativism_(politics), nativism, and violent political extremism. Although it has had l ...
* Fort Smith sedition trial * Nazism in the Americas * Phineas Priesthood, a radical ideological faction of the far-right
Christian Identity Christian Identity (also known as Identity Christianity) is an interpretation of Christianity which advocates the belief that only Celtic and Germanic peoples, such as the Anglo-Saxon, Nordic nations, or the Aryan race and kindred peoples, are ...
movement which was also founded in the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
*
Radical right (United States) In the politics of the United States, the radical right is a political preference that leans towards ultraconservatism, white nationalism, white supremacy, or other far-right ideologies in a hierarchical structure which is paired with conspir ...
*


Footnotes

DATA & GRAPHICS: Population Of The Communications Management Units
, Margot Williams and Alyson Hurt,
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
, 3-3-11, retrieved 2011 03 04 from npr.org


Further reading and listening

* Dees, Morris. ''Gathering Storm: America's Militia Threat''. Harper Perennial, 1997. * *Söderman, Magnus; Holappa, Henrik. ''Unbroken Warrior: The Richard Scutari Letters''. Nationellt Motstånd Förlag, 2011. *


External links


FBI file on the Order
{{DEFAULTSORT:Order, The 1983 establishments in Washington (state) American bank robbers Aryan Nations Clandestine groups Fascist revolts Neo-fascist terrorism Neo-Nazi organizations in the United States Organizations based in North America designated as terrorist Organizations established in 1983 Right-wing militia organizations in the United States Religiously motivated violence in the United States 1984 disestablishments in Washington (state) Christian terrorism in the United States Neo-fascist terrorist incidents in the United States Secessionist organizations in the United States White nationalist terrorism in the United States White separatist groups White-supremacist organized crime groups in the United States