(former ATF official, Robert Sanders, in an interview for The New American)
"On March 29, 1996 this agent received a telephone call from S/A Harry Eberhardt," who "stated that the identity of CI 53270-183 had been severely compromised" due to the release of a report by FBI agent James R. Blanchard II which "contained the formal name of CI 53270-183," as well as other sensitive information about Howe. The report says that "S/A Eberhardt stated that he became irate because it was apparent that nothing was going to be done in an effort to rectify the problem or at least provide help for the safety of CI 53270-183." Finley-Graham wrote that she "immediately telephoned CI 53270-183 and informed him/her that their name had been disclosed and that he/she should take every precaution for their safety.... This agent told the CI that anything and everything will be done to insure his/her safety."
(In a report filed by ATF Agent Angela Finley on April 1, 1996)
"The FBI is the lead agency on this case, however, many other federal, state and local agencies are involved." (Emphasis added.) Still, with all that police power involved, Howe was given no protection. The same April memo asserts: "Individuals who pose immediate danger to CI 53270-183 are: (1) Dennis Mahon, (2) members of Elohim City, and (3) any sympathizer to McVeigh...." Finley-Graham concluded by saying she has "known CI 53270-183 for approximately two years and can assert that this informant has not been overly paranoid or fearful during undercover operations. This agent believes that s/he could be in serious danger when associates discover his/her identity."
(From a memo by ATF Agent Angela Finley, April 22, 1996)
"Time after time during the trial, the claims of Agent Finley-Graham and other ATF and FBI officials were proven false and the claims of Howe proven true. Finley-Graham and the prosecutors, for instance, charged that they were concerned about Howe's loyalty because she was improperly "mixing" with local skinheads and not relaying what she knew of their activities. However, defense attorney Clark Brewster introduced evidence that Howe had provided Finley with at least two tapes of phone conversations with local "skins" as well as their names and addresses. "How much more specific information than names and phone numbers do you need?" Brewster asked Finley-Graham. What's more, Finley herself had listed Howe's association with the Hammerskins, a Tulsa skinhead group, on an ATF form in May 1995, and immediately below that entry affirmed that Howe had provided "reliable" and "verified" information in the past. ATF records also show that Howe passed a polygraph and was deemed "truthful." Finley-Graham also admitted in court that Howe had given her a copy of The Turner Diaries months before the bombing and repeatedly insisted that she read it since it was "the Bible" of the neo-Nazi movement and a handbook on their strategy and tactics. Federal prosecutors later would claim that this novel had a tremendous impact on McVeigh and provided a blueprint for the truck-bomb scenario of the Murrah Building.
(New American)
"During Carol Howe's trial, the defense was limited to making only general references to Howe's prior warning concerning the bombing, and then only insofar as was necessary to Brewster's defense theory. As evidence that Howe was truly planning to engage in terrorist bombings, the government had cited her notes, which among other things, listed 18 bombing targets — Muslim, Jewish, Native American, and government buildings — in the Tulsa area. Brewster's defense theory argued that Howe "believed she had sufficiently warned the government, such that, when the [Oklahoma City] bombing occurred, she felt that she had failed and therefore needed to keep more careful notes." In support of that theory, Brewster provided the jury with pre-marked copies of Agent Finley's ATF reports and walked them through some of the important information therein related to Carol Howe's warnings about Strassmeir, Mahon, and others. He then put Howe on the stand and asked her in a very general sense if, based on what she had told Finley and what had appeared in the ATF reports, she felt she had provided sufficient information for the ATF to conduct an investigation that would have confirmed that a bombing of the Murrah Building was about to take place. Howe said, "Yes."
(New American)
"Ms. Howe told you about Mr. Strassmeir's threats to blow up federal buildings, didn't she?" Howe's ATF supervisor was asked by defense counsel:
"Brewster: "In general, yes," Finley-Graham answered. "And that was before the Oklahoma City bombing?" "Yes," she answered again. It is important to note that Carol Howe and her attorney were limited by Judge Burrage's pre-trial instructions concerning evidence of her prior warnings to the government. The following exchange between Burrage and Brewster is taken from the transcript of the closed April 24th hearing:
Burrage: Well, let me just ask you this, Mr. Brewster. A lot of this makes for good conversation, like the trip to Oklahoma City, you know, before the bombing and so forth and it makes for sensationalism, and I don't know that it really has anything to do with the Oklahoma City bombing, but I saw where you were coming from. With that McVeigh trial going on, I don't want anything getting out of here that would compromise that trial in any way.
Mr. Brewster: What do you mean by compromise? Do you mean shared with the McVeigh lawyers?
Burrage: Yes, or something that would come up — you know, we have got evidence that the ATF took a trip with somebody that said buildings were going to be blown up in Oklahoma City before it was blown up or something of that nature, and try to connect it to McVeigh in some way or something.
(From the trial of Carol Howe)
An April 22, 1996 memorandum from Agent Finley-Graham to the Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Division regarding the danger to Howe. It states: "This informant is involved with the OKC bomb case which is pending prosecution in Denver and was the key in identifying individuals at Elohim City, which is tied to the OKC bomb case." This clearly shows that: a) Howe was officially acknowledged as an active informant in April 1996; b) she was "the key," i.e. considered important and reliable; and c) Elohim City was considered to be "tied to the OKC bomb case."
club set. As a matter of fact, many of her young adult years were spent in one limelight or another that in no way betrayed her real debutante status. Confidential Informant, ATF Operative, risk-taker and defendant - Carol Elizabeth Howe of Tulsa, Oklahoma, got the goods for the Feds and also got the shaft.Carol reportedly was adopted as a baby by Robert & Aubyn Howe of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Robert, an oil millionaire, is said to be of the "old school" racist ilk and spent a good deal of time trying to keep African-Americans out of his neighborhood and out of his beloved Southern Hills Country Club. Consequently, it would appear that racism and hatred raised its ugly head quite early in the life of Carol Elizabeth. A student of Tulsa Metro Christian Academy, Carol rode in horse shows, won some local beauty contests and did many of the same things that other silver-spoon debutantes do in their early years of striving for recognition and their own place in the world.
There have been some accounts and allusions to Carol being a rebellious and sometimes out of control teen. There are, however, little substantial or documented facts about this period of
her life. Yet, it is safe to assert that as a young woman, Carol Elizabeth Howe was in search of something other than the norm. Once she spread her wings she got involved with some unsavory characters who were into drugs and drink. One night she and a few others decided to jump off of a building - when Carol jumped, she broke both of her feet. Reportedly, Carol met Dennis Mahon after hearing his "Dial-A-Racist" message while recurperating. Reportedly, she sought him out and they became an item. Mahon is a veteran neo-Nazi heading up White Aryan Resistance for the Oklahoma area and considered by many to be shoulders deep in bombing. In an interview with Jon Ronson of the British newspaper, The Guardian, Mahon characterized their meeting and subsequent relationship thusly:"I met her in a restaurant in Tulsa," said Dennis, "and she comes on crutches. Here's a beautiful young woman who's really in bad shape - you know, physically - hobbling round on crutches trying to fight for her race. And my heart went out to her. She was strikingly beautiful and highly intelligent. Super high IQ. I think she had an IQ of 130. Way up there. She was a lot smarter than I was. She was a very rich girl, a debutante. I saw her house. Six bedrooms. Five car garage. Very wealthy."
Within minutes of meeting Carol, Dennis had formulated some big plans for her. "I was going to get her on Oprah. Most of our women are not very intelligent. All they can say is 'nigger this' and 'nigger that'. She could have been our Aryan spokeswoman."
"Did you fall in love with her?" I asked.
"I tried not to, I really did," said Dennis. "I tried to keep it on a professional level. But it was very hard. She was 23 years old. And she had a big swastika tattoo on her arm. I got a bit weak. I did fawn over her. And, yes, I had an intimate relationship with her. I finally said, 'Let's just forget about this whole thing and get married and have children.' "
"Would you have given up neo-Nazism for her?"
"Oh yes," said Dennis.
Mahon claimed that their break-up was a friendly one, but Carol claimed that he raped her and threatened to kill her. She was emphatic enough about his brutality to report him to the
police and seek a restraining order. And that was just what the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms needed. When Carol filed the complaint against Mahon - the ATF recruited her to become an informant. They wanted information about Mahon as well as the infamous domestic terrorist training ground of Elohim City. Carol agreed and went on the payroll at $125.00 per week. Little did she know that this decision would lead her into a quagmire of death, mayhem and betrayal unlike anything she could fathom. Little did she know that the acts she engaged in for the government would later be used against her by the agency in which she put her trust. She became the ward of ATF Agent Angela Finley.Carol Howe gained entrance to the Elohim City compound with the assistance of Dennis Mahon. God only knows the price she had to pay to extract that favor. While inside the compound she made acquaintance with some of the worst domestic terrorists in America. She listened...she questioned...and she reported. In the year from mid 1994 to April, 1995, Carol Howe made at least 70 reports to the ATF along with 38 audio cassettes and 2 video tapes. That Elohim City and all those who resided and visited was under the closest scrutiny is undeniable.
Howe was designated as ATF's Confidential Informant #53270-183, or informally as "CI-183." Some of her neo-Nazi comrades referred to her as "Freya" and "Lady MacBeth." In her preliminary report to the ATF, submitted through Agent Anglea Finley, the following information was provided by Howe, as reported in "The New American:"
"W.A.R. is a white supremacist organization that is described briefly as being radical, paramilitary, neo-Nazi, anti-government and violent. W.A.R. has national and international affiliates to include the KKK and a racist following in Germany. W.A.R. affiliates with John Metzger, who is a widely known white supremacist with the KKK. W.A.R. has approximately 20-25 active, 50 non-active, and 200 underground members locally. When a group of "legals" reaches a membership of 5 to 15 people, it will separate to form another group. This is done to protect the members from any government action such as search warrants and infiltration.
Agent Finley's report also notes that "W.A.R. has several training sites in Oklahoma. The primary training location is called Elohim City which is in a rural area near the border of Oklahoma and Arkansas." Finley concludes this initial report by recounting that CI-183 provided her with a videotape of Mahon making statements "that he was a member of the Klan; that violence is the only answer; that violence does work; and that he supports violence against politicians."
Of particular significance is the fact that this report was directed
to Special Agent In Charge of the Dallas Field Division, Lester D. Martz. It was signed by Agent Finley, David E. Roberts, the Resident Agent in Charge of the Tulsa Field Office and by Tommy Wittman for SAC Lester Martz in Dallas. The report was specifically designated "sensitive" and "significant" rather than routine, and that the investigation was specified as one concerning "terrorist/extremist" individuals and groups. These designations would guarantee that this investigation was being closely monitored at the highest levels in Washington, DC, as per an interview with Robert Sanders ATF official according to The New American interview.In September of 1994, Howe filed a second report with Finley in which she claims to have met "Andy" (Strassmeir), Chief of Security for the Elohim City compound. She reported that Strassmeir had told her that he knew of a black market dealer who could provide them with "grenades, C-4 and a range of explosives." Strassmeir was and illegal alien and West German nationalist who figured into the Oklahoma City bombing.
In the same report, Howe stated that Dennis Mahon
had provided her with "approximately 2 feet of green safety fuse, a can of gun powder and a plastic funnel," and said he would instruct her on "how to assemble hand grenades." Mahon also told Howe "that the race war would begin" in 1995 and they "need to prepare for it."During her infiltration and deep-cover work for the ATF, and prior to the OKC bombing, Carol Howe furnished Agent Finley with the following information:
- Andy Strassmeir was training those in Elohim City in combat manuervers.
- They were being forced to camp outside and swin in a creek in fourteen degree weather.
- Each household at Elohim City was heavily armed and being required to stockpile ammunition.
- Robert Millar, the head of Elohim City and Christian Identity minister, gave a sermon soliciting violence against the government.
- Millar brought forth his soldiers and told them to prepare to take whatever action necessary against the United States government.
- Robert Millar specifically told her that they were preparing to fight a war against the government.
- She and others traveled to Oklahoma City to case the Murrah Federal Building. This was two months prior to the bombing.
- Andy Strassmeir had told her that the Elohim City group needed to "take their war against the U.S. government to a higher level" and begin attacks against government buildings and infrastructure.
- Strassmeir had said "his plans were to forcibly act to destroy the U.S. government with direct actions and operations, such as assassinations, bombings and mass shootings."
On April 20, 1995, the day after the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building, Carol Howe contacted Agent Finley and
identified Timothy McVeigh as someone she had seen at the Elohim City compound. She further stated that she believed others from that compound to be involved in the bombing. She was debriefed by the ATF and the FBI and sent back into Elohim City to gather any intelligence regarding the terrorist attack. Her pay from the government was increased from $120.00 per week to $400.00 per day. She emerged a couple of days later telling law-enforcement that one resident told her "There is a big secret out there," and that there were many within Elohim City who were very supportive of the bombing. She also reported that Dennis Mahon and Andreas Strassmeir were missing from the compound and that there had been an "influx of heavily armed men preparing for a raid."Shortly after the bombing and Howe's last foray into Elohim City Carol's identity was compromised by one of her superior's. In a report filed by Agent Finley-Graham dated April 1, 1996, one can readily see that Carol Howe had been thrust into grave danger:
"On March 29, 1996 this agent received a telephone call from S/A Harry Eberhardt," who "stated that the identity of CI 53270-183 had been severely compromised" due to the release of a report by FBI agent James R. Blanchard II which "contained the formal name of CI 53270-183," as well as other sensitive information about Howe. The report says that "S/A Eberhardt stated that he became irate because it was apparent that nothing was going to be done in an effort to rectify the problem or at least provide help for the safety of CI 53270-183." Finley-Graham wrote that she "immediately telephoned CI 53270-183 and informed him/her that their name had been disclosed and that he/she should take every precaution for their safety.... This agent told the CI that anything and everything will be done to insure his/her safety."
The compromise of Carol Howe's identity as an informant was
certainly suspicious. The failure on the part of our government to provide the necessary protection for Howe was the tip-off that not only did the powers that be not want the truth to be known, but that they would stoop to any level to assure that those with the truth would never present it. In another memo from Agent Finley-Graham, dated April 22, 1996, she notes:"The FBI is the lead agency on this case, however, many other federal, state and local agencies are involved." (Emphasis added.) Still, with all that police power involved, Howe was given no protection. The same April memo asserts: "Individuals who pose immediate danger to CI 53270-183 are: (1) Dennis Mahon, (2) members of Elohim City, and (3) any sympathizer to McVeigh...." Finley-Graham concluded by saying she has "known CI 53270-183 for approximately two years and can assert that this informant has not been overly paranoid or fearful during undercover operations. This agent believes that s/he could be in serious danger when associates discover his/her identity." (The New American)
Was her life in danger? Of course it was. Carol played with the bad boys. Dennis Mahon had already been quoted as saying that he would "kill any informant." Any number of people in and out of Elohim City were capable of murder. And the FBI was well aware of the peril in which they had placed Howe. As a matter of public record, FBI Agent Pete Rickel admitted on the stand that Carol Howe had come to him in May of 1996, fearful for her life and seeking protection. Rickel offered her no protection and never even made a note of their conversation.
Carol Howe simply went deeper under cover and infiltrated some
of the Skinhead camps which were prevalent in the Tulsa area. She continued to provide the government with taped conversations, names and addresses of those she encountered. Having been dubbed a "key" witness in the McVeigh trial, her testimony was anxiously awaited. But, this too would never come to fruition as Judge Richard Matsch ruled her testimony irrelevant to the case stunning the media and the defense.The FBI and ATF went on a not too subtle campaign of defamation by dropping hints that Howe was not too stable. It mattered not that Howe had passed all of the previously little publicized routine polygraphs given to under-cover agents providing information of a sensitive nature, or that Agent Finley deemed her to be reliable. The bottom line seems to be that the government wanted Carol silenced - if that could not be achieved, then they would settle for devaluing her credibility. In an interview with Charles Key, head of the Oklahoma Bombing Investigation Committee, this reporter asked his views on the ruling of Matsch, "I think it was predetermined that her testimony would not be allowed." We do too.
Howe wasn't silenced or forgotten, however, and it would appear that the government became frustrated. After the McVeigh trial, a bogus indictment was brought against Howe charging that she compiled a list of bomb ingredients, acquired photographs of federal offices in Tulsa and used her home telephone to distribute racist information. Carol was brought to trial and to the chagrin of law-enforcement officials, was acquitted on all charges. The acquittal was bitter-sweet, however. Because of the notoriety and publicity surrounding her, Carol was forced to change her name and place of residence.
The life of a Confidential Informant is generally surrounded by seediness and criminal activity. Generally speaking, their involvement with the criminal element is usually what brings them into the fold of governmental law-enforcement. Carol Howe was no exception. A rebellious young woman who took a walk on the wild side, Howe was living her life on the edge when she came under ATF scrutiny. It was her association with Dennis Mahon and the radical right that made her valuable to them. She was and is a self-avowed separatist. Johnny Lee Clary, former Klansman turned Reverend and short-time personal friend of Howe characterizes her as a drug-taking racist and opportunist who would do anything for attention. Clary, in an interview with Citizens Against Hate, claimed to have been with Howe a few days before Howe did an interview with Diane Sawyer. At this meeting he reports a situation where Carol was engaged in target practice:
"After Carol started shooting her assault rifles and hitting her targets, she was asked how she could shoot so good. Carol then answered that she was pretending to shoot a "Jew" or a "Nigger", and that made her hit the target every time."
Clary testified before the Grand Jury in reference to the character of Carol Howe. Charles Key, on the other hand, does not perceive Howe as a hard core Nazi. His perception is that of someone playing on the fringes of the Nazi camp. Others, including, ATF Agent Agela Finley have not concerned themselves with Howe's ideology - only the veracity of her work while in the Informant role which, by all reports, was top-notch and valuable - at the time.
At this point in time, we can only speculate as to the reasons for the government to so silence Carol Howe. That speculation, however, seems to be leading us all to the conclusion that this is but one more piece to the puzzle of evidence that is being amassed in this case against them. Interestingly enough, Howe was not the only such informant who was quieted. Cary Gagan was enlisted by the FBI and provided information about the bombing of the Murrah Building and a Middle East connection well before the act was committed. His testimony was never heard either. Add to that the witnesses who were never heard, the affadavits that were never entered and the questionable deaths of others claiming to have information, and there can be little doubt that a cover-up of magnanimous proportions has been engaged in, once again, by the United States government. The people of the United States are the ultimate losers in this battle. And it is up to the people to demand that the truth be found. Write to your Congressman today and demand a full-scale investigation into this cover-up.
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