The Order (white supremacist group)

The Order (white supremacist group)
source
Name	The Order
Leader	Robert Jay Mathews
Foundation	September 1983
Dissolution	December 1984
Ideology	White supremacy, Neo-Nazism, Christian Identity, Accelerationsim
Position	Far-right
Area	Pacific Northwest, United States
Size	~40 members
Predecessor	The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord, Aryan Nations
Opponents	Federal government of the United States

The Order (white supremacist group). The Order, also known as the Brüder Schweigen or Silent Brotherhood, was a violent white supremacist and neo-Nazi organization active in the United States during the early 1980s. Founded by Robert Jay Mathews in September 1983, the group was dedicated to initiating a race war and overthrowing the United States federal government. Its brief, intense campaign of robbery, counterfeiting, and assassination culminated in a major law enforcement crackdown and highly publicized federal trials.

History and founding

The Order was founded in September 1983 at a meeting on Mathews' property near Metaline Falls, Washington. The group emerged from the milieu of the radical Christian Identity movement and was heavily influenced by the novel *The Turner Diaries*, written by William Luther Pierce of the National Alliance. Key founding members were drawn from established extremist groups like the Aryan Nations in Hayden Lake, Idaho, and The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord (CSA) compound in Arkansas. The organization's structure was clandestine and cell-based, modeled after revolutionary manuals and the fictional blueprint in *The Turner Diaries*, with the explicit goal of financing and waging a guerrilla war against the Zionist Occupied Government (ZOG), their antisemitic term for the federal government of the United States.

Ideology and beliefs

The Order's ideology was a synthesis of virulent antisemitism, white nationalism, and the theology of the Christian Identity movement, which holds that white people are the true Israelites. Members believed in an imminent apocalyptic race war, often referred to as RAHOWA (Racial Holy War), which they sought to accelerate through violent acts. Their worldview was profoundly shaped by the writings of William Luther Pierce and the concept of leaderless resistance. They considered the United States federal government to be a traitorous entity controlled by a Jewish conspiracy, and their ultimate objective was to establish a separate white homeland in the Pacific Northwest, a concept sometimes called the Northwest Territorial Imperative.

Criminal activities and terrorism

The group financed its operations through an extensive campaign of criminal activity, including the armored car robbery of a Brinks truck in Ukiah, California, in July 1984, which netted approximately $3.6 million. They also engaged in bank robberies and the large-scale counterfeiting of United States currency. Their most notorious terrorist act was the June 1984 assassination of Alan Berg, a Jewish talk radio host in Denver, Colorado, who was gunned down outside his home. The Order was also implicated in planning attacks on other targets, including a Federal Bureau of Investigation office and the Anti-Defamation League, and in attempting to bomb a synagogue in Boise, Idaho.

Key members and leadership

The undisputed leader was Robert Jay Mathews, who provided the group's ideological drive and strategic direction. Other central figures included Bruce Carroll Pierce, who was directly involved in the Alan Berg murder; David Eden Lane, a prolific ideologue and propagandist who authored the "Fourteen Words" slogan; and Richard Scutari, the group's chief of security. Thomas Martinez became a crucial FBI informant after his arrest, and Randall Evans was an early member killed during a botched robbery. Key associates like Robert E. Miles and Louis Beam provided ideological support from within the broader Aryan Nations network.

Law enforcement response and trials

The Federal Bureau of Investigation launched a massive manhunt, designating the group a major domestic terrorist threat. The breakthrough came with the arrest of Thomas Martinez, who began cooperating with authorities. In December 1984, Robert Jay Mathews was killed during a 36-hour siege by the FBI at a safehouse on Whidbey Island, Washington. Subsequently, dozens of members and associates were arrested. The 1985-1986 Fort Smith sedition trial, which charged leaders with conspiring to overthrow the government, ended in acquittal. However, numerous members, including Bruce Carroll Pierce and David Eden Lane, were convicted on charges of racketeering, robbery, and the murder of Alan Berg, receiving lengthy prison sentences.

Legacy and influence

Despite its short existence, The Order left a profound legacy on the far-right extremist movement. It demonstrated a tactical shift toward "leaderless resistance" and accelerationism, inspiring later violent groups and individuals. The Fourteen Words slogan coined by David Eden Lane became a ubiquitous rallying cry within white supremacist circles globally. The group's actions and the subsequent trials were a catalyst for the formation of broader alliances like the White Patriot Party and influenced later terrorist plots, including those by The Order II in the 1990s and elements within the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Order remains a potent symbol of revolutionary white nationalism within extremist ideology.

Category:White supremacist groups in the United States Category:Neo-Nazi organizations in the United States Category:Defunct far-right organizations in the United States