McVeigh Letter Carried Warning

In a haunting letter to his hometown newspaper three years ago,Oklahoma bombing suspect Timothy McVeigh spoke out against governmentcontrol and warned that blood might have to be shed to get theattention of politicians.

McVeigh, who had just been released from the Army, complainedabout crime, taxes, racism, the big salaries of public officials andgovernment-sponsored programs. "Politicians are out of control," hesaid.

His grimmest words came at the end of the letter: "What is itgoing to take to open up the eyes of our elected officials? . . .

"We have no proverbial tea to dump; should we instead sink aship full of Japanese imports?" he concluded. "Is a Civil Warimminent? Do we have to shed blood to reform the current system? Ihope it doesn't come to that! But it might."

McVeigh's letter was sent to the Union-Sun & Journal ofLockport, N.Y., which published his letter Feb. 11, 1992. Thenewspaper, near McVeigh's hometown of Pendleton, N.Y., also printed asecond letter, in which McVeigh railed against the treatment ofcattle in slaughterhouses.