The Order (white supremacist group)
| Formation | September 1983 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | December 1984 |
| Type | Paramilitary, White supremacist, neo-Nazi |
| Purpose | foment a white supremacist revolution against the "Zionist Occupation Government", establish an all-white homeland in the Pacific Northwest |
| Location |
|
Key people |
|
| Affiliations | Aryan Nations |
| Part of a series on |
| Neo-Nazism |
|---|
The Order, also known as the Silent Brotherhood, was a neo-Nazi 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, and two members were tried and convicted for their role in the 1984 murder of radio talk show host Alan Berg.
Inspired by The Turner Diaries, the organization declared war on the federal government of the United States under Ronald Reagan, 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 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 in Washington State, where he refused to surrender. Mathews was suspected of wounding an FBI agent in a previous shooting in Oregon. During a shootout, the house was ignited by incendiary flares and became engulfed in flames, with Mathews being killed.