The Aryan Nations

By:
Jaimee Ellison

HIST 2600
Professor Wheeler
19 November 2015
 Ellison 1

Jaimee Ellison

HIST 2600

Professor Wheeler

19 November 2015

The Aryan Nations

In the 1970s, a man named Richard Girnt Butler formed the Aryan Nations. The

Aryan Nations was a Christian Extremist group formed directly from the Church of Jesus

Christ Christian and as a result of the Christian Identity movement. 1 Just like many other

white extremist groups that existed before them, the Aryan Nations also incorporates neo-

Nazi themes along with their anti-Semitic views. The creation of all the white

supremacist groups that exist today can be traced back as early as when the Ku Klux Klan

was first formed. 2 The Aryan Nations’ political views can be considered as extreme-right

wing views. Butler had clear goals and objectives when he formed the Aryan Nations.

There were several factors that lead to the formation of The Aryan Nations.

Politics is always going to be a huge factor when groups are formed. In this case,

the Aryan Nations is considered to be an extreme-right wing group. The views of extreme

right wings included conservatism, religiosity, patriotism, racism and nationalism. These

movements arise over a displacement of power and status. The followers of the right-

wing movement wish to uphold tradition and maintain the status of things like gender,

1 Chapman, Roger and James Ciment. “Aryan Nations.” In Culture Wars in America: An Encyclopedia of
Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices. London, United Kingdom: Routledge, 2013.

2 Ridgeway, James. Blood in the Face. New York: Thunder’s Mouth Press, 1990, 14.
 Ellison 2

class and race in America. 3 The Christian Identity Movement was another reason that

Butler formed the Aryan Nations. The Christian Identity Movement was a movement

founded by Dr. Wesley A. Swift in 1946. This movement had specific political and

religious ideologies and wanted white superiority. 4 This movement involved extreme

right wing churches and other religious organizations. These followers believed that

whites were the true descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel. 5

Wesley Swift was Richard Butler’s mentor and the founder of the Church of Jesus

Christ Christian. After Swift’s death in 1970, Butler attempted to take over the church but

failed and moved to Hayden Lake, Idaho to form Church of Jesus Christ Christian, Aryan

Nations. This was the full name of Butler’s new church. He used Christian because he

believed that Jesus Christ was not Jewish. 6 In 1978, Butler added Aryan Nations to the

name of his church. He added it as a political handle to draw in the white population

regardless of religious beliefs. 7

3Schlatter, Evelyn A. Aryan Cowboys: White Supremacists and the Search for a New Frontier, 1970-2000.
Austin: University of Texas Press, 2006, 10.

4 Chapman, Roger and James Ciment. “Aryan Nations.” In Culture Wars in America: An Encyclopedia of
Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices. London, United Kingdom: Routledge, 2013.

5Sharpe, Tanya Telfair. “The Identity Christian Movement: Ideology of Domestic Terrorism”. Journal of
Black Studies 30, no. 4 (2000): 606.

6 Balch, Robert W. “The Rise and Fall of Aryan Nations: A Resource Mobilization Perspective”. Journal
of Political & Military Sociology 34, no. 1 (2006): 85.

7 Balch, Robert W. “The Rise and Fall of Aryan Nations: A Resource Mobilization Perspective”. Journal
of Political & Military Sociology 34, no. 1 (2006): 86.
 Ellison 3

Butler had very clear goals for his organization. One goal of the Aryan Nations

was to establish an all white Homestead in Pacific Northwest. 8 This plan became known

as the 10 percent solution. The plan was to have enough whites move to the area; then the

Aryan Nations could gain enough power to take over the Northwestern states (Idaho,
9
Washington, Montana, Wyoming and Oregon). The Aryan Nations wants space that is

not already filled with violence and hostility. They wanted that land to be sort of a safe

haven for their “kind”. 10 Butler also had more realistic, achievable goals; for example, he

wanted to unify the Christian Identity Movement. Due to differences in lifestyles and

views, the movement wasn’t as strong as it could be. Butler also wanted the Aryan

Nations to grow and he wanted the Aryan Nations to be the head organization of the

Christian Identity movement. 11 The most extreme goals of the Aryan Nations included

the banishment or death of people they were against. These goals come from very

extreme rightists who advocate violence against government officials, Jewish people,

colored people, gay men and lesbians. 12

8Walters, Jerome. One Aryan Nation under God: How Religious Extremists Use the Bible to Justify Their Beliefs.
Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks, 2001, 13.

9 Balch, Robert W. “The Rise and Fall of Aryan Nations: A Resource Mobilization Perspective”. Journal
of Political & Military Sociology 34, no. 1 (2006): 86.

10Eckard Toy. “"Promised Land" or Armageddon? History, Survivalists, and the Aryan Nations in the
Pacific Northwest”. Montana: The Magazine of Western History 36, no. 3 (1986): 81.

11 Balch, Robert W. “The Rise and Fall of Aryan Nations: A Resource Mobilization Perspective”. Journal
of Political & Military Sociology 34, no. 1 (2006): 82.

12
Schlatter, Evelyn A. Aryan Cowboys: White Supremacists and the Search for a New Frontier, 1970-
2000. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2006, 12.
 Ellison 4

To achieve these goals Butler held two events at his compound in Hayden Lake,

Idaho; the Aryan World Congress (AWC) and the Aryan Youth Assembly (AYA). The

Aryan World Congress, held every year in July, was an event that attracted many

followers all over the country. Butler hoped that this would attract more people and bring

the recruitment levels up. Butler also hosted the Aryan Youth Assembly every year in

April. These were held in hopes of educating the youth so they can carry on the next

generation of the Aryan Nations. 13

Some people see extremist groups like the Aryan Nations as too extreme or

violent. In order to get the public to side with them, organizations often use bridge issues.
14
These issues are growing issues that exist in the U.S. Some of these issues included

taxes, gun control, government corruption, immigration, racial separation and

constitutional rights and many more. 15

One extreme case of the war between the Jewish was when The Order, in 1984,

targeted and killed Alan Berg outside of his home in Denver, CO. 16 Berg was a Jewish

Radio Show Talk Host. 17 The Order, also known as the Silent Brotherhood, was a

13 Balch, Robert W. “The Rise and Fall of Aryan Nations: A Resource Mobilization Perspective”. Journal
of Political & Military Sociology 34, no. 1 (2006): 82.

14Walters, Jerome. One Aryan Nation under God: How Religious Extremists Use the Bible to Justify Their
Beliefs. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks, 2001, 64.

15Walters, Jerome. One Aryan Nation under God: How Religious Extremists Use the Bible to Justify Their
Beliefs. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks, 2001, 62-63.

16Schlatter, Evelyn A. Aryan Cowboys: White Supremacists and the Search for a New Frontier, 1970-
2000. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2006, 9.

17 Ridgeway, James. Blood in the Face. New York: Thunder’s Mouth Press, 1990, 95.
 Ellison 5

subgroup of the Aryan Nations formed by Robert Jay Mathews. The group was known

for its acts of violence. 18

Some said that the Aryan Nations had a lot of important views and courage, but

they tried to bring change in misguided ways. 19 One group that criticized and fought

against the Aryan Nations was the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Civil Rights

lawyers Morris Dees and Joseph Levin founded this group in 1971. 20

The Aryan Nations faced a $6.3 million dollar lawsuit in 2000 when security

guards attacked the Victoria Keenan and her son Jason Keenan at the AN (Aryan Nation)

compound in Hayden Lake, Idaho. 21 SPLC leader, Morris Dees fought on behalf of the

Keenans. He said that Butler was responsible for what happened to them. The $6.3

million dollar lawsuit forced Butler into bankruptcy. This lawsuit was the beginning of

the end for the Aryan Nations and it showed how far the organization had fallen. 22

The end of the Aryan Nations had a lot to do with the amount of bad publicity

they got. In 1983, Robert Mathews formed a group named The Order that brought terror

and crime to the U.S. But in 1984, Mathews was killed in a shootout with the FBI.

18 Ridgeway, James. Blood in the Face. New York: Thunder’s Mouth Press, 1990, 34.

19Walters, Jerome. One Aryan Nation under God: How Religious Extremists Use the Bible to Justify Their
Beliefs. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks, 2001, 62.

20 Southern Poverty Law Center. “Our History.”

https://www.splcenter.org/our-history

21 Leavitt, Michael F. "Keenan v. Aryan Nations, No. CV-99-441 (Idaho 2000): making hate groups liable
for the torts of their members." Idaho Law Review 37, no. 3. (2001): 607-610.

22
Chapman, Roger and James Ciment. “Aryan Nations.” In Culture Wars in America: An Encyclopedia of
Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices. London, United Kingdom: Routledge, 2013.
 Ellison 6

The bad publicity only continued for the Aryan Nations. The AN’s former head of

security, Elden Cutler was charged with hiring someone to kill Thomas Martinez.

Martinez is best known for helping bring down The Order. Another incident that

happened was when 5 Aryan Nations members formed Bruders Schweigen (Silent

Brotherhood) Strike Force II. This group bombed a town in Idaho, Couer d’Alene, four

times. In order to help control the Aryan Nations, the Idaho state Legislature passed two

bills; one that allowed people that were victims of harassment to sue their harassers and

another, banning paramilitary training. 23 In 1987, Richard Butler was indicted on charges

of a conspiracy to overthrow the government. 24

The official decline of the Aryan Nations occurred when Butler died in 2004.

There are a number of external and internal factors that play a huge role in the success or

failure of an organization. Some external factors include public opinion, the media,

political factors and economic conditions. Some internal factors are the individuals in the

organization’s skills, talents and commitment. The quality of the leadership in the

organization also plays a huge factor in how successful they are. Butler had a few goals

that he wanted the Aryan Nations to achieve. He wanted to establish an all-white

homestead in the Pacific Northwest, unify the Christian Identity movement, have the AN

grow and become the head of the Identity movement. 25 After Butler’s death, the

23 Balch, Robert W. “The Rise and Fall of Aryan Nations: A Resource Mobilization Perspective”. Journal
of Political & Military Sociology 34, no. 1 (2006): 87.

24 Balch, Robert W. “The Rise and Fall of Aryan Nations: A Resource Mobilization Perspective”. Journal
of Political & Military Sociology 34, no. 1 (2006): 88.

25 Balch, Robert W. “The Rise and Fall of Aryan Nations: A Resource Mobilization Perspective”. Journal
of Political & Military Sociology 34, no. 1 (2006): 82.
 Ellison 7

organization split into separate factions, each led by different people. There was a group

in Alabama led by August Kreis, a group in South Carolina led by Charles Juba and a

group in Montana led by Carl Franklin. 26

In hopes of bringing about change, the Aryan Nations was created as a result of

the Christian Identity movement. 27 Ultimately, the Aryan Nations failed as an

organization. The external factors, internal factors, bad publicity and the questionable

leadership skills of Butler all played a key role in why the Aryan Nations was

unsuccessful. 28 Pastor Morris L. Gulett, after being released from prison, tried to rebuild

the Aryan Nations, but was unsuccessful. There was a message from Gulett that was

posted on the Aryan Nations website on November 17th, 2015 that announced his

retirement and the removal of the Aryan Nation website from the Internet. 29 White

supremacy will always be around in different forms. There are crimes that are committed

today by people who are white supremacists and neo-Nazis. The Christian Identity

movement is still alive today. While there is no official Aryan Nations group today,

Butler’s organization left lasting effects on the United States.

26 Chapman, Roger and James Ciment. “Aryan Nations.” In Culture Wars in America: An Encyclopedia of
Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices. London, United Kingdom: Routledge, 2013.

27 Chapman, Roger and James Ciment. “Aryan Nations.” In Culture Wars in America: An Encyclopedia of
Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices. London, United Kingdom: Routledge, 2013.

28 Balch, Robert W. “The Rise and Fall of Aryan Nations: A Resource Mobilization Perspective”. Journal
of Political & Military Sociology 34, no. 1 (2006): 82.

29 "Aryan Nations World Headquarters." Aryan Nations World Headquarters.

http://www.aryan-nation.org/.
 Bibliography

"Aryan Nations World Headquarters." Aryan Nations World Headquarters.

http://www.aryan-nation.org/.

Balch, Robert W. “The Rise and Fall of Aryan Nations: A Resource Mobilization Perspective”.
Journal of Political & Military Sociology 34, no. 1 (2006): 81-113.

Chapman, Roger and James Ciment. “Aryan Nations.” In Culture Wars in America: An
Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices. London, United Kingdom: Routledge,
2013.

Eckard Toy. “"Promised Land" or Armageddon? History, Survivalists, and the Aryan Nations in
the Pacific Northwest”. Montana: The Magazine of Western History 36, no. 3 (1986): 80–
82.

Leavitt, Michael F. "Keenan v. Aryan Nations, No. CV-99-441 (Idaho 2000): making hate
groups liable for the torts of their members." Idaho Law Review 37, no. 3. (2001): 603-
639.

"Our History." Southern Poverty Law Center.

https://www.splcenter.org/our-history.

Ridgeway, James. Blood in the Face. New York: Thunder’s Mouth Press, 1990.

Schlatter, Evelyn A. Aryan Cowboys: White Supremacists and the Search for a New Frontier,
1970-2000. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2006.

Walters, Jerome. One Aryan Nation under God: How Religious Extremists Use the Bible to Justify Their
Beliefs. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks, 2001.