If you’ve been keeping an eye on the news lately, you might have noticed a name from the 1980s popping up again: The Order. It’s not just because of that recent movie starring Jude Law. Honestly, the real story is much weirder and, frankly, a lot more terrifying than what usually makes it onto the big screen. We're talking about a group that basically tried to fund a race war by robbing armored cars and printing fake fifties in the woods of the Pacific Northwest.
Most people think of 1980s extremism as a bunch of guys in robes meeting in backwoods clearings. That wasn't these guys. The Order, also known as the Brüder Schweigen or Silent Brotherhood, was something else entirely. They were a sophisticated, paramilitary cell that managed to steal over $4 million in a matter of months. They weren't just protesting; they were trying to overthrow the United States government.
The Man Behind the Chaos
It all started with Robert Jay Mathews. He wasn’t some lifelong criminal. He was a guy from Marfa, Texas, who eventually moved to a farm in Metaline Falls, Washington. He was obsessed with a book called The Turner Diaries, which is a fictional account of a white supremacist revolution. Basically, he decided to treat that novel like a step-by-step instruction manual.
In September 1983, Mathews gathered eight other men at his barracks. They stood in a circle around a white infant and swore an oath. It’s the kind of detail that sounds like a movie trope, but it actually happened. They were dedicated to creating a "whites-only" homeland in the Pacific Northwest—specifically Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.
They didn't start big. Their first "mission" was robbing a pornographic video store in Spokane. They walked away with exactly $369.10. Not exactly the "war chest" they were looking for. But they learned fast.
Why The Order Still Matters Today
You might wonder why we’re still talking about a group that was active for only about 15 months. The reason is simple: their blueprint never went away. They weren't just a local gang. They were the first major group to use RICO statutes—the laws designed for the Mafia—against political extremists.
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The Million-Dollar Heists
After the pathetic video store robbery, the group escalated. They moved on to counterfeiting, but they were pretty bad at it. One of their members, Bruce Pierce, got caught passing fake $50 bills at a mall. To bail him out, Mathews robbed a bank near Seattle by himself and bagged $26,000.
Then came the big one. In July 1984, they ambushed a Brink’s armored truck near Ukiah, California. They didn't just walk up and ask for the money. They used two pickup trucks to pin the vehicle, flashed a sign that said "Get out or Die," and let loose with submachine guns. They made off with $3.6 million.
Where did that money go? That’s the scary part. They didn't just spend it on fancy cars. They distributed it. They sent $200,000 to Glenn Miller of the White Patriot Party in North Carolina. They funded other neo-Nazi groups across the country. They were trying to build an entire infrastructure of hate.
The Murder of Alan Berg
This is the part of the story that most people recognize. Alan Berg was a Jewish radio talk-show host in Denver. He was loud, he was abrasive, and he loved to poke at the extremists who called into his show. He didn't take them seriously.
On June 18, 1984, members of The Order ambushed him in his driveway. They shot him 12 times with a MAC-10. It wasn't just a murder; it was an assassination intended to silence dissent. This was the moment the FBI realized they weren't just dealing with a group of bank robbers. They were dealing with a domestic terrorist cell.
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The Fiery End at Whidbey Island
The downfall of The Order was just as dramatic as its rise. It didn't end with a quiet arrest. It ended in a massive fireball.
One of their members, Thomas Martinez, got caught passing counterfeit money and turned informant. He led the FBI right to Mathews. In December 1984, the feds tracked Mathews to a small house on Whidbey Island, Washington. It was a 30-hour standoff.
Mathews refused to surrender. He sat inside with a submachine gun and a gas mask, firing at anyone who got close. Eventually, the FBI fired M-79 grenade launchers with flares into the house. The building ignited. Mathews died in the fire on December 8, 1984.
The Survivors and the "14 Words"
Even though the group was dismantled, its members left a lasting mark. David Lane, the getaway driver in the Alan Berg murder, was sentenced to 190 years. While in prison, he coined the "14 Words," a slogan that is still used by extremist groups globally today.
Bruce Pierce, the gunman who killed Berg, died in prison in 2010. Richard Scutari, the group's head of security, was only recently scheduled for release in early 2025/2026 after serving nearly 40 years. These men didn't just disappear into the system; they became "martyrs" for a new generation of radicals.
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What We Can Learn from This
Looking back, it’s clear that The Order was a turning point. They showed how a small, disciplined group could cause massive disruption using "leaderless resistance"—a concept where small cells act independently to avoid being taken down all at once.
If you're looking for actionable ways to understand or counter this kind of history, start by looking at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) or the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). They track how the ideologies of The Order have morphed into modern movements.
Another good step? Read Bring the War Home by Kathleen Belew. She’s a historian who explains how the trauma of the Vietnam War and the distrust of the government in the 70s fed directly into groups like The Order. It’s not just "ancient history." It’s a map of how we got to where we are now.
Keep an eye on the release of former members and the groups that still use their symbols. The Order might be gone, but the playbook they wrote is unfortunately still being read.
Next Steps:
- Check out the FBI’s Vault records on "The Order/Silent Brotherhood" for original case files.
- Research the Northwest Territorial Imperative to see how the "homeland" idea has evolved since 1984.
- Watch documentaries like Inside the Mind of a Neo-Nazi for contemporary context on these 80s groups.