The Order was a faction of Aryan Nations active between 1982 and 1984.  They were perhaps the most successful criminal organization ever to emerge from the American white supremacist movement, and they continue to be idolized by the racist community today.<p> The Order was founded by Bob Matthews, a former member of the John Birch Society and a leading member of National Alliance, a white supremacist group founded by William Pierce.  Pierce, a physics professor and former publicist for the American Nazi Party, is best known as the author of The Turner Diaries.  The Turner Diaries is a fantasy about right-wing white supremacist revolution spearheaded by a group called "The Order."  The book is extremely popular among the extremist right: Timothy McVeigh had a copy with him when he was arrested.  Bob Matthews found The Turner Diaries inspiring.  In 1982 Matthews suggested to his friend Bruce Pierce, whom he met through the Christian Identity group Aryan Nations, that they form a group modeled on "The Order."  Bruce Pierce later testified that Matthews "hoped for a natural disaster, economic failure of the U.S. government, a major race war, or anything that would disrupt society in America so that he would be able to gather up his army of men and strike against the system, that being the U.S. government.  Bob Matthews's intent was to destroy those instruments standing in the way of Aryans having a homeland for the white race." (Ridgeway 109-111)<p>The Order tried at first to fund the revolution legally.  The group bid on and won a trail-clearing contract, but found the work frustrating and difficult, and soon turned to robbery.  Their first crime was the April 1983 robbery of a Spokane porn shop, from which they netted $369.  The Order began to print counterfeit money at the Aryan Nations compound, but Pierce was arrested when he tried to use the bills.  Their counterfeiting operation soon, however, grew more sophisticated and profitable, as did their robberies.  In December of 1983 Matthews robbed a Seattle Citibank with a note, and walked out with $29,500.  The group began attacking armored cars in March of 1984.  Their most successful operation was the robbery of a Brinks armored car carrying $3.6 million.  A Brinks employee sympathetic to The Order gave the group information about the car's route, and twelve Order members ambushed the car in a California redwood forest on July 19, 1984.  The group spent some of the money (on weapons, military training, and a ski condo, among other things) and distributed the rest of it to other militant white groups.<p>The Order's crimes were not limited to larceny.  Bruce Pierce bombed a Boise synagogue, although he did little damage.  Order member Walter West was murdered when Bob Matthews began to suspect him of talking about the group to outsiders.  In June of 1984, David Lane and Bruce Pierce gunned down Jewish radio host Alan Berg outside his home in Denver.  Berg had argued with Order members who phoned in to his talk show, and by all accounts (including, apparently, the vengeful Order members themselves) had gotten the better of them.