“PatCon” was an ambitious SPLC/FBI op to monitor ALL “right-wing” groups in the USA.
The final OkBomb arrests at OKC were timed VERY delicately in order to permit for maximal prosecution and drama.
But the field is messy unlike HQ, and the blast timetable was suddenly moved up at the last minute, and the blast did go off, leaving the authorities with a HUGE tar-baby on their hands.
But McVeigh’s cover was intact, and very few knew he was a government asset. But there had been 170 deaths that had to be blamed on SOMEONE, and the very worried suits in DC decided McVeigh was then best used as a fall-guy, instead of carrying on in his capacity as an agent.
His sheep-dipping process had involved a very credible process of going around acting nutty, the better to convince genuine kooks, but it would also serve especially well to convince liberal media people of his dastardly and solitary culpability.
Did the gummint WANT to blow up their own building..? Probably not, but they did put all the pieces in place.
A gov that would burn down churches, shoot mommmies in the head, blow up a day-care center:
Would they smuggle guns to narcos?
Would they, say, uh...bug the media?
Would they relentlessly harass 500 groups and even individual donors?
Would they spy on the communications of the innocent American public?
WOULD THEY SPY ON MEMBERS OF CONGRESS?
For the obtuse lib lurkers, let me answer all of your questions: Would they? Nope. THEY HAVE.