Secret Service: No Oklahoma City bombing tape exists

AP ^ | 4-19-04 | AP

[Joe Hadenuf]

Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — There's a log describing a tape - but no tape itself.

A Secret Service agent has testified that an agency document written shortly after the Oklahoma City bombing described security video footage and witness testimony - suggesting Timothy McVeigh may have had some help.

The log describes footage showing the federal building explosion, about three minutes after "suspects" exited the Ryder truck used in the blast.

But she says there's no evidence that the tape exists. The government has insisted McVeigh drove the truck alone, and that it had no tapes showing the bombing or the scene at the building before it.

Several people involved with the case say they've never seen footage described in the log.

The agent who testified today at bombing conspirator Terry Nichols' trial says the log was an internal document used to keep track of agents' activities during the bombing investigation.

She said the reports in it may have been based on speculation - and that the Secret Service doesn't vouch for its reliability.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Thought you may be interested.....

[microgood]

The log describes footage showing the federal building explosion, about three minutes after "suspects" exited the Ryder truck used in the blast. But she says there's no evidence that the tape exists.

Why isn't the log evidence that the tape exists?

[ladyinred]

This is odd, I recall at the time there was all this news about a video that had recorded the bombing. It was being described often. I think if was from a security camera across the street on another building.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Good question, and my thought too....

[okie01]

She said the reports in it may have been based on speculation - and that the Secret Service doesn't vouch for its reliability.

Well, then, who maintained the log? And who reported the tape's existence and witnesses' testimony to them?

Surely, the Secret Service logkeeper wasn't simply recording flights of fancy...

[Ingtar]

Two words appear to be missing from the end of the title: any longer.

(Puts on tinfoil hat)

[Squantos]

fyi

[Joe Hadenuf]

Surely, the Secret Service logkeeper wasn't simply recording flights of fancy...

Yes, I find it slightly suspect given the enormity and importance of this investigation....

Such a statement or evidence would be critical. Did they know of this log/statement, or was it revealed during the McViegh trial?

[Smokin' Joe]

Yes, thanks. I keep flashing back to Janet Reno saying "There is no evidence that exists....". All I could think of was 'Jeez, she's pretty sure they have destroyed it all.'

[Diver Dave]

Well, let's see now...

The tape doesn't exist because it got hauled away during the demolition phase of the Murrah Bldg. Yeah, I'm sure we can sell this excuse to the sheeple... jamie and hill

Or how about... The tape is useless. It was discovered shredded into tiny pieces in the bottom of Charles Ruff's briefcase. It was depressed and felt the only thing to do was self-destruct.

[A Jovial Cad]

Oh, enough. Save for my time in the service, I've lived in Oklahoma all of my life, and I can tell you such tinfoil-hat speculations as you've hinted at in this post don't wash here.
Never truly knew how the long-time citizens of Dallas felt about the endless "grassy-knoll" nonsense regarding JFK until I started running into the shadowy mutterings about the so-called hidden "co-conspirators" regarding the OKC bombing on the internet.
There's nothing here, folks--move along now. There simply isn't any grand "conspiracy" hidden from public view beyond those already brought to justice, i.e., McVeigh, Fortier, and Nichols. Plain, simple, period.

[okie01]

"Did they know of this log/statement, or was it revealed during the McViegh trial?"

Almost certainly not. Consider the furore had it been introduced as evidence.

The USSS story is that they cooperated with the FBI, who was in charge of the investigation, and submitted all their evidence accordingly. Consequently, the FBI -- for reasons undisclosed (but highly suspicious) -- must have withheld this evidence from both the prosecutors and the defense.

I wonder who might've made such a call...

[Swordmaker]

So this log entry was just the work of a frustrated fiction author, who, lacking anything else to do, wrote a very short story in the log book. Right. Sure.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Oh, enough. Save for my time in the service, I've lived in Oklahoma all of my life, and I can tell you such tinfoil-hat speculations as you've hinted at in this post don't wash here.

Which tinfoil speculation are you referring to? If you could be specific. Are you referring to my comment about the log entry of an existing video tape by a government official?

[Joe Hadenuf]

Almost certainly not.

I didn't think so, and do not recall it being brought up at McViegh's trial.

[ambrose]

hasn't ANYONE on the Free Republic ever watched "Rules of Engagement" with Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L Jackson??

[Smokin' Joe]

Try looking here, my 4 year-old demands my atention. http://www.thenewamerican.com/_vti_bin/shtml.exe/website/search.htm

[Smokin' Joe]

Search for "Oklahoma and City and Bombing and tapes"

[okie01]

There's nothing here, folks--move along now.

The log and the particular entry evidently exist.

That's a wee bit more than nothing.

What explanation would you hazard?