Page 9 of Kurt's 1970 Senate Transcript
Senator PERCY. We have laws. It is a question of enforcement,
of course.
Mr. Sisco. If you don't have the people to enforce
it, then you can forget the laws.
Senator PERCY. Do you feel that law enforcement officials
are so ineffective now that even though we have laws that they simply can't
carry them out ?
Mr. Sisco. They can jail the idiot but if he can
walk out the next day what good is it ?
Senator PERCY. Do you look upon your mission in life as
one to help prepare the rightwing organizations for the eventuality that
some day they may have to be prepared ?
Mr. Sisco. That was the hope but it bombed out.
It just did not work. I guess that is a Freudian slip. I just couldn't
reach them.
So, now, I am going to concentrate on the district
attorneys and sheriffs, marshals, and police. Maybe if I can beef up the
police enough so that they know how to make bombs, they will patrol the
campuses.
Senator PERCY. You will help the police to make their
own bombs ?
Mr. Sisco. I hope so.
Senator PERCY. You hope so ?
Mr. Sisco. Well, the police are good, decent types.
I never have had trouble with police.
Senator GURNEY. What would the police use bombs for ?
Mr. Sisco. They would probably bomb the left and
blame it on the right, which would not bother me a bit.
One of the district attorneys from San Francisco,
when he was investigating my bomb book, he said that if I—well, I
had about 800 of my original, the mimeographed copy of the "Militants Formulary"—
you see, when I put this out, I did not like it because it was too sloppily
done. Then I had the other one printed, the one you have up there. So,
then, everyone who bought this got a copy of the better issue.
I had about 800 of these left. So, I offered all
of these to the police department in San Francisco and they wouldn't take
it because they said if certain of their police—well, they said something
to the effect that maybe certain of their police would use it or if their
police had it and something happened, some of the leftists were bombed
by rightwingers, then everyone would blame the police for doing it.
So, evidently the police officials don't trust the
men on the street.
Senator GURNEY. Is it your thought that instead of using
the present methods the police have for riot control, tear gas, things
like this, that they should use bombs if they want to disperse a crowd;
is that it ?
Mr. Sisco. Let us make it a simpler way.
If someone wants to destroy my environment, I think
the best thing to do is to destroy him. I see no reason to play with him,
pat him on the head, blame it on Dr. Spock. Bring in the machineguns and
bombs, whatever it takes.
Senator GURNEY. Sort of an eye-for-eye and tooth-for-tooth
idea?
Mr. Sisco. Not exactly that, either. Just get rid
of cancer. If you want to say cancer cells have a right to live—
Senator GURNEY. Let me ask you this, Mr. Sisco, and this
is of considerable interest to the committee to try to find out what motivates
this bombing and terrorism in this country which has increased to very
substantial proportions in the last 2 years.
I think you could help the committee a great deal if you
could give us extensively your background. When did you get interested
in this business of bombing and explosives ?
Mr. Sisco. I think I was interested in it even when
I was a little kid. I had the idea that the Japanese were going to invade.
Senator GURNEY. This is when you were growing up ?
Mr. Sisco. Yes. Well, I was not really growing up.
It was in 1941— I remember we lived in Chicago and we could look out and
we could see the Wrigley Building from our apartment. It was me and my
brother and my sister, and they put on the paper; the Chicago skyline
showed the places that the Japanese would bomb. I think this was about
December 7th, the first thing that came on about Pearl Harbor. So, we sat
for hour after hour, waiting for this, to watch the Japanese bomb the Wrigley
Building. We were quite disappointed it did not happen. We had nothing
against the Wrigley Building. You know, it would be colorful.
Senator GURNEY. How old were you then ?
Mr. Sisco. Ten.
Senator GURNEY. When was your next interest in bombing
?
Mr. Sisco. I was thinking if the Japanese invaded
I should know how to protect myself. So, I started in my own small way
researching this. I found a lot of things in the library then.
Senator GURNEY. This is when you were 10 and 11 years
old?
Mr. Sisco. Yes.
Senator GURNEY. You went to the public library ?
Mr. Sisco. Yes.
As I remember, the first book I got on the subject
was "The Blasters Handbook," an early edition, of course. It tells you
all about how to use dynamite. In fact, anyone can get it and learn exactly
what he needs. Most of the bombings are done by dynamite. Did you read
this issue of Life, "The Bomb Radicals" ?
Senator GURNEY. I think I glanced at it.
Mr. Sisco. This here tells you exactly how you go
about buying dynamite. I can buy it in Oregon for about $20 for 100 sticks,
and you don't have to give any kind of identification, or anything like
that. They are trying to make it so that you do have to give identification,
but that would be a very bad thing because if you put real stringent laws
on dynamite it will sell just like dope.
Senator GURNEY. Your theory is that the forbidden fruit
is always the most attractive.
Mr. Sisco. Oh, it is the greatest.
For instance, it says dynamite is easy to buy and
use and it shows here the man going in and purchasing it, no name or anything
like that. He pays $21.69 for 100 dynamite sticks.
Now, say, you make it a law so that the individual
buying dynamite has to prove that he has a legitimate use. Say, I was a
fanatic and—
[Laughter.]
Mr. Sisco. OK.
All you have to do—
