
              Conspiracy Nation -- Vol. 5  Num. 81
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                    ("Quid coniuratio est?")


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EDYE SMITH -- 08/16/95
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Tom Valentine's guest on *Radio Free America* (5.065 MHz, 9 pm 
cst, mon-fri) was Edye Smith, the mother of two young children 
who perished in the April 19, 1995 explosion at the Murrah 
Building in Oklahoma City.

Edye Smith is widely known as the woman who challenged the 
government and its investigation while being interviewed by CNN 
(Cable News Network). When interviewed by CNN on May 23, 1995, 
she charged that there were "a lot of questions that have been 
left unanswered," and that she and her family and friends were 
"being told to keep our mouths shut, not talk about it, don't ask 
those questions."

During her appearance on the August 16th *Radio Free America* 
broadcast, Mrs. Smith...

  ** confirmed stories previously reported that the Red Cross had 
  stolen money from her. She claims that money sent to her by 
  sympathetic Americans via the Red Cross never made it to her 
  and her family.

  ** stated that the Red Cross had at first agreed to help get 
  her "tubes" untied so that she would be able again to bear 
  children, but that they subsequently reneged on their offer. 
  Fortunately, a doctor in Austin familiar with the procedure 
  heard of her plight and kindly offered to help. Normally such a 
  procedure, she says, would cost about $15,000, but, if all goes 
  well, she will get it done this coming week at no cost to her.

  ** insists that the ATF had prior knowledge of a bomb threat. 
  She claims that the ATF received a bomb threat the day before 
  and that their employees had an option not to come in to work 
  on April 19th, the day of the blast. Smith states that no ATF 
  personnel were killed by the explosion. Her information as to 
  what ATF personnel were present in the building that day 
  confirms, at least in part, information I received in a prior 
  interview with Debra von Trapp: that those present were mostly 
  clerical employees.

  ** says that one of the five ATF personnel present in the 
  Murrah Building on the day it was blown up claims to have been 
  in an elevator when the blast occurred and that he dropped 5 
  floors in that elevator. However, according to Mrs. Smith, she 
  and others (including her stepfather who she says has become 
  quite skilled as an independent investigator) who checked out 
  this story with the elevator company were told "No way" as to 
  the possibility that the ATF employee's elevator story could be 
  true.

  ** says that Channel 4 TV in Oklahoma City has done a 
  "wonderful job" of reporting and that CNN Headline News has 
  been picking up on a lot of their stuff.

  ** claims that several witnesses have stated that a bomb squad, 
  apparently connected to the city, had shown up at the Murrah 
  Building between 7 and 7:30 a.m. on the day of the bombing and 
  cleared the building at that time. So apparently there had 
  already been a bomb scare that day before the actual explosion 
  occurred at 9:02 a.m., if these witnesses are correct.

  ** has no doubt in her mind that the government had advance 
  knowledge of some type as to that there was going to be a 
  bombing. "It just burns me that we can't even trust our own 
  government," she says. Mrs. Smith added that some government 
  insiders are starting to come forward to tell what they know.

  ** says that her brother, a police officer, was allowed into 
  certain areas that day but not into others. According to Mrs. 
  Smith, there were three roped-off areas that even her brother 
  could not access. Security was very tight, but ATF and FBI 
  agents were busy sifting through the debris in these secured 
  areas.


It was apparent from listening to the broadcast that Edye Smith 
is avoiding wild rumors and is being careful in her claims. For 
that, host Tom Valentine thanked her and added his hope that we 
all can do likewise.

Mrs. Smith complained that, when she appears on local radio 
shows, it seems to her that "more people around here now hate me 
than like me... People that don't want to think that the 
government would do such a thing."

However all the callers to Valentine's August 16th broadcast 
spoke kindly and were supportive of Mrs. Smith. When asked by one 
caller what can people do to help, she replied, "I don't know. I 
guess prayers are the only thing... You don't have to send money. 
I'm not askin' for money."

Persons wishing to express their condolences, offer information, 
etc., can write to Edye Smith as follows:

   Edye Smith
   2921 W. Hill Street
   Oklahoma City, Oklahoma  73112

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