As the son of a psychiatrist who receives Psychiatric News, I have to say I enjoy reading your publication a great deal. However, I believe there was an error in an article titled "Psychiatrist Seeks Clues To Lure of Apocalyptic Cults" in the July 21 issue. The article says that Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, carried a diary that "reads like an American Mein Kampf, where white supremacists want to overthrow the American government and kill every black and Jew." I think you may have confused things here. I believe you meant to refer not to McVeigh’s personal diary but to The Turner Diaries, a bizarre and violent novel depicting an uprising by white supremacists against the U.S. government. Police were said to have found a copy of The Turner Diaries among McVeigh’s possessions during their investigation of the bombing. There was speculation some time ago that the book’s virulently antigovernment message helped inspire the Oklahoma tragedy.

Neil Maghami

Toronto, Canada