Bitter Harvest

by James Corcoran

James Corcoran tells the story of Gordon Kahl and the Posse Comitatus, using captivating narrative with vivid imagery. Sunday, February 13, 1983, was a sunny day in Medina, North Dakota—a seemingly peaceful church-going winter day. But hate politics was broiling in secret locations and the Heartland provided cover for those who wanted to take the law into their own hands. "Something terrible, and terribly important, was taking place," writes Corcoran. Ever a page-turner, reflect again on this story of violence and how a group of people can construct an alternative version of the law and the truth.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, History, Politics

249 pages, Hardcover

First published May 25, 1990

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim is my mom's first cousin, so you'd think I'd be biased in my review.
Let me say, that even if he weren't family I would still give this book five stars.
It's a great, and well told (true) story of the Posse Comitatus in North Dakota and the shoot out (and deaths) between federal marshals.
He has won awards for this book and even a tv show based on this book. He's a Harvard grad and teaches journalism in Boston. (sorry, just pumping him up! ).
With everything that is happening even now, this book is still very relevant. Maybe even more so today.

[Jill Crosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to give this book 4 stars not because of a thorough psychological treatment of posse comitatus disciple or a deep dive into the organization, nor because of an in-depth analysis of government strategies employed against the fringe elements of American society and their self-proclaimed superiority and rightness.

Nope. Written in 1990 about and event that occurred in North Dakota in February 1983 which pitted US Marshals serving a warrant for a tax evasion arrest on farmer-turned-militiaman Gordon Kahl, author James Corcoran absolutely NAILS the roots of the Identity Movement alive and well in the US today, and clearly predicts the co-opting of a major political party by its most extreme fringiest of fringes. His research and logical analysis of “this begets that” is chilling in its accuracy and delivery.

[Aaron Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book covers the background and hunt for Gordon Khal as well as the trial of those who stood with him on that fateful day of the shootout. I would have to say that the author kept it fairly even between the opposing parties in telling their sides. I still to this day believe that Gordon Khal did the right thing and the government was bloodthirsty and completely out of line in their handling of the situation from beginning to end. In fact during those years a number of incidents were handled very very poorly.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're wondering about home-grown terrorism, this book is fascinating. If you're not, you soon will be after you start reading.

[Janine Holter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading a book published in 1990 in 2022, about events that took place in 1983, and it confirms to me that these types of groups never go away. They just reinvent themselves with a new version. Of note from page 121 "It is time to unite! Not under a third party banner which has proven so many times to be a failure, but to take over on of the major parties. Some say it should be the Republican Party" "One reason the Republican party was selected is because of its twenty-year-long Southern Strategy , which publicly pandered to racism. Another reason, is because some of the more conservative members of the party - such as former U.S congressman George Hansen of Idaho, and state senators Jack Metcalf of Washington and Wayne Stump of Arizona - had openly courted the support of Christian Patriot supporters." and page 122 "Duke's (David Duke) victory probably ended the debate about whether the major party strategy was the best way to play the political game. Now the far right is likely to consolidate into a unified approach. And should the Christian Patriots, Populists, right wing tax resisters and Kluxers arrive at a common strategy, stumble upon a charismatic and credible candidate, and manage to keep the machine running smoothly, their political organizing might strike paydirt in 1992"

WOW, JUST WOW!

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Gordon Kahl, tax resister and Christian Identity whack job, who ended up in a shootout with U.S. Marshals who attempted to arrest him. Kahl survived and fled, two Marshals were killed and another was seriously wounded as was a deputy sheriff. [return][return]What I found particularly interesting was Corcoran's description of the farm crisis of the 80s and its causes. Financial crisis has a way of pushing some people towards radical political views and groups, expect to see more of this in coming days.[return][return]Corcoran managed to write a pretty balanced book without attempting to excuse the actions of Kahl and his compatriots. I've read a lot about right-wing fringe groups so nothing here came as a shock to me, but if you don't know much about such groups this isn't the worst place to start although there are better ones.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

During the recession of the 1970s, blue collar Americans were the hardest hit, particularly small farmers. Families that had successfully farmed their land for generations were falling behind on bills, taxes, and mortgages, losing everything to the auctioneer's gavel. Large-scale factory farms that qualified for government subsidies were not just surviving, but thriving - buying up land and equipment for pennies on the dollar. Desperate times create favorable conditions for the seeds of anger and resentment to flourish... and men like Gordon Kahl water those seeds carefully.

Kahl, a farmer from North Dakota, wrote to the IRS in 1967, advising them that he would no longer be paying his income taxes because they were illegal and immoral. In the 1970s, he appeared on a TV show in Texas urging others to stop paying income tax - after which he was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to two years in federal prison. After serving eight months, he was released, and swore he'd never return to prison under any circumstances.

He was right.

After parole, Kahl became active in Posse Comitatus, an anti-government white supremacist group that fathered the modern-day sovereign citizen movement. The Posse pioneered 'paper terrorism' - they filed frivolous lawsuits, created bogus legal documents, and placed false liens against the properties of IRS agents and others in government positions. Posse members believed that there is no legitimate form of government above the county level, and that and no legal law authority exists above the county sheriff. If they believed the sheriff to be acting counter to the will of the people, he should be "hung by the neck... at high noon... in the most populated intersection of streets in the township."

The Posse appealed to those who wanted a scapegoat for their troubles - everything was the fault of the US Government, which they claimed was run by a cabal of Jews, millionaires, and their sympathizers. They twisted scripture to support their actions, and stirred up resentment against anyone in the community that disagreed with them. They armed themselves, stockpiled supplies and ammo, and planned for the day when (not if) the Shit Hit The Fan.

Kahl, who had an income of less than $10,000 per year, was sought by US Marshalls for parole violations. On paper, his continued refusal to pay taxes was at issue, but in reality, Kahl taunted the Marshalls, and they were tired of looking like Keystone Kops. Local law enforcement had kept an uneasy eye on Kahl and his family (one of his sons, Yori, was a carbon copy of Kahl in spouting anti-government rhetoric), and it was known that none of them traveled anywhere without being armed. The ensuing shootout on February 13, 1983 left two dead, four injured, and Gordon Kahl on the run.

This is the story of a perfect storm - the farming crisis, government's disdain for its citizenry and dismissal of their plight, law enforcement allowing ego to override sound planning and tactics, and the impact on those caught in the crossfire. "Bitter Harvest" is a must-read for those interested in understanding the history and mindset of the modern SOVCIT movement, as well as a step-by-step plan for a "bad shoot."

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living in North Dakota in 1983, I remember this event. But I never got the full story as offered by the book. My 8th grade teacher at Berlin Public School, Len Martin, is mentioned in the book. I have also been to Medina several times and I have driven the road where this event took place. The rumor at the time was the Gordon Kahl spent some time after the event on a farm probably 15-20 miles away from my home. That has never been confirmed and the book doesn't offer any more information. The book is relatively short. I can remember the tough times farmers were having back in those years. A good read overall.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is shockingly current to today's events and what is happening in Politics. The setting for this is the 1980's farm crisis and an extremest who becomes violent in his protests against income tax evasion and later his arrests and capture. It is tragic and turns out to be a major murder of law enforcement in North Dakota and in Arkansas. The book does get into quite a bit of details at times, and the end of it gives a cast of characters to keep track of. It is not really a mystery, but it does make you turn pages like one.

[Oliver Sime · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no doubt that Corcoran's Bitter Harvest is the definitive book on the story of Gordon Kahl. Corcoran tells one of the darkest stories in North Dakota history seamlessly with a sharp wit and keen eye for observation. The story is outlined with several characters and perspectives that keeps the writing fresh and grants the reader a fuller understanding.

If you have any interest at all in North Dakota history, I implore you to read this book. You'll enjoy ever page.

[Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this to try to understand different points of view, but it sadly just makes me think of the way some things never change. A sad sad story for all the victims of selfishness and overzealousness.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a rare book that skirts the 2- and 3-star border. Usually, a 2-star book for me is one that fails in some fundamental way, but is still readable. These are pretty distinct from 3-star books, which manage to make their case convincingly, but whose cases don’t strike me as significant enough to make the 4-star cut.

By this definition, journalistic “true crime” books such as this one are almost by definition in the 2-star category, since their purpose is really mostly entertainment, not argumentation. To the degree that they make any kind of case, it is usually akin to the moralistic overtones of a classic exploitation film, whose “square up” reel allows the audience to feel justified in watching images of depraved behavior by reminding them that they are really decent, moral human beings, unlike those presented in the film. This book is actually somewhat better than that. Corcoran appears to be interested in exploring the social issues behind home-grown terrorism in the United States, the degree to which a culture of fierce independence and popular veneration of violence mixes with the economic decline of family farming to create an increasing unstable situation.

He appears to be interested in all of this, but he doesn’t – quite – pull it off. Largely, this is because most of the book is written as a fictional-style-narrative retelling of the events he is using to get at these categories. He gives us the mental narratives of his protagonists, including those who died in shootouts (so they couldn’t have told him what they were thinking in interviews) and describes action scenes in the kind of detail you expect in a hard-boiled crime novel. His analysis, meanwhile, is weak and limited essentially to journalistic facts, with very little context or source analysis. The sources listed at the back of the book are extremely limited, especially in primary materials (although a careful reading indicates that he used considerably more sources than are listed there). The book, in the end, is mostly entertaining and only limitedly informative or convincing.

Nevertheless, it stands at the top of my “2-star” rating, because it is at least somewhat successfully entertaining, and because there isn’t much else out there about the Posse Comitatus or Gordon Kahl, both of which will hopefully be revisited by serious scholars of the Right at some point.

One minor note that most reviewers would ignore is the disappointing index. At first glance, it appears rather long, more comprehensive than one would expect from a journalistic account. However, the headings are rather less useful than they should be. Far-right groups are listed which only get passing mentions, and one can waste a lot of time trying to find information about, for example, the Aryan Nations or Gerald L.K. Smith (listed wrongly as “Gerald K. Smith”), about which nothing substantive is written. On the other hand, the The Communist Manifesto is mentioned in several places in the text without being indexed, and also apparently without having been consulted by the author.

[Timothy Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

From my youth in North Dakota, I remember hearing rumblings about something big happening in the small town of Medina, North Dakota. Every time we would drive past the road sign decorated with a pelican announcing the town of Medina, my father would remind us of the Posse Comitatus, and the shooting that lead to the deaths of two US Marshals, finally coalescing to a nationwide manhunt ending in a hail of bullets and a rain of ash.

Bitter Harvest brings those vague tales from my childhood into a startling and disconcerting light. It is a tale of paranoia and conspiracy, of simple farmers battling against a monster which didn't exist, of police who were foolish, of federal agents who gave into their rage at the loss of valued colleagues. But at its deepest, it is a reminder that our nation maintains a tenuous grasp on its civility and that we all have a responsibility to defend it against both tyranny and extremism.

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a good forensic look at the Gordon Kahl case and how a group of extremist rebels who didn't want to pay taxes took a wrong turn into violence. I don't think it truly addressed the birth of paramilitary terrorism in the heartland the way the title said it would, but it did provide a piece of the puzzle. People who feel abandoned by the government will look for other ways to survive. It was a good start to looking at a very deep problem in America.

[Jeannie]

This was especially interesting since I lived through this era and experienced some of the farm hardship. The author really did a good job of explaining how the characters came to believe the things that they did. Most weren't as fanatical as Gordon but there were some in most communities.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bitter Harvest was easy follow and quite interesting. The shoot out involving Gordon Kaul, beliefs of the Posse Comitatis and the farm foreclosure events leading up the Kaul shootout were well explained. A realistic, if extreme right wing, slice of 80's rural midwest US.

[Partridge Public]

Corcoran, James

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

not really my kind of story.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book.