Timothy McVeigh's Prison Dossier

Following his 1995 arrest for bombing the Oklahoma City federal building, Timothy McVeigh spent six years in prison, a stay that ended with his June 11, 2001 execution at the Terre Haute penitentiary. During McVeigh's incarceration, his Bureau of Prisons's "central file" became voluminous, growing to more than 2000 pages and documenting his stays at several federal institutions. The file, which covers everything from medical visits to interview requests, was released to The Smoking Gun on October 17, four months after we filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the records.

BoP officials provided TSG with 1850 pages of material. Citing personal privacy exemptions, they withheld 153 pages in their entirety and, on many of the released pages, redacted the names of reporters,prison employees, and lawyers.

The file offers a fascinating glimpse into McVeigh's prison years, especially the final months of his life. Below you'll find an assortment of these BoP documents grouped into various categories. While we urge you to examine all the records, here are a few highlights from TSG's perspective:

* McVeigh told a caseworker he thought local school children might write to thank him since classes were going to be cancelled in Terre Haute on the day of his scheduled execution.

* According to one memo, the killer found the FBI's failure to turn over certain discovery files "very entertaining" and thought "these government errors lend support to his ideas and actions."

* McVeigh was obsessed with the care of his teeth. He wrote prison officials and badgered them about the availability and price of dental tooth picks, pushed for a "soft bristle" toothbrush, and wrote about his need for a "dental flosser." In two letters, McVeigh actually provided crude renditions of his desired flosser (though he acknowledged his poor artistic skills with the notation, "I suck at drawing").

* During his final weeks, the inmate received written interview requests from the likes of Meet the Press and the Howard Stern Show.

* Despite assertions he was ready to die, McVeigh suffered from heightened anxiety two weeks before his scheduled May 16 execution (which was eventually postponed until June 11). His appetite sagged, he lost weight, and prison staffers believed McVeigh was"starving himself," according to one medical report.

* Though ensconced on death row, McVeigh made sure to get a flu shot last winter.

* Saddled with chronic dyspepsia, McVeigh consumed much Zantac and Pepcid. But, one memo states, he apparently stopped taking Tagamet because of concerns that "one of the side effects is breast enlargement." He also had a habit "whereby he squeezes [acne] zits off his face."

* Six months before his execution, McVeigh told a psychologist that, due to his military background, he was interested in watching "Saving Private Ryan." But the mass murderer "found it ironic that because it was rated R, it couldn't be shown to the inmates. He thought that they might eventually get a sanitized version appropriate for general audiences." It's doubtful he lived long enough for that cinematic treat. Gee, what a shame.

Here are the BoP documents:

Some final thoughts. (4 pages)

Media interview requests. (9 pages)

Inside McVeigh's mouth. (7 pages)

Plea from a bombing victim's mother. (2 pages)

Staff thought McVeigh was starving himself (1 page)

Return to sender: Pen pal contraband. (3 pages)

On breasts and zits. (2 pages)

An inmate immunization. (1 page)

No smoking section. (1 page)

A killer's fingerprint card. (1 page)

Suitable for framing. (1 page)