Deep Cover in America's Accelerationist Hate Groups: Code Name: Pale Horse: How I Went Undercover to Expose America's Nazis

Code Name: Pale Horse: How I Went Undercover to Expose America's Nazis by Scott Payne

Code Name: Pale Horse book cover

Author and retired undercover FBI agent Scott Payne

Co-author and reporter Michelle Shephard

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of Scott Payne and Michelle Shephard’s riveting book Code Name: Pale Horse: How I went Undercover to Expose America’s Nazis. The book is told primarily through Payne’s perspective as he goes undercover to expose members of The Base, an accelerationist white supremacy group that has gained some traction since the 2016 election of Donald Trump. I previously listened to Shephard’s podcast White Hot Hate about the Canadian connection to The Base, not realizing that Shephard was also the co-writer of this book. She also just released season 2 of her podcast, which will focus on Payne’s undercover work. As she notes in the podcast, Payne wasn’t able to tell his story until he retired, and the book details some of the cases that took their physical, psychological and emotional toll on Payne, eventually leading to his retirement. While this book doesn’t exclusively deal with the investigation and arrest of the members of The Base, Payne and Shephard provide some background into other cases that show the risks and challenges Payne face in dealing with other extremists and criminals. The book starts out with an Payne’s initial meeting in person with members of the Georgia cell of The Base, which was the closest cell to Payne, who lived in Tennessee at the time. I was drawn in by this chapter, since I have read (and listened to podcasts) about this group. Not that I’m looking to understand their motivations, there’s no way to understand hatred and racism, but it seems like these groups have both become more emboldened and yet remain on the peripheries of our society. In another book I’m reading about extremism, the author described these groups as like the descendants of Timothy McVeigh—people who ultimately want to bring about the destruction of America. As Payne notes, technology and social media have helped to facilitate an easier means of communicating and finding shared communities, but it also brings about the kind of operational security issues that allowed Payne and others like journalists to infiltrate these groups. I loved reading Payne’s descriptions and considerations about how to overcome these kinds of barriers, and even if they are deceptive, I can tell that Payne is fighting for a good cause and looking to protect society. He shares some of the terrifyingly violent and destructive messages that the members promoted about attacking perceived enemies and destroying infrastructure like water supplies or power grids. These are guys (and they are primarily guys) who are not just playing around. Furthermore, I found it disgusting how they revered people like Dylann Roof and Anders Breivik. Sadly certain forums and people who advocate for absolutism in first amendment allow this kind of false and dangerous worship. It was really shocking to read about how these members venerate racially motivated murderers. Payne’s book not only presents an exciting story while also detailing the dangers he encounters in collecting evidence and building his case against these members, but he also highlights the continued threat that these groups present.

As I mentioned, the book starts out with meeting the members of the base after some initial online recruiting and interviews. However, the book then goes back to detail Payne’s early life growing up in South Carolina. He comes from a caring and musical family, which aids his undercover work as a white supremacist member of the Ku Klux Klan later on. I was really surprised at the kind of trouble he got in during high school. It wasn’t malicious, but it definitely didn’t seem like someone who was bound for work in law enforcement. If anything, it made Payne seem more relatable. He has a funny story, though, about his early undercover work for one of the administrators at his school. Throughout the book, Payne has this kind of easy-going and jokey type tone that made the book both relatable, but it also showed how his personality probably allowed him to manage some of these stressful situations. One weird story was about how as a teen, he started listening to a band called Grim Reaper. I never heard of them and I thought it was a cool band name. Then he mentioned how he started to get more into Satanism, watching horror movies, which eventually led to him seeing a demon. It was a little weird. I don’t doubt his belief in what he saw, but from what I saw, the band Grim Reaper was not really that Satanic. It was just a weird story that stuck out to me. Scott eventually gets into law enforcement, which eventually leads to working in the FBI and working undercover. His burly appearance led to cases infiltrating the Outlaws biker gang. I honestly felt like this was the most exciting and stressful case he experienced. These guys were violent, into drugs, human trafficking, and other crimes. Scott doesn’t divulge too many operational details, but he does mention not cheating on his wife, despite opportunities, and not taking drugs. It was amazing to see his thinking and responses when he’s pushed to engage in criminal and dangerous activity. Another case has him infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan, and this one wasn’t as exciting, but it was interesting, especially since it helps to contextualize his later work with the more extreme accelerationist groups like The Base.

Despite being more extreme, Payne does paint the Base members as being similarly inept and clumsy, and too eager to engage in violence that will hasten the collapse of society. There’s some pretty weird rituals he’s forced to engage in that celebrate the Nordic heritage of these white supremacist groups. If it wasn’t for a goat sacrifice and talk of a white ethnostate, it would seem like just a bunch of weird guys who are hanging out and getting messed up.  I was also a little surprised to learn that these guys were taking acid during this ceremony, which really seemed antithetical to their causes and beliefs of violence and destruction. Most people I know who have taken acid are a little wild and unpredictable, but generally feel more empathetic and connected to others. I don’t doubt that Payne knows about drugs, but it seemed like these guys were more into meth and coke than hallucinogens. Regardless, Payne’s participation draws him closer to the group while their suspicions grow that there is a leaker or informant among them. Payne also is able to avert some potential violent incidents with his undercover work, possibly saving lives. I was actually surprised to learn that some of the members who were arrested before their attacks lived in Delaware and that the guy who started the Base was from NJ. Another member was arrested for vandalizing a synagogue in NJ. However, I saw a recent article about how NJ’s biggest threat is hate groups. This was really surprising to learn, but I think it also emphasizes some of the important lessons from Payne’s book. He details how many of the members of these groups have jobs, interact with others, and can sometimes lead mundane lives, but technology and platforms that tolerate these extremists with the argument of absolute free speech allow them to not only promote their disgusting hate, but also seek to recruit others and spread disinformation. Code Name: Pale Horse is a quick and compelling read about a growing threat in American society. Scott Payne’s narration and story (along with Michelle Shephard’s writing) make the facts more entertaining and exciting. Definitely a recommended book for fans of true crime and those who want to learn more about growing threat of extremists and hate groups in America.