The founder of the neo-Nazi "Aryan Nations" group, Richard Butler, a retired aviation engineer often referred to as "the elder statesman of American hate," died on Wednesday in his sleep at age 86, authorities said. Butler founded and led the white supremacist, anti-Semitic organization, which bought unwelcome notoriety to the northwest American region of Hayden Lake, Idaho, otherwise known for its scenic beauty. Butler moved to northern Idaho from California in the early 1970s because Idaho is mostly white and he thought it a good place from where to launch a "race war". His former compound, marked by a "Whites Only" sign, barbed wire and occasional cross burnings, drew racist and neo-Nazi pilgrims from around the world and came to symbolize the separate state they sought to create. Observers said that the leader's death will probably mark the end of the Aryan Nations, which has currently only about a dozen active members.
