The Ringleader Thought Humanity Was Headed for Disaster
George Smith may not have had a serious criminal record prior to the robbery, but he was one of many people who believed that humanity was headed for disaster. After serving two years in the U.S. Army as an artilleryman, he was sent to West Germany to work with tactical nuclear weapons.
George Smith. Source: RSO
Smith later moved back to California to work as a maintenance person. It was here that he met Chris Harven and preached his anarchist ideas of overthrowing the government. Smith was swept up by Southern California’s Christian youth culture, focusing on the Rapture. His past work with nuclear weapons only made him more paranoid.