In the Spirit of Crazy Horse

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse is a book by Peter Matthiessen which chronicles "the story of Leonard Peltier and the FBI's war on the American Indian Movement."

Leonard Peltier was convicted of murder in 1977 and sentenced to life in prison for the 1975 killing of two FBI agents, after a trial which the author and many others allege was based on fabricated evidence, widespread fraud and government misconduct.

Whatever the nature and degree of his participation at Oglala, the ruthless persecution of Leonard Peltier had less to do with his own actions than with underlying issues of history, racism, and economics, in particular, Indian sovereignty claims and growing opposition to massive energy development on treaty lands and dwindling reservations.The book was well received critically.

[1][2] Many scholars praised Matthiessen's veracity and accuracy,[1] and the author's support for Leonard Peltier, AIM, and the Lakota people was acknowledged and appreciated by those parties.

Anderson wrote: "Taken as a whole, what Matthiessen had constructed was a vast subterranean network of conspirators—not just FBI agents, prosecutors, and judges, but apparently county coroners, stenographers, fire investigators, and Canadian Mounties—all working in concert to destroy an AIM lieutenant because he and his movement dared, in some intangible way, to threaten the interests of white corporate America.

"[4] A few issues later, Outside printed a lengthy rebuttal by Matthiessen, who opened with: "The hope of justice for Leonard Peltier, now in his 19th year in prison, has been seriously harmed by Outside's destructive piece about his case.”[5] After publication of the book, two plaintiffs filed libel suits against Viking Press.

[6] In his complaint, referring to the statement by Banks about rape, Janklow "cited a 1975 letter from Philip W. Buchen, head of the Office of Counsel to the President of the United States, to the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, saying that three Federal investigations found the allegations against him 'simply unfounded'.

Her 33-page ruling noted, "Viking recognized that responsible publishing companies owe some duty to the public to undertake difficult but important works."