James Dennis "Jim"Ellison (c. 1941) is an American white supremacist from SanAntonio, Texas. In 1971, he founded the radical organization TheCovenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord (CSA). Ellison purchaseda 250-acre (1.0 km2) strip of land near Elijah, Missouri, to serve ashis compound. He was also a close associate of both Richard WayneSnell and Timothy McVeigh.

Leadership

Ellison was a polygamist who spent timein federal prison with his 'high priest' Kerry Noble. Robert G.Millar, the founder of Elohim City, Oklahoma, became one of hisspiritual advisers. He was also mentored by Richard Girnt Butler,founder of the Aryan Nations and Robert E. Miles, founder of TheMountain Church in Cohoctah, Michigan. Both extreme right leaderstaught and practiced Christian Identity, a religion included on theFBI watchlist as an 'extremist religion'. Ellison had veryclose ties to the Ku Klux Klan and the Northern Idaho-based groupAryan Nations, led by Richard Butler. Miles had a very active prisonministry and newsletter, relating mostly to several violent whitesupremacist groups, most notably the Aryan Brotherhood. After Ellisonwas released from prison, he moved to Elohim City, where he marriedMillar's granddaughter.

Siege at CSA: April 19, 1985

The ATF set up what is thought to havebeen a group of around 300 federal agents in Elijah, having them poseas fishermen because the area was a common destination for anglers.On the morning of April 19, 1985, they moved in with a warrant forthe arrest of Ellison and surrounded the CSA compound. Some agentsstayed in fishing boats in order to seal off the lakeside area of thecompound. There they waited, until a few hours later when two guardsemerged from the compound. They appeared to be unaware of thepresence of the officers, and they walked towards a sniper hold-out,until an officer yelled commands to return to the compound; theguards complied. Later, an unnamed individual emerged from thecompound and talked with the federal agents, reporting to Ellisonthat the FBI agents were outside and willing to negotiate hissurrender and the emptying of the compound. Ellison emerged later,and the FBI agents felt that he would not go down without afirefight. FBI negotiators convinced him that the CSA would certainlylose in a gun battle. They convinced him that they wanted peacefulcooperation, and he asked that his spiritual adviser, assumed to beRobert G. Millar, come to the compound to instruct him. Theindividual was flown to the area and seemed eager to convince Ellisonto stand down, understanding that otherwise there would be certainbloodshed. They allowed the individual into the compound, and the FBIagents instructed him to call in every 30 minutes in order to reporton how negotiations were going.

US Attorney and future Arkansasgovernor Asa Hutchinson, who would later go on to successfullyprosecute Ellison and other leaders of the CSA, put on an FBI flakjacket and entered the compound in order to personally join in thenegotiations, ultimately leading to a peaceful conclusion to thearmed standoff. After several calls requesting more time, early onthe morning of the fourth day of the siege, Ellison, his command, andall of the males in the compound emerged, and surrendered themselvesto authorities.

Charges

Ellison and most of his leadership werecharged in federal court with illegal weapons possession, and Ellisonfaced the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Ellison wasconvicted on federal racketeering and weapons charges and sentencedto 20 years in prison. Ellison was released in 1987 after agreeing totestify against the leader and six senior members of the AryanNations, which was rumored to have been strengthened by Robert Milesduring his time in federal prison. Upon his release from federalprison, Ellison moved to Elohim City, Oklahoma.