Four for the Revolution

Caught in the dragnet of the Brink's investigation were members of four supposedly dormant or little-known radical organizations. A brief guide to those underground groups:

Weather Underground Organization. Originally called Weatherman (after the Bob Dylan lyric "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows"), the group was formed in 1969 by about 300 mostly white, middle-class youths who split from the relatively nonviolent Students for a Democratic Society and called for an "armed struggle against the state." A hard core of about 40 Weathermen went underground in 1970 to start a terror campaign. In March of that year three members died in the explosion of a town house in New York City's Greenwich Village; Katherine Boudin and Cathlyn Wilkerson escaped. The Weather Underground proceeded to bomb "symbols of Amerikan [sic] injustice," including the U.S. Capitol in 1971, before fading in the mid-'70s.

Black Liberation Army. A loose-knit paramilitary band, the B.L.A. had its roots in the now defunct Black Panther Party and claimed about 100 members in the early 1970s. The group, which was responsible for numerous assaults on police officers, was eventually weakened by the arrests of many of its members, including, in 1973, Joanne Chesimard, the so-called soul of the B.L.A. Her dramatic escape from prison six years later may have reactivated the movement.

Republic of New Africa. Founded in Detroit in 1968, the all-black organization never numbering more than 30 sought the creation of an independent black nation carved out of Southern states as "reparation for oppression of blacks in America." To further this aim, the group established a national "capital" near Bolton, Miss., in 1971. In recent years the R.N.A. has become associated with the B.L.A., and is said to have been quietly giving paramilitary training to youths.

May 19th Coalition. Formed about two years ago by Weather Undergrounders and named for the common birthday of Malcolm X and Ho Chi Minh, the group is composed of 34 white women and six white men who see themselves as foot soldiers in the battle for black liberation. Its members operate above ground, and in September some protested a U.S. tour by a South Africa rugby team by hurling acid at New York City policemen.

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