APmo 05/07 2214 Richard Butler


   SPOKANE,  Wash.  (AP)  --  White  supremacy  leader  the  Rev.
Richard Butler was recovering from successful surgery on his left
carotid artery Thursday afternoon, said a spokeswoman for  Sacred
Heart Medical Center.

   The  surgery  lasted  about  two hours and Butler was taken to
recovery by mid-afternoon, said spokeswoman Marilyn Thordarson.

   She said the surgery went well and Butler was listed in stable
condition.

   The carotid arteries supply blood to the head and neck.

   Butler, 69, underwent quadruple bypass  heart  surgery  Friday
night.

   He  was  stricken  with  chest  pains  April  28  while in the
Kootenai County Jail at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where he  was  held
after being arrested on federal sedition charges.

   Butler  and  others  were  indicted  for allegedly plotting to
overthrow the government.

   Butler heads the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  Christian  (Aryan
Nations) near Hayden Lake, Idaho.