The Unabomber: Ted Kaczynski

1. The Unabomber: Ted Kaczynski Kevin Konzelman

2. Childhood • Born Theodore John Kaczynski on May 22, 1942 to Polish immigrants Wanda and Richard Kaczynski • Had a younger brother named David • Spent childhood in the Chicago, IL suburb of Evergreen Park, in an average suburban 1960’s home • Was very smart as a child – IQ of 170 • Attended Evergreen Park High School • Was antisocial in high school and was “regarded as a freak by…the student body” • Skipped 6th and 11th grades Kaczynski’s childhood home

3. College Life • Began study at Harvard at age 16 • Attended graduate school at the University of Michigan from 1962-1967, where he received a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in mathematics • Lived in isolation at both schools (participated in no sports or clubs

4. Early Career • Soon after receiving his Ph.D., he was given an assistant professorship at UC-Berkeley • However, he quit at the end of the 1969 school year after receiving a number of complaints that he was antisocial towards students Kaczynski as a professor > at Berkeley

5. Into Isolation • In 1971, after abandoning his job at UC-Berkeley, Kaczynski pursued the life of Henry David Thoreau (a 19th Century writer) and sought to buy land in the woods of Canada • After the Canadian government rejected his claim to buy land in Canada, Kaczynski settled for an empty plot of land in the woods near Lincoln, Montana • On this plot, he built a little wood cabin that would become his residence until his arrest < Kaczynski’s cabin in Lincoln Lincoln, Montana >

6. Development of Motives • Kaczynski’s lack of social skills led to the develop “acute sexual starvation”, according to Adam Magid, who published a court-ordered psychological evaluation of Kaczynski after his arrest • While in the height of his disorder, he read Jacques Ellul’s The Technological Society, an anti-technology book • This book and its anti-industry beliefs provided a scapegoat for Kaczynski’s anger and frustration with being antisocial • He developed a hatred of modern technology and allowed it to become the subject of many of his bombings Jacques Ellul’s The Technological Society

7. His Methods Model bomb < Made by the FBI • Kaczynski always used the same tactics when planning an attack • He would send a package, containing the bomb, to his intended victim with a faulty return address or the same address as the recipient, as if the package had been returned back • When the intended target opened the package, the bomb would explode. • Kaczynski’s bombs became more powerful, effective, and complex as he went on with his bombing spree • Some of his bombs would include a letter signed by “FC” – the Freedom Club (a fictional group Kaczynski made up that supported his beliefs)

8. His Victims

10. Unabomber Victims The Unabomber’s three murders (left to right): Hugh Scrutton, Thomas Mosser, Gilbert Murray

11. The Unabomber Manifesto • In 1995, Kaczynski anonymously mailed a copy of his 35,000-word “manifesto” to the New York Times, demanding it be published if his bombings were to end • The manifesto was titled “Industrial Society and Its Fate” • In the work, Kaczynski provides his views on the faults of contemporary society and his belief that humans should return to a pre-Industrial Revolution lifestyle • The New York Times, fearing for other possible victims, published the manifesto soon after it was received Article annoucing the publishing of the manifesto

12. Capture of the Unabomber • In 1980, soon after Percy Wood was targeted, the FBI acknowledged the connection between all previous bombings by Kaczynski and dubbed the case file the Universities and Airline Bombings (UNABOM). • In the 1990’s Attorney General Janet Reno authorized the forming of the UNABOM Task Force, comprising of FBI, Treasury Department, and US Postal Service agents, to capture the Unabomber • One of the first plans of action for the task force was to set up a profile of the suspect. They concluded on a middle-aged white male, who was familiar with campus life, liked bombs, and had ties to both California and Chicago. • Immediately after the manifesto was published in 1995, the FBI offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the bomber’s arrest.

13. Capture of the Unabomber • Upon reading the manifesto in the paper, David Kaczynski realized the manifesto was extremely similar to the letters his brother had written him over the years. • Feeling an urge to save the lives of more victims, David approached the FBI with the evidence. FBI forensic analysts saw an almost perfect match between writing styles • On April 13, 1996, the FBI task force arrived in Lincoln, Montana, to arrest Ted Kaczynski. They used a false dispute with a neighbor to lure him out of the house to make the arrest. • After his arrest, the FBI searched his little cabin, recovering over 700 pieces of evidence, ranging from diary entries and constructed bombs to the original script of his manifesto, the typewriter used to create it, and a hit list of potential victims • By the end of the investigation, the FBI had consulted over 900 photos, 12,000 documents, and 82 million records in an attempt to find leads • The FBI also found, upon the arrest, that Kaczynski perfectly fit the profile created by agents earlier in the decade

14. Trial/Imprisonment • Before his trial began, Dr. Sally Johnson conducted a psychological evaluation of Kaczynski to see if he was able to stand trial. • Although she diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia, she deemed him able to stand trial • His trial never progressed far because he pleaded guilty to 13 attacks in three states and 3 murders • He was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences at Colorado’s “Supermax” prison, with no possibility for parole • It is fortunate for the prosecution that he pleaded guilty because the FBI agents at the arrest poorly handled the evidence collected and much of it would have been rejected from use in court - David Kaczynski received the reward and donated it to the families of victims Supermax prison where Kaczynski is currently jailed