Unabomber: The True Story (1996) - full transcript

(MultiCom Jingle)

(dramatic music)

(water splashing)

(birds chirping)

(leaves rustling)

- [Man] Move in.

(flies buzzing)

All set.

- [Man] Copy.

(flies buzzing)

- Where you guys been?



- Sorry we're late.

- We're supposed to be Forestry Service,

couldn't you find something else to wear?

- Believe me, we didn't have any time.

- You got the warrant?

- Just the search warrant.

- All right, we'll see
what we can find and then

ask him a few questions.

Let's go!

- Let's go.

(birds chirping)

- You guys ready?

- Yeah go.

- Okay we're coming down.



- [Man] Copy.

(flies buzzing)

- Hello, anybody in there?!

This is the Forestry Service
we're doing a line survey.

We think this property might
be on National Forest land.

(lock clicks)

(door creaks)

(wind blowing)

(dramatic instrumental music)

(door squeaking)

(door slams)

(plane engine roaring)

- Hi, welcome aboard.

(clicking)

(smoke hissing)

(passengers murmuring)

- [Captain] This is your captain speaking,

please remain in your seats.

There's a minor emergency
in the baggage area.

We have--

(passengers coughing)

Shortage.

(passengers crying)

(alarm ringing)

(passengers crying)

(siren blaring)

(people yelling)

(stretcher clanging)

(extinguisher spraying)

- Here we are.

- This is it?

- What the room or the evidence? (laughs)

- Both.

Do, you've got the, you've got
the lab looking at the rest?

- No, this is it.

An improvised explosive device.

- So what do we have?

- Well, the device was double
wrapped in brown paper,

most of which burned.

- No address or sender?

- No, burned.

But this was intended to
go off in the airplane.

- Hm, a barometer?

- That was modified to
function as an altimeter.

- So when the plane reaches
a certain altitude, boom.

- Yeah, but not so much a boom,

it was more like a thud
according to cabin attendants,

'cause apparently most of the gun powder

didn't explode it just burned.

- He's an amateur.

- No, but a very clever one look.

Just look how well this thing is made.

The hinges are handmade.

Look at the trigger device
made out of copper wire,

and the serial numbers on the batteries

were filed off so no one could trace them.

And in this thing he used barium nitrate,

which has no explosive purpose,

just fireworks powder used
to color the smoke green.

Our guy spent a hell of a
lot of time making this.

- Our?

- It's a postal case.

It went through the mail.

Now we have to figure
it out, and stop him.

- Stop him?

Maybe this is it.

- Oh, no, he's too clever.

There's ego here.

(children playing)

- David?

Is that you?

- Oh wow, Linda.

Hey, what a surprise.

- May I come in?

- Sure, sorry.

Yeah, sit down.

Well, well you're a long
way from Union College?

- Oh, you heard?

- Yeah.

Congratulations.

- Thanks.

- I'm really happy for you.

- Well how about you?

Any luck with your writing I mean?

- (sighs) Ah, a lot of encouraging letters

from editors but no checks.

- Oh, I always liked the
way you wrote in school.

- I wish you were an editor.

- (laughs) How's your family?

- (sighs) Mom and Dad are doing okay.

- [Linda] And Ted?

- Ted, boy.

He's living in a cabin in Montana.

Oh, you oughta see it.

- Remember when we used to call you

Henry David Kaczynski.

(laughing)

- The Thoreau kid, huh?

Those were the good old days.

- I'm going to be in town til Monday,

if uh, if you're free.

- I'd love to, I really would,

but I can't this weekend.

- Oh, I understand.

I probably should be going.

- Uh wait, um...

Look would you mind if I
gave you a call or something?

I mean, you know, get together.

- David, I, I didn't
just happen to pass by.

- Oh.

- (laughs) I'm staying at my aunts.

- Well I'll call you Sunday.

- Good.

Bye.

- Bye.

- So the University Safety
Department handled both of 'em?

- No, we notified the Evanston police.

They did the lab work.

- This was the first one?

- Last year, May 25th.

It was found in the parking lot

of the University of Illinois in Chicago.

- It was addressed to Professor Crist?

- No,

- No?

- No, he was supposedly the sender.

The addressee is--

- [Ben] Oh, that guy.

- When it was returned to Professor Crist,

he claimed he didn't
recognize the handwriting.

He authorized one of our men to open it.

- And?

- As you can see the fuse only ignited

three of the match heads,

and the gun powder in
the pipe didn't blow.

- [Ben] That's lucky for your officer.

- Burned hand.

- But all three bombs could've
been made out of material

you'd find in any ordinary
garage in America.

- Yeah, making it tough to trace.

- But he's revealing his personality.

There's a signature to each bomb.

It's wood.

- I don't see the connection.

- He went so far as to tape
these little wooden twigs

on the interior so we'd know it was him.

(blowing air)

(typewriter key clacking)

(suspenseful music)

(paper rustling)

(explosion booms)

Dear Mr. Wood, I am
sending copies of this book

Ice Brothers by Sloan Wilson
to a number of prominent

people in the Chicago area,
because I believe this

to be truly a book for our time.

A book that should be read
by all who make important

decisions affecting the public welfare.

- By people who run major airlines.

When did Wood get this letter?

- It was Tuesday, June 3rd.

- And the book arrived
a week later, the 10th.

No prints, of course.

- None, no but we do know
the make of the typewriter

and the manufacturer of the paper.

- Well that's great, it
won't really help until

we have something to
compare it with, though.

What's the condition of Mr. Wood?

- Well the most serious
injury is a hunk of pipe

lodged in his thigh, but
he's home recovering.

- How about this?

FC punched into the metal with a nail.

- Well he obviously wanted
this to survive the blast

because he wanted us to have it.

- FC, fly continental?

- Fight cholesterol.

- Flunked chemistry.

- Try false clue,

something to make us waste our time.

He could be echoing George Metesky.

- Who's George Metesky?

- He was known as the
Mad Bomber in New York

in the 40s, early 50s,
and every bomb of his

he had a signature FP.

Turned out to stand for fair play.

- Hm.

- Let me tell you what I think

is the most significant thing we have,

is this ink.

- The ink?

- Yeah this one is green, the ink.

Remember the green smoke on the airplane?

And he sends it to Mr. Wood?

Forest Illinois return address,
it's a fictitious address.

He makes up Ravens Wood Street.

- The publisher of the
book is Arbor House.

- Yes and the palms, made of wood.

- Have you ever heard the
expression, clutching at straws?

- Well at least you were right.

We're dealing with a serial bomber

who seems to be working Chicago.

- The bureau suggests that
we set up a code name.

Something we can all key into.

Unabomb, universities and airlines.

- Put special surveillance on all airmail

going in and out of Chicago.

(ominous music)

(typewriter keys clacking)

- Now, David.

- I can't do it.

I can't kill him.

- Well what are we doing out
here in the middle of nowhere?

- (sighs) I thought we were
going to get back to nature.

- We're trying to recover our
primitive instinct, all right?

We're hungry, we gotta
eat, that animal is food.

We kill it, it's all natural.

- But this isn't natural!

- What do you want to do,
you want to try and outrun

a rabbit, choke him with
your bare hands, huh?

- I'm a vegetarian.

This, this is so primitive.

- It's not primitive.

I got a garden too.

I'm living on 50 cents a day, all right?

I'm completely self-reliant.

I don't depend on one
damn person except myself.

I don't call that primitive,
I call that a kind of purity.

You can do it too.

- Tsh.

- You can! (chuckles)

- Yeah, maybe.

But okay, what about companionship?

- Well, I do odd jobs.

You know, I take books out of the library.

I talk to folks in town.

- No, no, I'm not talkin' about that.

I'm talkin' about...

You know, falling in love.

- You talkin' about me? (chuckling)

- Yes! (laughs)

- You know that saying
that civilization is

just man's feeble edifice to
try and lure a woman's favors,

and hey I'm not interested in the edifice

and I'm certainly not
interested in the favors.

- (laughing) Well I am
certainly different that you.

- That's a fact.

You're still out there on
that paved road that they call

progress, and you can't live
without your Led Zeppelin.

- No, ouch!

That's a low blow.

I'm gonna do this.

I'm gonna do all this,

but I'm gonna do it differently that you.

Without the killing. (sighs)

- What do ya mean you're gonna do it?

- Just this trial run.

I wanna see what my big
brother can teach me,

about all of this.

I got my eye on a place out in Texas,

out in West Texas.

- West Texas?

- Yep.

- God, that's great!

That's excellent.

(thunder rumbling)

(ominous music)

(metal scraping)

(bell ringing)

- Everybody clear!

There's a bomb!

Please, Please!

Everybody Clear!

(crowd scrambling)

(clock chiming)

- It was planted right up here.

Campus police cleared the
building and called us.

We called the EOD squad.

They diffused the bomb, nobody got hurt.

Right here.

We figured it was a local freak.

I mean, we've had no word on
uh, what did you call him?

- Unabomber.

But the FBI's not going public with that,

they're kind of worried about copycats.

- [Policeman] Think he planted this?

- Oh yeah, no question.

Carved wood, handmade elements,

and just so nobody else gets credit

he includes a nameplate, the initials FC.

Every one of his devices is
like a self portrait in code.

- But why here?

A school?

Must've been a hundred
kids passed that day.

- Apparently he doesn't care about people.

- You say he set off another one?

- Yeah, last week in Tennessee,
at University of Vanderbilt,

maimed the secretary.

Package supposedly was sent by a professor

at the University of Utah.

Of course it wasn't, but
that's how come I'm in the area

you know, nosing around knocking
on doors, asking questions.

- I understand how the
FBI feels about copycats,

but if locals like us are in the dark,

more bombs might slip by.

- Well, you got a good point.

Next time maybe we won't be so lucky.

(students chattering)

(dishes clattering)

(ominous music)

(coins jingling)

- Hm.

(explosion booms)

(glass shattering)

(woman gasps)

- Hey, hi.

- Hey, I come in here
to save you from work

and you're playing with model airplanes?

- Ha, ha.

- I think it's healthy.

At least he's not obsessing on the U-word.

- Well no, actually,
these little beauties may,

they may be a key to the Unabomber,

'cause the latest FBI
profile has him as an

airline mechanic because of
the way he put bombs together.

I disagree with that.

- You disagree?

- Yeah.

I think, I think he made model airplanes.

'Cause in a lot of the bombs you'll find

pins held together with
metal rings like this, see.

- Yeah, yeah I see, but so what?

Millions of people put
model airplanes together

when they were kids.

- It's another part of the picture.

- There's been nothing since
Berkeley, almost three years.

- You know maybe the guy quit,

or he's in prison serving
time for some other crime.

- Maybe he's born again, and
made a new life for himself.

- [Jeff] Or blew himself
out of the picture.

- He would never blow himself up.

He's too careful!

He's too meticulous!

And he couldn't be in
jail for another crime,

because he's not a petty criminal.

He couldn't be born again because

his whole rational is
already evangelistic!

Every bomb is a deadly sermon!

- Against what?

- Against technology.

He hates technology!

So it's not over, because
technology isn't over.

He's out there somewhere
making these filthy bombs.

He's making them meaner.

He's making them more deadly,

and he's going to kill somebody.

He's coming back!

I just hope to god I can
find him before he does.

(door slams)

- Dear Ted, I'm still living in the tent,

but I made a start on my dug out.

After all the bureaucratic red tape,

I finally have clear title of my land.

It's very different from your place, Ted,

but beautiful in its own raw way.

It's so quiet.

No paved roads.

I get regular letters from mother.

Dad's health is no better.

Write when you can, always, David.

(shovel clanging)

Hi.

- Buenos dias. (speaks
in foreign language)

- Oh, I'm sorry.

I don't speak, uh. (speaks
in foreign language)

- Me also, English. (speaks
in foreign language)

Juan Sanchez Arreola.

- Ah, David Kaczynski.

- (speaks in foreign language) David.

- So, do you live around here?

- I work in El Rancho.

- Oh, Rancho Telingua!

Ah.

- You do this alone?

- Mm-hmm.

- I help.

- Um, I only have one shovel, uno,

and (speaks in foreign language).

- No no no (speaks in foreign language).

I help (speaks in foreign language),

to be amigos.

- Oh.

- Friends.

- Whoa!

Watch your step. (laughs)

(uplifting music)

Juan not only helped
me finish the digging,

when it came to the roofing
he knew exactly what to do.

I told him (speaks in foreign
language), and it truly is.

Juan's one of those rare
people we meet a few times

in our lives and bond with immediately.

I'm helping him get a green card.

I tell Juan about you and I
hope some day you'll meet.

It's been a great help
to have Juan with me.

You say that all we need for survival is

mother earth and what she provides,

but I'm not as self-reliant as you are.

Always, David.

- [Ted Voiceover] Dear
David, you're letters

sound more serene.

I believe you're finally moving toward

the peace that has eluded you.

- Juan Sanchez must be a
very unusual human being.

Tell me more about him.

If he would care to write me in Spanish,

I'd be pleased to hear from him.

Well.

I'm re-reading Joseph Conrad.

I feel more at home in his world, Ted.

(paper rustling)

- Theodore, he wants write Juan?

- Si, in Spanish. (speaks
in foreign language)

(speaks in foreign language)

Ah, looks good.

Dear Linda, my makeshift home is finished.

It's very primitive but it'll
do until I can build a cabin.

When the weather is too bad,

my neighbors let me
sleep in their bunkhouse.

(rain pouring)

Even though it's nothing
like New England here,

I think of Thoreau often.

I hope this quest for some kind of purity

will lead to the peace
of mind he wrote about.

And even when I think I've found it,

I find myself thinking of you.

I would like to share the good
parts of West Texas with you.

For always, Henry David Kaczynski.

(dramatic music)

(rain pouring)

- [Woman] Hi John.

- Hey, how you doing.

- So can you get it by Thursday?

- Thursday's easy.

- If you can get it
before that it'd be good.

- All right, you got it doc.

- Right, see you later.

- Huh.

(explosion booms)

(thud)

(fire alarm ringing)

- Call 911!

- Yes, sir.

- Oh my god, oh no!

We called 911.

They're gonna be here soon.

(ominous music)

Here we go!

- Oh! (groans)

- But I need to talk to the doctor.

- I don't think that would be wise.

- It's important.

- So is Mr. Hauser's state of mind.

- Just, it's--

- It's pretty important--
- Please!

Just a couple of questions.

- To the healing process.

Mr. Jeffries, I spent
five hours trying to piece

together what was left of Mr. Hauser's arm

and I did a damn good
job, but you know what?

When he tries to use that arm,

Mr. Hauser's never gonna
think I did a good enough job.

Why don't we give him a few more days

to realize he's lucky to be alive.

- I don't want anyone else to go through

what he just did.

They might not be so lucky.

- (sighs) Come on.

There, in the wheelchair.

Here, give him this.

I'll be out there in five minutes.

- Thank you, doctor.

Captain Hauser?

- Yeah.

- Dr. Fisher asked me to give you this.

- You look like a hospital regular.

- I'm just a lonely postal inspector.

- Yeah, she mentioned
that you might be waiting.

Hope everyone's had a chance to read it,

all you postal inspectors
and 500 FBI agents.

- I guess it's your turn.

- Look the bomber's not gonna
send me a get well card.

I don't know the bastard.

- [Ben] How can you be sure?

- Intuition.

Not highly regarded by
bureaucratic investigators.

- You're stereotyping, Captain.

(dramatic music)

I couldn't help but see that
your letter's from NASA,

can I ask what it is?

- I was accepted into the space program.

You know I've been
fantasizing about holding this

letter in my hands since I saw
Neil Armstrong on the moon?

1969.

- Are you an optimist?

- You bet.

Are you?

- Ben, go home.

Jeff left ours ago.

- I know.

- Jeff has asked to be reassigned.

He thinks we're running in place.

That won't get him where he hopes to go.

- This is the longest
letter he's written so far,

the one to Dr. McConnell.

- Yeah, I've been over
and over and over it.

- The latest profile makes
him a blue collar worker,

20 to 30 years old, no higher education.

He can't write a letter like this

or the one to Percy Wood
without the higher education.

- But the profile argues
that the construction

of the devices mean he's a manual laborer.

- That's ridiculous.

Listen to this.

I'm attempting to shed
light on the way in which

progress in a particular
field of research influences

public attitudes toward
that field in such a manner

as to further accelerate
it's developments that are,

come on, high school drop out?

He sends what's supposed
to be a dissertation

to a psychology professor,
professor doesn't catch it.

His young assistant does.

- Maybe Mr. Unabomb's
dissertation was turned down.

- So he's got to blow up every professor

from California to Michigan?

10 bombs, three of them so far this year.

- The latest psychological
profile also says

that he's obsessional, compulsive

and scrupulous about his work.

It sounds like you.

He probably grew up and was educated

somewhere around Chicago, in his late 20s.

- Well they're wrong on
that, not even close.

- Why do you say that?

- It's a gut feeling.

Hauser called it intuition.

He's close to my age.

Four in Illinois.

- Let's go home.

- Ann Arbor, Nashville, Auburn

Salt Lake, two in Berkeley.

Where's the next one?

(typewriters keys clacking loudly)

(door slams)

(airplane engine roars)

(paper rustling)

(explosion booms)

(flames crackling)

(dramatic music)

- I hope Gary gets back
before the university people

come to get those computers.

- [Lorraine] He should be back any minute.

- Yeah.

Lorraine.

- What's going on?

- Oh, there's Gary now.

(truck door closes)

(traffic whizzing)

(explosion booms)

(wind howling)

- Here he is.

The guy we've been looking for.

Now we know we're
looking for a white male,

5'10", 165 pounds, reddish blond hair.

- There was a red hair
found on the Hauser device.

- Ben, you're turning into
the Unabomb encyclopedia.

- So now it's computers.

First Scrutton in Sacramento and now this.

You were right, he's back.

- Yeah, but he's not
using the mail anymore.

Berkeley, Sacramento, Salt Lake

they've all been hand placed.

- But he's putting himself
more at risk, which is great.

- He's trying hard to
stay ahead of us too.

We just the universities to
be more security conscious

and he goes after these computer stores.

- Yeah, there's still a
university connection here though.

Majority of computer rentals are

the university staff and students.

- How did Gary Wright survive this?

- Probably because he kicked
it instead of picking it up.

It was meant to kill him
though just like Scrutton.

Oh listen, I got a list
of possible suspects

that you might want to look at.

- Our agency cleared most of
these people five years ago,

but you guys go over it again.

- All right.

- Why would he risk being seen?

Why?

- After 10 years, we've got his face.

12 bombings, what do we really know?

- Well we know he's real smart.

Maybe even a genius type,

and that he enjoys
setting traps for people,

taking advantage normal human curiosity.

You see something out of
place, you pick it up.

A binder in a computer lab
or a sack in a parking lot.

Or even a hunk of wood with
nails sticking out of it.

- Most likely he lives alone.

He must put all his time into planning

and building these devices.

- He definitely lives alone.

- Because...

- Because he doesn't like other people.

- Got everything?

- Yeah.

(chains jangling)

- You sure you got a big enough lock?

I can still see part of the door.

(lock clicks)

- Well this isn't exactly a
vacation camp around here.

There was snowmobiles last winter

coming all through this property.

- Bet you loved that.

Um, sorry about breaking the saw.

I'll send you a new one as
soon as I get some money.

- Don't worry about it.

I'm just glad you didn't hurt yourself.

You're the only brother I got.

You gonna go through with
this thing with Linda?

- (laughs) I'm different from you, Ted.

I like to be around people.

I want a family.

- Let's go get the bus.

- It was good to see you again,

but sorry I couldn't help ya.

- Sorry too, ha.

But I just gotta keep looking.

You know, if there's no fresh leads

I go back over the old ones hoping.

- Right.

- Doesn't it bother you
to work in this room?

- Yeah, a little, when I
first got back to Berkeley.

Just don't pick up any
unidentified objects.

- Yeah, really.

- So right here, we'll
have the dining room,

and right here we'll have the living room.

It's kind of one room.

- And a big window right here.

- Oh, wait a minute.

Look at this, look at this.

This is what we look at every
night when we climb into bed.

- Ah, it's so nice.

- That's not what I'll be looking at.

- No?

- As long as you're beside me.

(dramatic music)

(people chattering)

- Linda, you're not supposed to do that.

You're the bride.

- Come on, this isn't exactly
a traditional wedding.

- Oh, that's why it's so lovely.

I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

- Oh Susan, you're not
patronizing me are you?

- Me?

I even liked the cake.

- (laughs) That was David's idea.

Didn't exactly turn out.

Come on.

David, Susan is the first
one who liked your cake.

- Really, well.

I admire your sense of adventure.

Most of the folks around
here won't even taste it.

- Actually I only had a bite. (laughs)

- Thank goodness we ordered one.

- Hey, if I had a campfire
it would've been better.

- Oh by the way where's Ted?

I'm dying to hear about
the wilds of Montana.

- Ted's not here.

Excuse me, I gotta rescue mom.

- Ted didn't come?

- They had an argument.

Ted won't even answer a letter.

- What's it over?

- Me.

He doesn't approve of the marriage.

Women are manipulators.

- And Ted isn't?

- I know.

David is still disappointed.

- How you doing?

(dramatic music)

(birds chirping)

(drawers slamming)

- You wanted to see me?

- Well if you can spare a few minutes

from your new executive
responsibilities, yes!

- Easy, Ben.

- Yes!

What the hell happened here?!

- We needed more space.

The Blue Canyon mail fraud's
getting bigger and bigger.

I had to assign three new--

- What about the Unabomber?

- Nothing new, Ben.

No, there's been nothing for years.

You know those women in Salt
Lake City, they saw him,

he probably got scared.

He's in a mental hospital
or dead, all right?

- Jeff!

You all buried him before.

- It's over, Ben, finished.

(door slams)

- That means I'm finished too.

Jeff, help me get an extension will you?

Don't let them push me out!

- Ben, nobody's pushing you out.

It's a system, that's how it works.

You've worked hard for 30 years.

It's time to retire.

Besides in 200 years of the service,

no one has ever got an extension.

- How can I retire when
he's still out there?

- Forget him, forget it all.

Okay go golfing.

Look it's no concern of yours anymore.

- It's never been just
a concern for me, Jeff.

All these years on the job
I've wanted to help people

and protect people.

We do our job right and the mail is safe

and no one needs to be afraid.

- Nobody is afraid of
the Unabomber anymore.

- He's gonna come back.

He's gonna, he.

Don't let me keep you.

- Look Ben, I'm sorry
you feel that way, okay.

I really wish you could put it behind you

and have a wonderful
retirement, all right?

(dramatic music)

(birds chirping)

(tape ripping)

(explosion booms)

(phone ringing)

(keys clacking)

(paper tearing)

(explosion booms)

- Right now we want to
establish our identity

and provide an identifying
number that will ensure

the authenticity of future
communications from us.

Keep this number secret so that

no one else can pretend
to speak in our name.

- Gosh.

Ben was right, he is back.

(water splashing)

- Catch anything?

- Hey, Harrington, how you doing?

What, they retire you too?

- Ha, soon I hope.

- I got another rod and reel in the car.

- Well I didn't come here to fish, Ben.

Besides, your wife says this is

the first time you've
been out here in months.

- I love that woman
but she talks too much.

- I guess you heard the Unabomber's back.

- Yeah, I seem to have heard
a rumor to that effect.

Of course I never thought he went away.

- Well the bureau and
all your crowd the ATF,

they're putting together this task force.

Attorney General's authorized it.

- Why tell me?

- Everybody wants you to
be a part of this Ben.

- Oh, that's too bad.

In 200 years of the postal service,

no employee has ever
received an extension.

- Really, well I'm afraid
all that's taken care of.

Our director Mr. Freeh wrote a letter.

- I'm impressed.

- Good, because you'll be
senior man on the team.

So, gonna waste a lot of
time playing hard to get?

- What's the latest on the victims?

- Well, they'll live.

Pretty serious injuries, though.

Universities are panicked.

- Well he's sending letters
now, that's promising.

Maybe he wants to get better acquainted.

- (chuckles) Well you could be right.

- Another bombing.

This time a professor at Yale.

Oh, it's so terrible.

- Wasn't there one about a day
or two ago in San Francisco?

(sighs) I worry about these bombs and you.

- Why would he go after
an associate professor

of philosophy at Union College?

- Who knows.

He's a wacko.

You want some tea?

- I would love some.

I use a computer and he seems

to have a big thing about that.

- There's a lot of people that are unhappy

about living in the computer age.

- Hm, including you.

But you're not gonna blow someone up

because she's computer friendly.

- Well. (laughs)

- Okay, so I won't open any packages.

- That's a deal.

- You know, the first
one was at North Western,

just before I got my degree there.

- Man, seems like this thing
has been going on forever.

- Do you think it's just a coincidence?

FC happens to pick a nine digit number

and it turns out to be
the social security number

of some guy who's been in and out of jail.

- Yeah, I can't figure
out what's going on here

because this guy was definitely in jail

when the bombs were sent.

So it's strange, but
FC loves to play games.

- Yeah, like the first note.

Wu, it works.

- (laughs) It turned out
there's 10,000 people named Wu.

- Another dead end.

- Well this time let's be positive.

Is that your social security number?

- Beat's me.

- Hey you could be in a
bunch of trouble buddy.

This is not about some petty drug charge.

Someone's trying to front you for murder.

- I didn't kill no one.

- Well, seems someone is saying you did.

- Hold on man, I'm trying to think.

I mean, I haven't had a job or nothin'

since I don't know when, long time.

- Where's your card?

Your social security card.

- That must be how.

It was in my wallet when I lost it.

- Oh, you lost it.

Where? When?

- Downtown Sacramento bus station,

before summer.

Didn't have no money in it or
nothin' so I forgot about it.

- Both the Gelernter and Epstein bombs

were postmarked Sacramento.

- I think I know who found your wallet.

Okay.

- [Man] Come on.

- Hey wait.

Wait a minute.

What's that on your neck?

- [Inmate] My tattoo? Ha ha.

- [Man] Okay, let's go.

- He didn't find his wallet.

He stole it.

(dramatic music)

(door squeaking)

(door bangs)

As always the Christmas
rush is gonna be hectic,

but this Unabomber case
demands extra vigilance.

Many times in my career,
I've gotten a call from

someone that says, I've got this package,

it feels extra heavy.

It looks weird, funny
writing, misspelled letters.

It's got oils, this smells funny.

It's got wires sticking out of it.

Well you know, I mean,
you're familiar with this.

You've got it posted
on the wall over there.

That's the look of a standard mail bomb,

and of course I want you
to remain alert for those.

But the Unabomber has a
completely different MO.

We've done up a mock-up here
we've put together for you.

Pass that around please,

everybody look at it very carefully.

You'll see that the Unabomber's
packages are meticulous.

They're carefully wrapped.

Keep an eye out for Eugene O'Neill stamps

he tends to use those.

Now don't expect him to come
in and hand you a package.

He won't do that, he's a coward,

and he won't confront you or his victims.

The mail is our national
form of communication,

and no one should be
afraid to open his mail!

But this guy, this coward, is
undermining the public trust

in the US Postal Service,
and I for one resent it!

He's gotta be stopped!

And we can do it with the help
of each and every one of you.

Thank you, have a good Christmas.

(wheels clattering)

(employees chattering)

- Surprise!

- (laughs) What's this all about?

- [Woman] Well you missed the party,

so I taped it and now I'm taping this.

- Oh, how clever of you.

Happy birthday sweetie,
I'm sorry I was late.

- [Woman] Well we saved you some cake,

and we saved you some kisses.

- Mm, well listen, I haven't
slept in like 23 hours,

so it's like six o'clock London time.

- [Woman] Oo, well, speaking of sleeping.

That's what you need to be doing,

little miss birthday girl.

- Mm, give me another hug.

I'll see you in the morning.

- Goodnight honey.

- Goodnight.

- See you in a minute.

- Mm.

I really missed you.

- I missed you too.

- How about a little cake?

- Mm-mm, well I'll go check
on her and then I'll be back.

- Okay.
- Okay.

- I'll look at the mail.

(explosion booms)

(dramatic music)

- He is offering the land
and cabin as security.

- We sent him $1,000
just before Christmas,

and here three months later
he's asking for 2,000 more.

- He wants to protect himself
by buying the land around him.

Investment, you know you
did the same thing in Texas.

Look honey, if you feel like we

can't afford to send him the money then--

- No, we can afford it.

That's not the point,

I'm just wondering where it's all going.

Ted used to live on 200 bucks a year.

- Let's just send him the money.

- Linda.

- Oh, don't say anything more about it,

I don't want to talk about money.

Honey do you think that Ted
is ever going to get a job?

Maybe go back to teaching?

- Nah, I don't think so.

- All that Harvard education
wasted just because

he doesn't want to
compromise with the system.

- Ha ha, yeah but somehow it's not

a compromise to use our money.

- He is your brother.

- (sighs) All right.

We'll send him the money.

You still like me?

- Mm-hmm.

(laughing)

(typewriter keys clacking loudly)

(phone ringing)

- Oh, I'll do that Mr. Taylor.

Oh, you know me.

- Usual junk.

- Uh, this one's heavy.

It's addressed to William Dennison

president of the Timber Association?

- Bill left a year ago.

- Yeah we changed the name
to Forestry Association

years before that.

- Hi guys.

- Hi.

- What is this, a convention?

- This package, it's
addressed to Bill Dennison.

Whoa, heavy.

Must be a bomb.

- Oh, it is heavy.

Lisa you shouldn't be lifting
this in your condition.

- My condition is A-okay.

- Timber Association, boy that goes back.

- Yeah well who's it from?

- Closet Dimensions, Oakland California.

- You know, I have Mr. Dennison's address,

I'll go get it for you.

- No Lisa, listen, that's okay.

I'll just open it up in my office.

If it turns out to be important,

we'll send it on to Bill, okay?

- Okay.

- Well, I'm outta here,
before that bomb goes off.

- Ugh, don't joke about that.

(explosion booms)

(dramatic music)

- Since we no longer have
to confine the explosive

in the pipe, we're now
free of the limitations

on the size and shape of our bombs.

So we expect to be able
to pack deadly bombs into

ever smaller lighter and more
harmless looking packages.

Clearly, we are in a position
to do a great deal of damage.

Eerieful note. (coughs)

- And it doesn't appear that the FBI

is going to catch us anytime soon.

The FBI is a joke.

Anyhow, we're getting
tired of making bombs.

It's no fun having to
spend all of our evenings

and weekends preparing dangerous mixtures,

filing trigger mechanisms
out of scraps of metal.

- No fun?

- The FBI has tried to
portray these bombings

as the work of an isolated nut.

We won't waste our time arguing
about whether we are nuts

but we certainly are not isolated.

- Ben, do you really think
there's an organization?

- No, no he's by himself,

and the more he writes
about this freedom club

the more I'm convinced that
he's just making it up.

He's alone.

- Then he makes his offer.

If the Washington Post
and the New York Times

will publish his article
he'll stop the bombings.

- He says he won't kill any more people!

But he reserves the right to
go on destroying property.

- If the answer is
satisfactory we will finish

typing the manuscript and send it to you.

If the answer is unsatisfactory,

we will start building our next bomb.

- This is, this is the letter
he wrote to Dr. Gelernter.

This is vicious.

People with advanced degrees aren't

as smart as they think they are.

If you'd had any brains
you would have realized

that there are a lot of people out there

who resent bitterly the
way you techno nerds

like you are changing the world,

and you wouldn't have been dumb enough

to open an unexpected package
from an unknown source.

Now he's mocking a man that
lost part of his right hand,

the hearing in one ear (phone rings),

and the vision in one eye.

Yes, Jeffries.

When did it, when did this come in?

Oh.

What are the numbers?

Okay fax that over right away will you.

The Unabomber sent a
message to the Chronicle.

He's threatening to blow up

an airliner out of LA in six days.

And the numbers are right, it's legit.

- [Woman] Los Angeles
International Airport

is on full alert with security measures

not seen since the Gulf War.

The Unabomber's threat
is forcing real changes

in security by both local
and federal authorities.

Because the Unabomber sends
bombs through the US mail,

his threat has stopped
airport mail delivery

halting three to four
million pieces of mail

that normally move through LAX daily.

After 17 years of searching
and a million dollar reward,

the FBI still has no suspect.

- Ben.

- Hey what's going on?

- Well one of the cabin attendants found

what she thinks is a bomb
in the luggage bay there.

Everyone's already been evacuated.

- Where are explosives, are they here yet?

- No, not yet, we're waiting for them.

- I'm gonna take a look.

- Ben!

- Wait a second!
- Ben!

- Ben!

(siren blaring)

(rock music)

- How the hell did you know?

- I've told you guys he has a signature.

That's not handmade.

That's a transistor radio.

That's technology.

That's the stuff he hates!

He would never disguise a bomb like that.

- You think he's close by,
watching us, having a good laugh?

- He could be, and this
scare could just be to

divert our attention from his real target.

- So we're still in the hunt.

- Afraid so.

- (sighs) Hi hon.

Sorry I'm late.

- Oh, that's okay, I was
just finishing up some work.

You all right?

- Oh, I was listening to the
radio down in the parking lot.

The Unabomber says he's
gonna blow up a plane at LAX.

Apparently it's pandemonium down there.

- Oh, that's terrible.

You know, there was an article about him

with the psychological
profile and all the bombs

that they think were his and
I, I got this eerie feeling.

- What do you mean?

- It seems so far fetched,

but it seems that Ted was
in all the same places.

- What are you talking about?

You don't mean that?

- Of course not, it,
it's just this feeling.

You know how strange his letters are.

Oh, what am I talking about?

Ted's never been to Utah.

(dramatic music)

What is it?

- He was.

He was in Salt Lake City.

- I didn't, it's probably
just a coincidence.

- Well of course it is.

I mean the timeline is all wrong.

He was in Berkeley in the 60s.

He was in Salt Lake City in the 70s.

Besides, he doesn't fit the profile.

Younger guy.

- David.

You've been thinking
about it too, haven't you?

- (sighs) Yeah.

- Hi, hon.

- Hey.

- What have you got there?

- It's a letter from Juan.

- Hm, everything okay?

- He is.

- What's this?

It's beautiful.

Montani Semper Liberi.

Mountain men are always free.

Did Juan make this?

- No, Ted did.

- Ted, I thought you said
the letter was from Juan.

- It is, but he sent this

and a letter that Ted wrote to him.

He knows we're not speaking, so.

I guess he just wanted to
fill me in on a little news.

- Hm, how thoughtful of Juan.

You don't seem very pleased.

- He's telling Juan that
he can't come for a visit

because he has no money.

- But we just sent him--

- $3000.

It doesn't make any sense.

- No.

What's really bothering you?

- These articles about the Unabomber

talk about fine woodwork.

- The bombs?

You mean you think this tube means.

- I don't know what it really means.

I worry about what it might mean.

(sighs)

- They have to publish this manifesto.

Maybe you should be over
at the Justice Department

with the big boys.

- Well the minute the thing came in,

I said it's just a matter of time,

this has got the guys
fingerprints all over it.

- I heard there was no
transferable prints though.

- Oh no no no, I don't mean literally,

I mean a turn of phrase or you know

a favorite word and a spelling.

- They're talking about
maybe publishing part of it.

- No no no, it's no good.

They gotta publish the whole thing.

Who's gonna edit it?

They could blue pencil the very section

that could identify the guy.

- [Harrington] You know this
reminds me of the Mad Bomber.

- Who's that?

- George Metesky was his name.

He scared the hell out
of New York for years.

Then they ran some
stories in the newspapers

to try and provoke him.

It worked, he rose to the bait.

Then he started writing
letters himself back,

letter after letter.

- Finally somebody picked up on this

pet phrase he liked to use.

- Yeah, it was, it was dastardly deeds.

I'll never forget it.

Well that's an unusual phrase.

So they started checking
and they nailed it.

- [Brunette Woman] But I thought
there was a blanket rule,

no concessions to terrorists.

- This is an exception.

37,000 words.

I mean, come on folks,
somebody's gonna pick up on

an attitude, a pet word or something.

They're gonna say, god that
sounds like my Uncle Herb,

or my cousin Jack or boyfriend.

- But if it is Uncle Herb, a boyfriend,

somebody really close, would
the person turn them in?

- You know for a lot of
people being an informant

is about as low as you can get.

- Well maybe we'll get really lucky

and this person will have a conscience.

(dramatic music)

- Hey, Gary hi.

Got a minute?

- The bomb?

Postal department?

- Hey hey, that's right, yeah.

Ben Jeffries, you've
got a hell of a memory.

Hey, I'm just doing follow ups, you know.

I'm trying to get the reaction of victims

to that manifesto, did you read it?

- Yeah, I read a lot of it.

Got put in my place as part
of the unthinking majority.

- Oh yeah, (laughs) well you can save

a place for me there too.

- I just don't get it.

We had to close up shop,
but I don't understand

how one small computer store matters

except to me and my family.

- Yeah well, the guy's sick, you know.

But look, was there
anything that you read there

in the manifesto that you
could tie somebody you knew?

- No, I wish there was.

My wife, she was so sure that
the bombing was personal.

You know that he'd come back,

kill the kids, and her.

She suffered a lot more than I did.

- Yeah, I'll bet.

You still work in computers?

- You bet I am.

One way to give ol' Unabomber the finger.

- Ha, yeah, right?

Yeah, right.

(laughs)

(ominous music)

(typewriter keys clacking)

- Honey, look at this.

I've never seen that word
spelled that way before,

except in Ted's letters.

- It is strange.

- And there's this.

Look at this phrase.

"You can't eat your
cake, and have it too."

- It's you can't have
your cake and eat it too.

- Mom always said it this way.

(dramatic music)

- Honey, it could be a coincidence.

- (sighs) I hope it is.

There's this.

You know Ted's always complaining

about being cheated out of his childhood?

Then this jumps out at me.

The system needs scientists,
mathematicians and engineers.

It can't function without
them, so heavy pressure

is put on children to
excel in these fields.

He was reading Scientific American

when the other kids were
collecting Superman comics.

(sighs) I don't know what to do.

- If you're sure.

- I'm not.

I don't have any evidence.

Just two letters. (sighs)

- [Linda] What are you going to do?

- I'm gonna write Ted a letter.

- And tell him our suspicions?

- Oh, no!

I'll just ask him if I can
come to Montana and see him.

- Why don't you just go.

- Oh, I can't just show up

on his doorstep without any warning.

No I'll (sighs) write him that I feel bad

about losing touch and ask
if we can get together.

Linda, I just, I don't know what to do.

I don't wanna know, but I have to know.

(dramatic music)

Dear Ted, after this long
period of estrangement

I feel the need to come
to Montana for a visit.

Whatever our disagreements
have been in the past,

I would like to put them aside.

I know you disapprove of the
life I live here with Linda,

but it's the right life for me.

Living alone in the
wilderness just wasn't enough.

(wind howls)

As brothers we should try to support

and understand each other.

Please let me know when would be

a good time to come, David.

- So there he sits,

and this is maybe the
world's greatest authority

on the criminal mind.

He studied the manifesto
forwards, backwards.

He knows it almost as well as I do.

- I doubt that.

- Well I said almost.

So, he gives me his
profile of the Unabomber.

He is male, 40 to 60, college educated,

raised in a strong religious environment,

unhappy with his lack of social success,

untrusting of his government,

and suffering from feelings of being lost

in some modern techno world.

Sexually unfulfilled, territorial,

and fearful of what the future holds.

I say doc, thanks a lot you
narrowed it down for me.

You gave me the description of

about 20 million people in this country!

- Oh, I don't believe it.

You know Ben, I think I need your help.

- Why what's wrong?

- Where can I buy some
good fly fishing equipment?

- What, are you giving up?

- No, but I'm wearing down.

This manifesto was supposed
to lead us to the bomber.

It's been four months
since we published it.

- Yeah, there's been other leads.

- A bunch of dead ends.

- The most important thing
in this business is patience.

- Huh, nobody's got more
than you that's for sure.

- Okay, remember this, my broomstick?

It's what I want you to remember

about the principal of feedback.

Now, my goal here is to balance
this broomstick on my hand.

The laws of physics say
no that's not possible.

But, if the eyes observe,

and that special part of the brain

supplies feedback to the arm and body,

balancing the broomstick
becomes a possibility.

(bell rings)

Okay, think about that.

See you Friday.

(students chattering)

- Dr. Hauser.

- Inspector Jeffries.

- Oh yeah.

- You do keep popping back into my life.

- Yeah, well I'm sorry about that.

Listen, we mailed you a copy
of the Unabomber's manifesto

about a week ago?

- Mm-hmm, still hot on his trail, huh?

- Oh yeah, me and about
a hundred other people.

- Yeah, I read the manifesto.

- Oh good, I'm glad you read it.

Of course we're hoping
that something in there

might've triggered a memory.

- I really don't think I knew
this guy or that he knew me.

I was a random victim.

He reached out with his dirty little bomb

hoping to destroy a life,

one way or another take
control of someone else.

I'm not John Hauser,
random Unabomber victim.

I'm a teacher, a researcher
living my own life.

I really look back very seldom.

I think he succeeded more with you.

- In taking over my life?

Huh, the cardiologist said
that just a little while ago.

- [John] Cardiologist?

- Yeah I had a 90% occlusion
he said I had to retire.

Take over your health the way this case

has taken over you, is what he said.

- But here you are.

- Yeah, damn right.

- [Ted Voiceover] Dear
David, I find your request

for a visit badly timed
and very upsetting.

I advised you of my heart
problems and even the thought

of your coming here has
set my heart racing.

Now please abandon this
foolish idea at once,

there's absolutely no reason
for us to meet at this time.

(phone keys beeping)

(phone ringing)

- [Susan] You've reached
Susan Swanson's number.

Sorry to have missed you,
if you leave your name

and number I'll get back to you. (beep)

- Susan, it's David Kaczynski could you

please give me a call, it's urgent.

(phone bangs)

(dramatic music)

Linda and I, (sighs) feel that we may

have some evidence that a certain person

committed some serious crimes.

- Have you gone to the police?

- Well before we go to them we wanna

make sure we're not accusing
someone who's innocent.

- All right.

- We want to work through you,

so we can remain anonymous.

- I can do that if you
think it's necessary.

- We think this person
might be the Unabomber.

We want to keep this
very, very confidential.

I mean that's however wrong.

This person will probably
be proven to be innocent.

- We don't want this person to get hurt.

- Of course not.

What do you want me to do?

- Well, if you could find someone

who could analyze some letters.

- In our own amateur way we found

similarities with the manifesto.

- Sure.

There are some experts I can recommend.

- Okay.

- I'll get on this right away.

- Good.

- Thanks Susan.

(typewriter keys clacking loudly)

- [Ben] Professor I think your
flowers are just beautiful.

- [Diogenes] Thank you.

I've always liked working in the garden.

When I was teaching there
weren't enough hours in the day.

- [Ben] You're retired now.

- [Diogenes] Yes.

This little place is one
of my priorities now.

- We sent out a copy of the manifesto

to all the victims, yourself included.

Did you get it and read it?

- Yes, tedious.

It reads like many
undergraduate term papers.

Warmed over ideas, served up in such

bloated and pretentious language.

And then those footnotes.

I'm sorry, I'd like to
help, but there was no way

that man would know I was
gonna pick up the bomb.

- Hm, true.

But I have to explore
all the possibilities.

- You are persistent.

- After 16 years of knocking and talking.

- Sometimes I think it would be better

if we would just ignore this person.

- I couldn't do that.

- No, you couldn't.

And I hope you succeed.

- Susan.

- Linda said I could find you here.

- (sighs) Well it's not good news.

If it's good news you could've
told me over the phone.

- The letters have been examined,

independently by two sets
of highly regarded experts.

Well it's four to five the
same person wrote the letters

and the manifesto.

- Four out of five, that's 80%.

If you were one of us, I
mean what would you do?

- David, I'm not you.

It's up to each person to deal

with his own conscience in his own way.

- The letters were written,

by my brother Ted.

- I guessed that.

You're gonna need a lawyer.

I talked this over with a
good friend, Tony Bisceglie?

No names, that was at Tony's insistence.

This guy has connections with the FBI.

He can handle this for you.

He can get you the kind of
protection that you want.

Here's his phone number.

Don't give him your name,
just say Susan's friend.

I am so sorry.

- (sighs) Thanks.

(dramatic music)

(knocking)

- Hi, I'm Tony Bisceglie.

You Susan's friend?

The man I've been speaking
with on the phone?

- Yeah.

Come on in.

- Thank you.

Susan just gave me your address.

I know I first advised you not to reveal

your identity to me but
I think we should, uh.

- It's not me I'm trying to protect.

I'm David Kaczynski.

- And are these your friend's letters?

The ones that might match
part of the manifesto.

- Actually it's my brother.

These are my brother's letters.

- I'm sorry, you think
your brother might--

- I don't know!

That's why I called Susan.

That's why I'm trying to be
so careful about all this.

Enough innocent people
have been hurt already.

I don't want to add my
brother to the list,

if he is innocent.

- But you have your doubts.

- There's so many parallels.

There's so, (sighs)

I need something concrete before I could,

before I can believe this.

And I don't know if I ever will.

- I understand.

- You said that you know someone
that could analyze these?

- Yes, he's not part of the task force.

I think we all agree that
we need to be as careful

as we can be before approaching them.

- Yeah.

(papers rustling)

- I respect you for what
you're doing, David.

(dramatic music)

- Why the somber face?

They printed it all, just like you wanted.

- Yeah, I know.

- It's only a matter of time

before someone makes a connection.

- I'm sure you're right.

- Are you jealous somebody
else is going to identify him?

- No, no I'm not exactly jealous.

I do see the irony, though.

There's been times when all I wanted to do

was just get my hands around his neck.

Now I don't care who pulls him in

just as long as somebody puts
a pair of handcuffs on him.

- They will.

And they'll have you to thank.

Come on, I'll buy you an ice cream.

- Okay.

(dramatic music)

(rain pattering)

- I understand.

(phone beeps)

(sighs)

- Honey.

- Do you think I could send off bombs,

kill innocent people?

- [Linda] No, of course not, honey.

That's unthinkable.

- Apparently it's not unthinkable

for my own brother to do it.

I don't know what to do.

- What does Mr. Bisceglie say?

- He's left it up to me.

(phone ringing)

- Yeah hi.

- [Harrington] Ben, it's Harrington.

- Hm, oh what's up?

- [Harrington] We're bringing in somebody

who says he's the guys brother.

- You think it's for real?

- [Harrington] Well, we don't have any ID

because it's through a wall of attorneys

but this time there's evidence.

Be there 10:00 a.m.

(phone dial tone)

(dramatic music)

- You sure you're ready for this?

(sighs)

You give me your permission I
can handle this whole thing.

- No.

(sighs) I have to do this myself.

- Okay.

(people chattering)

(dramatic music)

- [Tony] Ladies and gentleman,

this is David Kaczynski.

- Hi, David.

- My brother, Theodore Kaczynski (sighs),

wrote the letters that you've read.

(sighs deeply) He lives in a cabin

outside Lincoln Montana.

- You guys ready?

- Yeah, go.

- Okay we're comin' down.

- [Man] Copy.

(birds chirping)

(flies buzzing)

- Hello, anybody in there!?

This is the Forestry Service!

We're doing a line survey?

We think this property might
be on National Forest land.

(door creaks)

(flies buzzing)

- I'll get my coat.

(door slams)

(chains jangling)

- Hold it, hold it, hold it!

(grunts)

Calm down, calm down, Mr. Kaczynski!

We're federal law enforcement officers.

- Am I under arrest?

- No, you're not.

- Am I free to go?

- No.

This is a warrant to search your cabin.

- I want my attorney.

And before I permit this search,

I have the right to read that warrant.

- It's 170 pages.

- I have plenty of time.

- I don't.

Is it safe to go in that cabin?

- I won't answer that question.

- All right, explosives!

Carefully!

Very carefully!

(ominous music)

(dramatic music)