Genius Student Spends 17 Years Sending Bombs Through Mail After CIA Experiments on Him – Transcript

00:00In 1994 in New Jersey, an advertising executive is playing with his daughter when his wife brings him the mail. There's a small box from Closet Dimensions San Francisco that he doesn't know what it is. >> >> He goes to the dining room to open the package with a knife, but suddenly it explodes, instantly killing him.

00:15Soon news reports are talking about this incident and explain that it's been connected to the Unabomber, a mysterious criminal who has been sending bombs in the mail for the last 16 years. This has been the 15th attack and the second death, but the explosions have severely injured over 20 people. All the targets so far have been in academic and high-technology fields. The authorities still don't have a single clue about the criminal's identity. The next year in San Francisco, FBI agent Joanne is at a cafe watching a newspaper stand dealing with a long line. The Unabomber has

00:42written a manifesto attacking industrial society and calling for a violent revolution, which has been published by the two biggest newspapers at the request of the FBI. In the park, her partner Eddie notices that every person in the city is reading the newspaper today. On TV, the decision to let the newspaper publish such violent words is heavily criticized. The head of the Unabomber task force, Dean, explains that the FBI did this as part of a plan to catch the killer. It turns out the task force believes the Unabomber is in the Bay Area, so now they're watching the newspaper stands because they think

01:10he won't want to miss having a first edition of his manifesto. Agent Leo sees a suspicious man buying several newspapers, so he calls Joanne and they begin following him. As soon as the guy sees them, he drops the newspapers and starts to run, >> >> trying to escape through an alley. He eventually enters a building where Leo manages to tackle the man to finally capture him. While the suspect swears he doesn't know anything, more agents arrive to place. Joanne looks around the kitchen and curses when she sees a note on the fridge. At the office, she tells Dean that this man can't be the

01:38Unabomber because he writes with lots of spelling mistakes, while the killer wrote a 35,000 word manifesto without a single grammatical error. Leo insists the guy fits the profile, but Joanne points out that the profile was put together over a decade ago and lacks the psychological insight behind the manifesto. She thinks the Unabomber is intelligent, educated, and passionate, not just some random plumber. Dean realizes that Joanne wants him to toss out 15 years of work and start over by looking at academics like fringe journalists and radical thinkers. In

02:051958 at Harvard College, 16-year-old mathematics prodigy Ted is attending a psychology class. Professor Henry tells his students about a study into the science of debate, inviting them to participate in weekly sessions where they would defend their philosophies on life. The next day, Ted goes to the college's clinic to apply to the study. Henry and his research partner Christiana are very impressed by his essays and ask him why he wants to participate in this project.

02:27Ted explains he's interested in philosophy because ideas are what shape the world. As a test, Ted is shown a picture and asked to make up a story about it. However, Ted is only capable of giving a literal description of what he's seeing. Surprisingly, Henry still thinks he's perfect for the study.

02:41Although since Ted is only 16, they'll need his parents' permission. Later, Ted calls his father Turk, who freaks out and forbids him from joining the study because he wants him to concentrate on his classes. They argue for a while, but Turk doesn't change his mind. Then Ted's mother, Wanda, takes over the phone and tells her son that sometimes they must take the path they're given. At least Ted gets to talk to his beloved brother David, too. In 1995, Joanne starts investigating the Sylvan Learning Center because it's mentioned three times in the manifesto. There also are many lines about forcing kids to

03:08study things they hate. Joanne asks Eddie to get her a list of every student Sylvan had from 1950 to 1970. Afterward, she gets a call from an operator at the tip line in DC, who informs her they finally received a clue from a lawyer. Soon a fax arrives at the office with an old essay written by the lawyer's brother that has a lot in common with the manifesto. Joanne meets with the team at a diner and shows them the documents.

03:28>> >> Leo is skeptical, but Dean quickly notices all the phrases that match the manifesto. This essay was written by Ted, who is now 54 and lives in Montana. He graduated from Harvard and got his master's at Michigan before becoming a professor at Berkeley. In both of those schools, the bombs were planted, not mailed. Dean sends Joanna and Leo to investigate this man. In 1958, Ted gets a letter from Wanda. It has some money and an apology for not being able to change Turk's mind about the study. Ted takes the chance to copy

03:56Wanda's handwriting on the permission form and takes it to Cristiana. The trick works and he's allowed to join the project. For the first debate, Cristiana introduces Ted to Mr. C, a grad student. Henry and other researchers will watch the debate from behind the glass. The winner will be chosen based on persuasiveness, style, delivery, and ability to keep composure. Special machines will measure the boys heart rate and muscle activity.

04:17Once Ted is connected to the machine, he begins the debate by saying that right now most of society doesn't have absolute autonomy. People are under the control of corporations. Mr. C interrupts to call his idea stupid and Ted keeps protesting because he's breaking the rules. So, Mr. C snaps and tells him to get to the point with an insult. Ted tries to explain himself better, but Mr. C keeps interrupting him and insulting him, hitting the table and calling him a child. The machine goes crazy as it detects how nervous and scared Ted is.

04:42>> >> When time runs out, Ted is speechless and the researchers announce that Mr. C won. A frustrated Ted rushes out of the building, ignoring Cristiana when she calls him. In 1995 in Washington, D.C., Joanne and Leo meet adult David and his wife. David has sweet memories of Ted, saying he always was a caring brother to him. He also says that Ted loved going to college. Turk was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, so he decided to self-delete with a gun, but Ted didn't go to the funeral. David explains that Ted couldn't stand to see violence, that

05:11he was never aggressive, and that he never threatened anybody. >> >> On the other hand, his wife thinks that the manifesto sounds just like Ted, angry and condescending. >> >> A desperate David swears his brother isn't a killer and that he sent those essays because he actually wants the FBI to prove Ted isn't the Unabomber. When the agents return to the office, Eddie informs them that another mail bomb blew up at the California Forestry Association. The incident is all over the news and reporters are even teaching people how to handle packages safely. In 1958, Henry is scolded by a

05:38man sent by the agency financing his research because he's missed three deadlines. Henry promises they'll have results soon. After the man leaves, Henry is approached by Ted, who wants to discuss the debate session. Although Henry says he can't talk about it outside of a clinical setting, Ted complains because Mr. C broke the rules and won anyway. So, he wants to know what he did wrong. Henry decides to take Ted to a restaurant for lunch. Ted explains he wants to be a philosopher because ideas shape the world, but Turk forces him to do math so he can get a good job and bring money to the house.

06:06They bond over harsh childhoods and Henry gives Ted some advice. When the battle starts, he must keep up the fight. Ted spends the next few days studying hard to make good arguments. During the next debate, Ted tells Mr. C that since he broke the rules, then he'll also speak whenever and however much he wants. Using logic and well-prepared reasoning, >> >> Ted absolutely destroys Mr. C, pointing out that he throws insults because he has nothing good to say. When Ted visits his family, Wanda expresses her concerns because Ted hasn't made any friends.

06:33Turk accidentally finds Ted's report card and gets angry because his grades are pretty bad. He quickly realizes that Ted has joined the debate club and an argument ensues. Thanks to all his debate practice, Ted has the confidence to stand up to his father. Although he takes it too far and complains about the whole family. Wanda leaves the table in tears, and Turk soon takes David away, too. In 1995, Joanne has discovered that Ted lives in a cabin in the forest. He doesn't have a phone, electricity, or any other modern comforts, which matches the manifesto's attitude.

07:01>> >> Leo still thinks that the essay clue is pointless and begins arguing with Joanne. So, Dean has to yell to stop them. Then he sends Leo after a new suspect because he thinks Joanne doesn't have enough evidence for her Ted theory. >> >> After re-reading the manifesto, Joanne gets some clues about of the cabin and travels to the Montana forests. Ranger Bill confirms that Ted lives here and he's an odd guy who never socializes. In 1958, Ted arrives at the clinic and catches Henry and Christian and kissing.

07:26He tries to run away, but Henry stops him and explains that today's session was canceled because of the storm. Since Ted has done so much progress on the project, Henry invites him to a party for intellectuals. >> >> Afterward, Ted has a drink with his roommate at a bar to celebrate the invitation. Two women show interest in them and they all end up going to the dorms together. When Ted is left alone with one of the girls, he gets nervous and doesn't know what to talk about besides philosophy. Suddenly, the girl kisses him and at first Ted freezes. Then he panics and rushes to hide in his room. The night of the

07:53party, Ted tries to impress the older intellectuals with his own ideas and philosophy. >> >> In private, he tells Henry and Cristiana that he has a hard time talking to people. He shares the kiss incident saying it felt like he and the girl were from a different species. When Ted says there's something wrong with him, Henry agrees he's different but because of his intelligence and ambition, which are good things. During the next debate, Mr.

08:14C attacks Ted's insecurities quoting what he told Henry. Ted is shocked and confused so Mr. C reveals he has a recording of that conversation that Henry gave him. Mr. C keeps insulting Ted with low blows and ends up winning the debate. Furious, Ted rushes to the room behind the glass but Henry isn't there. Then he runs to the professor's office and Cristiana follows him failing to calm him down. When he asks for his file, Cristiana says it's confidential but she ends up giving it to him because he threatens to go to the Dean. The files in the drawer have

08:41labels with different personality characteristics and Ted says lawful. >> >> The folder has all the test results from the machine showing his highest point of stress and the moment he reaches submission. Cristiana explains that after the war some prisoners came home changed as if they'd been reprogrammed to support the communist cause.

08:56>> >> Henry was hired by the CIA to understand how people may be broken so badly. Ted wasn't chosen because of his ideas. He was chosen because he's young and rounds out the age bracket. This was never about philosophy. It's about making young men submit. Ted is on the verge of a breakdown so Cristiana promises to burn his file and remove him from the program so he can study philosophy properly somewhere else. Moments later, Ted trashes his room in fury. His roommate tries to check on him but Ted yells insults to make him leave. Then he

09:22finally has his breakdown. He only calms down in the evening when he decides to grab a notebook to start his own experiment using some basic office supplies. He makes his first package. In 1995, Joanne finds Ted's mailbox and takes some pictures. After walking through the woods for a while, she finds the old cabin. While she takes more photos, she's startled by the sound of an animal falling into a trap. An older Ted comes out of the cabin with a gun, so Joanne quickly hides while getting her own gun ready. Ted gets the

09:49dead animal from the trap and returns to the cabin without seeing her. Afterward, Joanne returns to Bill's office and he gives her Ted's records. Joanne reads everything in her car and discovers that the cabin used to belong to both brothers, >> >> but now it's only Ted's. That night in the cabin, Ted starts making a new bomb.

10:04Sometime later, Joanne visits David to ask him why he abandoned the cabin he built with his brother. At first, David tries to pretend nothing happened, but Joanne insists until he talks. One day, Ted went on a date with a woman. Something went wrong because he started to follow her around town insulting her.

10:19When David tried to calm him down, Ted snapped at him, too. Then David interrupts himself, not wanting to say more. Joanne reminds him that if they don't catch the Unabomber soon, people will keep dying. David decides to show her a box full of old pictures and documents, and Joanne is shocked to find an essay that reads like an early draft of the manifesto.

10:36>> >> In 1958, Ted decides to attend his next debate session anyway. Mr. C tries to provoke him several times, but Ted stays calm, saying that constant demands to behave according to society's expectations can burden a person. In the evening, Christian reminds Henry that he must finish the report for the CIA. However, Henry points out that he was supposed to prove every man can be broken, and today Ted didn't break at all. They argue for a while, but Henry refuses to accept that the experiment is over. That night, Ted grabs the package and puts

11:04Henry's name on it. Then he goes to the clinic because he's been called for a special session. >> >> Henry will be Ted's opponent, and he begins his argument by talking about schizophrenia. He plays a few clips from Ted's past sessions to show how much Ted's behavior changes, which he sees as a schizophrenia symptom. Then Henry points out nobody ever agreed with Ted's ideas before promising to get him a good doctor. Ted takes a deep breath and starts ranting, saying medicine was supposed to make society happier, but hasn't. He says that every new invention is a form of control, and every new argument he has an insult for Henry.

11:33>> >> At first Henry stays calm but then Ted begins to attack his desperate need for approval. Henry has always been proud of the respect of his peers but it turns out most of the flattering letters he's received from colleagues have actually been written by Ted. Although Henry is more anxious now he still doesn't react so Ted goes on a rant about how bad the study is as he rips the machine's cables off. He gives Henry a package and leaves after telling him that he only kept coming to the sessions to prove that he could. In 1995, Joan gathers her team outside the forest to make a plan and