The Ted Kaczynski Papers are part of the Special Collections Library’s Joseph A. Labadie Collection which documents the history of social protest movements and marginalized political communities from the 19th century to the present. The Ted Kaczynski papers were acquired in 1998 and the bulk of the collection includes correspondence written to and by Kaczynski since his arrest in 1996. Other materials in the archive include legal documents used during his trial, writings by Kaczynski, clippings and articles, some audiovisual material and FBI files.
Theodore John Kaczynski was arrested by the FBI on April 1996 at his cabin near Lincoln, Montana. He was accused of (and later plead guilty and convicted of) killing three people and injuring 22 in 16 separate bombings between 1978 and 1995. Even before Kaczynski was identified as a suspect, the FBI labeled the case "Unabomb" because the first targets were linked to universities (UNabomb) or airlines (unAbomb).
In 2012 the FBI files were sent by Kaczynski’s lawyers to Special Collections and made part of the archive. These files consist of photocopies of documents confiscated by the FBI during Kaczynski’s arrest at his cabin in Montana in 1996. The contents are mainly photocopies from his journals written in English, Spanish, and a numeric code. The earliest entry is dated 1969 and the last is February 1996. Other documents include photocopies of maps, identification papers, math equations, correspondence with family members and other miscellaneous documents.
The FBI files also contain dozens of photographs taken by agents after Kaczynski’s arrest and used during his trial. The photographs show the outside area of Kaczynski’s cabin, the land surrounding the cabin and downtown Lincoln, Montana and photos of the famous cabin along with its contents. Some photos are of books, rifles and some bomb making materials. Below are some examples of pictures found in the FBI files in the archive:
Ted Kaczynski's mailbox near Lincoln, Montana.
Inside Kaczynski’s small cabin including books, hunting rifles and other items.
Books found in Kaczynski’s cabin on topics such as chemistry, nuclear weapons and botany.
More books on the history of the Middle Ages, Peru, Mexico and Russia and other topics.
Kaczynski’s arrest on April 3, 1996 at his cabin near Lincoln, Montana.
For access and more information on the Ted Kaczynski Papers at Special Collections please send an email to special.collections@umich.edu.
post by processing archivist Rosemary Pal