Lies Manhunt: Unabomber Told You

Some of the most dramatic scenes in Manhunt: Unabomber come when James Fitzgerald meets face-to-face with the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. Early in the show, we see a 1997 meeting between Fitz and Ted. Fitzgerald has been asked by the FBI to convince Kaczynski to plead guilty, but he's unsuccessful; instead, the two men discuss their

Some of the most dramatic scenes in Manhunt: Unabomber come when James Fitzgerald meets face-to-face with the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. Early in the show, we see a 1997 meeting between Fitz and Ted. Fitzgerald has been asked by the FBI to convince Kaczynski to plead guilty, but he's unsuccessful; instead, the two men discuss their critiques of modern society. It's not until later — after Kaczynski's failed attempt to overturn the search warrant of his cabin — that Fitzgerald convinces the Unabomber that a guilty plea is the only way to get his anti-technology ideas to live on.

These mental showdowns between two brilliant men — one fighting for law and order, the other for anarchy — are unquestionably entertaining to watch. Unfortunately, they're completely made up. Fitzgerald has never met face-to-face with Ted Kaczynski; the real Fitzgerald reports that the most intimate moment between the two men was some eye contact at Kaczynski's sentencing.

Fitzgerald did try to interview Ted Kaczynski back in 2007, but Kaczynski canceled the meeting at the last minute, asking a guard to tell Fitz that he was too busy. "You're in lockdown by yourself 23 hours a day seven days a week," Fitzgerald told WHYY. "However, he was too busy for me that day." Fitz is pretty confident that Ted isn't a huge fan of his.

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