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A Cultural History of Art Bell

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Thumbnail for April 4, 1996: Unabomber, North Korea, Freemen - Open Lines

April 4, 1996: Unabomber, North Korea, Freemen - Open Lines

Apr 4, 1996
2h 1m
Unabomber
0:00 / 0:00
Art Bell reports on the arrest of Theodore Kaczynski, the suspected Unabomber, now held in a Helena, Montana jail. Federal investigators have found a partially finished pipe bomb, explosive chemicals matching previous attacks, and two manual typewriters in his hand-built cabin. Art Bell notes that Kaczynski's family in Chicago discovered suspicious writings while preparing to move and turned the evidence over to the FBI approximately one month before the arrest. The suspect lived as a hermit with no electricity, no plumbing, and no vehicle, embodying the anti-technology philosophy expressed in the Unabomber manifesto.

The broadcast sparks a wide-ranging discussion on the accelerating technology revolution, with Art Bell observing that internet addresses now appear on virtually every television program. He reflects on the paradox of benefiting from technology while acknowledging its dark side, drawing a connection to the Unabomber's core message. The program takes a historic first call from Shenzhen Province, China, on the international toll-free line, highlighting how telecommunications are penetrating even closed societies.

Art Bell also covers the ongoing Montana Freemen standoff, the Ron Brown plane crash investigation in Dubrovnik, North Korea's provocative statements about the DMZ, and the revelation that President Clinton secretly approved Iranian arms shipments to Bosnia in 1994.

Key Moments

  1. Kaczynski arrested - Berkeley professor turned hermit: Art reports that federal authorities have arrested Theodore Kaczynski, a former Berkeley math professor turned Montana hermit, and charged him with making an illegal explosive device - held without bail with a public defender appointed.

  2. Damning evidence - pipe bomb, typewriters, matching chemicals: Art lays out what investigators say they found in the cabin: a partially finished pipe bomb, notes on building and hiding bombs in boxes, two manual typewriters that will be checked against the Unabomber manifesto, and explosive chemicals that match prior attacks.

  3. Family turned him in - one agent: 'this is him': Art reports that Kaczynski's family in Chicago, while preparing to move, found suspicious notes and turned them over to the FBI roughly a month before the arrest. He quotes one agent saying simply, 'this is him.'