8/13/2008

Justin Zaremba

Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski is protesting the FBI's inclusion of Kaczynski's Montana cabin, the place of his capture, in an exhibition at the Newseum.

According to the *Washington Post*, the convicted "Unabomber," Ted Kaczynski, is protesting that his Montana cabin, the site of his eventual capture, is part of a display at the Newseum.  
  
Kaczynski, who is imprisoned in a federal facility in Florence, Colorado, sent a handwritten letter to a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in which he objected to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's loan of the 10-by-12-foot cabin as part of an exhibition that examines the first 100 years of the FBI.  
  
Kaczynski said he learned of the cabin's use when he saw it in an advertisement in the *Washington Post* for the Newseum.  
  
Incidentally, it was the *Washington Post*, who in conjunction with the *New York Times*, shared the cost and published the Unabomber's 35,000-word manifesto in 1995. After reading the published manifesto, Kaczynski's brother realized that the bomber may in fact be his brother and informed the FBI as to Kaczynski's identity and whereabouts.  
  
"I recently received a page from the *Washington Post*, June 19, 2008, page A9. This comprises a full-page, full-color advertisement that features my cabin, which is being exhibited publicly at something called a 'Newseum.' Since the advertisement states that the cabin is 'FROM FBI VAULT,' it is clear that the government is responsible for the public exhibition of the cabin. This has obvious relevance to the victims' objection to publicity connected with the Unabomber case," Kacyznski's recent letter said.  
  
The letter is printed in its entirety on thesmokinggun.com.  
  
In response to Kacyznski's protest, Newseum vice president for marketing and deputy director, Susan Bennett, stated that the museum will not be making any changes to the exhibition entitled, "G-Men and Journalists: Top News Stories of the FBI's First Century." The exhibition opened in June and will remain on display for a year.  
  
Bennett said, "The cabin is one of 200 artifacts that were offered to us through the FBI. The Unabomber is an interesting case of the combative, sometimes cooperative relationship of the press with the FBI." She added, "The cabin had a definite media hook. Since the artifact was provided by the FBI and we think it is a dramatic way of retelling the story to visitors, we intend to keep it as part of the exhibit."  
  
Kaczynski's section of the exhibit is called "A Mad Bomber and His Manifesto." The exhibit details how the FBI used 500 agents over 17 years to search for him. Using homemade bombs, Kacyznski killed three people and injured 23 between 1978 and 1995. In 1996, Kacyznski was arrested and sentenced to life in prison.