Unabomber Suspect

Re “One Fear Ends--and Hope Is Reaffirmed,” Opinion, April 7:

Martin E. Marty gave specious ties of Easter redemption to finding a likely Unabomber suspect. Marty’s article contains no substantive knowledge of Ted Kaczynski. Further, it lacks insight on the redemptive prospect of finding the perpetrator. Instead, Marty plays childishly on math-phobia: “whose mad genius threatens us all. Still, the possibility that such an achiever in mathematics as Kaczynski could so disrupt life has to remain disturbing.” Give me a break!

Kaczynski and I went to University of Michigan graduate school from 1964-1967. We both graduated June of 1967 with PhDs in mathematics. How do I know? Reporters from Newsweek and the New York Times called me and told me. We must have had a common class, for I took a course from Allen Shields, Kaczynski’s advisor on Shields’ specialty, and likely the topic of Kaczynski’s thesis. I remembered the course, but not Kaczynski. It wasn’t my area.

I saw Shields, a few years back, at an American Mathematical Society meeting, not long before he died. We remembered each other instantaneously. Kaczynski, however, I don’t remember. Seventeen years ago--at the start of the Unabomber activities--Kaczynski had disappeared from mathematics for over a decade. These activities had nothing--nothing--to do with genius or being a mathematician.

MICHAEL D. FRIED

Professor of Mathematics

UC Irvine

* Gov. Pete Wilson must be nuts. I could hardly believe my ears when he said he wanted the Unabomber suspect returned to California to stand trial (April 6).

If California got him back, and convicted him, he would have 10 to 15 years of appeals. The total cost would probably exceed $10 million to $15 million before he would be executed.

There is a good chance that he would never be convicted of first-degree murder. If the jury recommended life in prison, we would get to support him for the next 30 to 40 years. A person that lived like he did might find prison life a step up.

I suggest letting New Jersey have him. He murdered there. Let them have him first. If their courts acquit him then we can consider it. Or better yet, let the federal government try him.

RICHARD E. BARRETT

Santa Ana

* Now that the suspected Unabomber has been apprehended and is behind bars, federal agents, please do not muff this case by not having the proper paperwork to back up his arrest and evidence. Federal agents have had 17 years to prepare for this. Do not let this fall through the cracks due to a technicality!

ALICE HARRISON

Mission Viejo