John Hinckley Jr. Addresses "Erotomaniac" Question

[00:00:00]John, have you ever heard the term erottomaniac?

[00:00:04]>> Not really.

[00:00:06]>> Okay. Because when I read up on your story, um, I wondered whether that was a term that applied to you. Because what I've been told is that's somebody who can think that he's in a real relationship with someone even though the two people have never met. The the sort of focus his the person who is the center of his focus doesn't know him at all. and yet the man thinks that they're in love or gonna be together and, you know, maybe even have had experiences together that they haven't had.

[00:00:38]>> Does that sound like the affliction that you were suffering under when you became obsessed with Jodie Foster and wound up shooting the president in order to gain her attention?

[00:00:49]>> It sounds very very much like what I was going through. I thought I had back in 81 and 80 and 79 78 I thought I had a real relationship with Jod and that by shooting the president I would have this like magical union with her and she would be so impressed and all these things. So I guess I guess if that's I guess that's the definition of erottomania but um yeah I thought I had a real relationship with her which of course was not the case.

[00:01:20]How did that start?

[00:01:23]>> Just psychosis. I I I was in the se late 70s. I was developing delusions about her and that was just part of my illness.

[00:01:35]>> And did you believe that you were in a relationship with her?

[00:01:39]>> Yes, I did.

[00:01:40]>> You did? So, how how I this you may not be able to answer this, but like how could you believe that, you know, when you didn't know her and she wouldn't respond to your letters and spend time with >> I can't rationalize it now because it's it's it's it's a delusion. So, I can't say how how I did it. Just how I did it was just being delusional and thinking I was in an actual relationship with her when of course I wasn't.

[00:02:08]H.

[00:02:09]>> So, it wasn't I know it was like the movie Taxi Driver that people said drove you to actually do what you did. She starred in it. Um, was it the movie Taxi Driver or had the obsession been around pre, you know, pre that movie?

[00:02:24]>> I knew about her um before Taxi Driver just just seeing her in a couple of things on TV. I guess >> had do ma'am. Moses bra.

[00:02:36]Mom says my teeth will fall out if I keep eating sweets. And aren't Reesei things bad for your stomach?

[00:02:41]>> I saw from advertising that she was going to be in this movie called Taxi Driver. So, I went to see see the movie because I knew that she was going to be in it. And um the obsession really started after I saw Taxi Driver a number of times. That was 1976.

[00:03:01]So I had the obset the obsession from 76 till 81 you know when I committed my crime >> and then she got into Yale and I understand you just went down to the registar at Yale and they did they tell you what dorm she was in like did they facilitate your your finding her? I just went there and said, "I'm looking for a friend who's a who's a um who's a student here, but I don't know which dorm she's in. Do you do you all have registration book or something?" And she gave me this book that I looked through and found her name her I mean her real name was Al is her real name is Alicia Christian Foster and that's what I found her under that name in in the registration book. and said what dorm said what dorm she was in, >> what her phone number was, everything.

[00:03:57]>> Oh my gosh, I can't believe how easy it was. That's that's disturbing.

[00:04:02]>> Yeah, I agree.

[00:04:04]>> And then you you did go to her dorm room, as I understand it, a couple of times. You slipped some notes there and you you were calling her. You you did make audio contact with her. Not she she didn't accept the calls willingly. She didn't know it was you, but you did manage to actually call her. Yes, >> I talked to her several times on the phone and I taped the phone calls uh which were later played in my trial.

[00:04:36]>> Oh no.

[00:04:39]>> Who is this?

[00:04:43]>> Oh no, not you again.

[00:04:46]Look, I can't really can't be bothered with this. I don't want to be me. And you know, it just it upset my roommates and it upsets me.

[00:04:54]>> Yeah. I talked to Jod several times on the phone. She knew me by name because he the notes that I would leave under her door. I would I would put my name on them.

[00:05:04]>> You understand why I can't, you know, carry out these conversations with people I don't know. You understand that it's dangerous and it's just not done.

[00:05:10]It's not fair and it's rude.

[00:05:12]>> All right.

[00:05:14]>> I wasn't I wasn't doing it anonymously.

[00:05:16]I was putting my name on them. So, and so when I talked to her on the phone, she knew very well who I was.

[00:05:24]>> When you heard her pick up, when you actually had contact with her, do you remember? Was that different from the delusions in your mind?

[00:05:35]>> No, it just uh I couldn't I mean, I couldn't believe I was actually talking to Jodie after you just watch her on the screen for so long. I was actually talk having a conversation with her. So, you know, I was having to kind of pinch myself because I couldn't believe it.

[00:05:51]But it was still all part of the delusion I had going on with her.

[00:05:56]>> And could you tell that she was scared?

[00:05:59]>> Well, she wasn't really scared on the phone calls, but she was saying, you know, I can't really be talking to strangers on the phone.

[00:06:08]Um, and I, you know, I think I said something like, "Well, I promise, you know, I assure you I'm not dangerous."

[00:06:15]and she said, "Well, I still can't be talking to strangers on the phone." I had about three or four conversations with her on the phone.

[00:06:22]>> Did you ever think that maybe she like in the years since maybe she was scared and she was just playing it cool?

[00:06:30]>> Well, I mean, this was pre, you know, this is pre-assination attempt, so I'm not sure how scared she was. I think she was just saying it was just another fan, you know, calling her up. Uh, maybe she was scared. I don't know. But she didn't she didn't have a she didn't sound scared on the on the phone.

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