John Hinckley Jr. Addresses "Erotomaniac" Question

John, have you ever heard the term erotomaniac? Not really. Okay, because when I read up on your story, 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 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 going to be together and maybe even have had experiences together that they haven't had. 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? It sounds very, very much like what I was going through. I thought I had a real relationship with Jodie, and that by shooting the president, I would have this magical union with her, and she would be so impressed and all these things. So I guess that's the definition of erotomania. Yeah, I thought I had a real relationship with her, which, of course, was not the case. How did that start? Just psychosis. In the late 70s, I was developing delusions about her, and that was just part of my illness. And did you believe that you were in a relationship with her? Yes, I did. You did. So you may not be able to answer this, but how could you believe that when you didn't know her and she wouldn't respond to your letters and you never spent time with her? I can't rationalize it now because it's a delusion. So I can't say how I did it. How I did it was just being delusional and thinking I was in an actual relationship with her when, of course, I wasn't. So I know it was like the movie Taxi Driver that people said drove you to actually do what you did. She starred in it. Was it the movie Taxi Driver or had the obsession been around pre, you know, pre that movie? I knew about her before Taxi Driver, just seeing her in a couple of things on TV, I guess. Mom says my teeth will fall out if I keep eating sweets. Aren't greasy things bad for your stomach? I saw from advertising that she was going to be in this movie called Taxi Driver. So I went to see the movie because I knew that she was going to be in it. And the obsession really started after I saw Taxi Driver a number of times. That was 1976. So I had 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 registrar at Yale. And did they tell you what dorm she was in? Did they facilitate your finding her? I just went there and said, I'm looking for a friend who's a student here. But I don't know which dorm she's in. Do you all have a registration book or something? And she gave me this book that I looked through and found her name. I mean, her real name is Alicia Christian Foster. And that's what I found her under that name in the registration book. I said what dorm she was in, what her phone number was, everything. Oh, my gosh. I can't believe how easy it was. That's disturbing. Yeah, I agree. And then you did go to her dorm room, as I understand it, a couple of times. You slipped some notes there and you were calling her. You did make audio contact with her. 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, which were later played at my trial. Who is this? Oh, no, not you. Look, I really can't be bothered with this. I don't want to be mean. And, you know, it upsets my relationship. It upsets me. Yeah, I talked to Jodi several times on the phone. She knew me by name because the notes that I would leave under her door, I would put my name on them. You understand why I can't carry out these conversations with people I don't know. You understand that it's dangerous and it's not fair and it's rude, all right? I wasn't doing it anonymously. I was putting my name on them. So when I talked to her on the phone, she knew very well who I was. 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? No, I mean, I couldn't believe I was actually talking to Jodi after just watching her on the screen for so long. I was actually having a conversation with her. So, you know, I was having to kind of pinch myself because I couldn't believe it. But it was still all part of the delusion I had going on with her. And could you tell that she was scared? 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. And I, you know, I think I said something like, well, I promise, you know, I assure you, I'm not dangerous. 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. Did you ever think that maybe she, like in the years since, maybe she was scared and she was just playing it cool? Well, I mean, this was pre, you know, this was pre-assassination 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. Maybe she was scared. I don't know. But she didn't, she didn't have a, she didn't sound scared on the phone. We got a whole lot more goodness where that came from. Would love to hear your feedback. You can email me too. Or just leave a comment below, but join the community by becoming a subscriber. We really, really value your input and your support. We may not always agree, but we are always going to talk about it and respect. No BS, no agenda, no fear. Think about this. In 2006, $20,000 equaled roughly 33 ounces of gold at spot price. At today's prices, those 33 ounces would be worth about $165,000. That's why many smart Americans diversify a portion of their savings into precious metals. And that's why you should consider buying gold from Birch Gold Group. For thousands of years, gold has been a store of wealth. And today it's a crucial part of any balance strategy. Even better, Birch Gold can help you convert an existing IRA or 401k into a tax-sheltered retirement account in gold. Just text MK to the number 989898 to receive your free info kit on gold. There's no obligation, just useful information. With an A-plus rating with the Better Business Bureau and tens of thousands of happy customers, let Birch Gold help you diversify with gold. Now that's peace of mind. Again, text MK to 989898 today.