Joe Nocera

Well, the first decision he made was to give the ransom note, or a version of it, to a couple of mobsters.

because the mob thought, because we needed another element to make it even weirder.

Yeah.

So because the mob was known to kidnap people once in a while, although as one of our experts on the podcast says, you know, this was such, he said, if the mob had done it, it would be a professional kidnapping.

This was clearly not a professional kidnapping.

But once the ransom note was out there, anybody could copy it.

It also had a little red mark on it.

And then future ransom notes also had the little red mark.

Sure.

Well, then the whole thing's compromised at that point.

Right.

So there could have been anybody.

Extortionists, mobsters.

Let me ask you about Dr. John Condon.

He writes a letter to his local paper, the Bronx Home News.

And he basically says, he's a very pompous, full of himself, 70 plus year guy.

And he basically says, I'm gonna add $1,000 to the ransom money that I will contribute for myself.

And the kidnappers,

put a note in the Bronx home news saying basically, huh, get in touch with us.

But what happens is because the kidnappers give Jafsy a letter to give to Lindbergh, Lindbergh reads the letter and says, okay,