In February, three Massachusetts high schoolers building a website about James “Whitey” Bulger for a National History Day competition on leadership and legacy wrote a letter to the Boston crime boss, serving two consecutive life sentences in a federal penitentiary in Florida. And guess what! He wrote back.

The Boston Globe reports that Mollykate Rodenbush, Brittany Tainsh, and Michaela Arguin chose Bulger because they wanted to do something unconventional. Unfortunately, Bulger did not answer their questions about leadership. “It wasn’t what we were expecting at all,” said Tainsh. “He did not really reply to any of our actual questions. He was very apologetic.”

Bulger recommends that the three girls look to the veterans being treated at Walter Reed Hospital for thoughts on leadership, referring to himself as “best forgotten.”

He continues:

My life was wasted and spent foolishly, brought shame and suffering on my parents and siblings and will end soon — Advice is a cheap commodity some seek it from me about crime — I know only thing for sure — If you want to make crime pay — “Go to Law School.”

“I think the most interesting aspect of the letter is that he was almost regretful and nostalgic, but not in a positive way,” Rodenbush said. “It was a completely different side to what he shows to everyone else,” Arguin said. “It was kind of weird we kind of had an impact on him, three high school girls. You wouldn’t expect that. It was really shocking.”

Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit agreed to hear arguments for Bulger’s request to have his 2013 conviction overturned on July 27.

The full text of the letter, via the Globe, is below.

Feb. 24, 2015

1:10 a.m.

Hello, Brittany:

I’m sorry but I can’t help you with your school project — There are many people more deserving of your time and interests. I’m a myth created by the media to help them generate Revenue and to hurt a relation because they didn’t appreciate his independence and daring to support an agenda they opposed.

May I suggest you and Molly create a website about the heroic service men of Mass. that are patients in, for instance, Walter Reed Veteran Hospital — good men isolated from society due to war wounds — life for some in pain and loneliness — hearing from school girls that care would do wonders for their morale and recovery.

Don’t waste your time on such as I — we are society’s lower, best forgotten, not looked to for advice on “Leadership”. I’m a 9th grade dropout from school and took the wrong road — my brother 5 years younger applied himself in school and worked hard and spent 40 years in Mass State House and retired and was the President of Mass Senate in State House for second term and President of U. Mass after Retirement. Had 9 children all college graduates and 4 lawyers among them. A Better Man than I.

My life was wasted and spent foolishly, brought shame and suffering on my parents and siblings and will end soon — Advice is a cheap commodity some seek it from me about crime — I know only thing for sure — If you want to make crime pay — “Go to Law School.”

Brittany Best of Luck in the future to you and Molly and Michaela.

Sincerely James Bulger

Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.