''Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot'' is a 2012 non-fiction book by

Bill O'Reilly William O'Reilly or Bill O'Reilly may refer to: Government and politics * Bill O'Reilly (political commentator) (born 1949), American commentator, author and television host * William O'Reilly (MP) (1792–1844), UK MP for the Irish constituency o ...

and Martin Dugard about the

assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

of the 35th

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

. It is a follow-up to O'Reilly's 2011 book ''

Killing Lincoln ''Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever'' is a book by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard concerning the 1865 assassination of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln. The book was released on September 27, 2011, and is t ...

''. ''Killing Kennedy'' was released on October 2, 2012 through

Henry Holt and Company Henry Holt and Company is an American book-publishing company based in New York City. One of the oldest publishers in the United States, it was founded in 1866 by Henry Holt (publisher), Henry Holt and Frederick Leypoldt. The company publishes in ...

Synopsis

In ''Killing Kennedy'' the authors narrate the events leading up to the

of President Kennedy as well as the event's aftermath. O'Reilly and Dugard also focus on the element of the growing

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, Kennedy's attempt to deal with the rise of

Communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

, and the potential threat from organized crime.

Reception

Critical response to ''Killing Kennedy'' was mixed, with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''writing that the book was at times disappointing but that it "picks up strength as it heads for its date with destiny". The book has been criticized for a "lack of citation and occasional 'literary liberties'". O'Reilly has stated that he and Dugard wrote the book to be "fun" and "to get people engaged with their country". The book sold 118,000 copies in its first week. Another passage where O'Reilly claims he was present outside the Florida home of alleged conspirator

George de Mohrenschildt George Sergius de Mohrenschildt (April 17, 1911 – March 29, 1977) was a Russian born American petroleum geologist, anti-communist political refugee, professor, and occasional CIA field agent. He moved to the Dallas area in October 1961, and bef ...

when he committed suicide has been shown by several sources to be false, as he was known not to be in the state at the time. In response, the publisher Henry Holt and Company issued a statement: "This one passage is immaterial to the story being told by this terrific book and we have no plans to look into this matter."

Adaptation

After the success of ''

'',

National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney Enter ...

announced it would produce a film adaptation of ''Killing Kennedy''. In May 2013, it was announced that

Rob Lowe Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and entertainment host. Following numerous television roles in the early 1980s, he came to prominence as a teen idol and member of the Brat Pack with starring roles in ...

was to play

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Ginnifer Goodwin Ginnifer Goodwin (born Jennifer Michelle Goodwin on May 22, 1978) is an American actress. She starred as Margene Heffman in the HBO drama series ''Big Love'' (2006–2011), Mary Margaret Blanchard, Snow White / Mary Margaret Blanchard in the Am ...

would play First Lady

Jacqueline Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American writer, book editor, and socialite who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular f ...

, and

Michelle Trachtenberg Michelle Christine Trachtenberg (October 11, 1985 – February 26, 2025) was an American actress. After beginning her career in television commercials at age three, she made her television debut in her first credited role on the Nickelodeon ser ...

would portray

Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963. Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at age 12 for truan ...

's wife

Marina Oswald Marina Nikolayevna Oswald Porter (; born July 17, 1941) is a Russian–American former pharmacist who was the wife of Lee Harvey Oswald. Born in the Soviet Union in 1941, she immigrated to the United States after marrying United States Marine C ...

. The television film premiered on November 10, 2013. On its original airing, it drew in 3,354,000 viewers, averaging a 1.1 rating with adults in the 25-54 demographic. The viewership broke the record previously held by ''

'' which averaged 3,351,000 viewers.

References

External links

Official book website
{{Assassination of John F. Kennedy 2012 non-fiction books Non-fiction books about the assassination of John F. Kennedy Cultural depictions of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Henry Holt and Company books Books by Bill O'Reilly (political commentator) Books by Martin Dugard (author) Non-fiction books adapted into films