Fletcher Knebel (October 1, 1911 – February 26, 1993) was an American author of several popular works of
political fiction
Political fiction employs narrative to comment on political events, systems and theories. Works of political fiction, such as political novels, often "directly criticize an existing society or present an alternative, even fant ...
.
Knebel was born in
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
, but relocated a number of times during his youth. He graduated from high school in
Yonkers
Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...
,
New York, spent a year studying at the
University of Paris
The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...
and graduated from
Miami University
Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...
in
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,035 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A college town, Oxford was founded as a home for Miami University and lies in the southwestern portion ...
during 1934. Upon graduation, he received a job offer from the newspaper ''
Coatesville Record'' of
Coatesville, Pennsylvania. He spent the next 20 years working for newspapers, eventually becoming the political columnist for
Cowles Publications. Knebel served in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, attaining the rank of
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
. From 1951 to 1964, he satirized national politics and government in a nationally published column named "Potomac Fever".
[
During 1960, he wrote a chapter on John F. Kennedy for the book ''Candidates 1960''. This seemed to begin a passion for writing books, and he went on to write fifteen, most of them fiction, and all of them dealing with politics, intrigue and social upheaval. His best-known novel is '' Seven Days in May'' (1962, co-authored with Charles W. Bailey), about an attempted military coup in the United States. The book was a great success, reaching number one on 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 ...
'' bestseller list, and was made into a successful movie also named '' Seven Days in May'' during 1964. Knebel has been described as one of the "founding fathers" of the political thriller
A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle; high stakes and suspense are the core of the story. The genre often forces the audiences to consider and understand the importance of politics. Th ...
genre, and ''Seven Days in May'' has been described as an inspiration for a long list of fictional presidents, including television shows such as The West Wing
''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...
. In 2000, during the ''Bush v. Gore'' election dispute, the political situation was compared to the uncertainty in Knebel's ''Seven Days in May''.
Generally, Knebel's works are products of the times during which they were produced. For instance, the delegate in ''Convention'' changes her vote after learning that the candidate
A candidate, or nominee, is a prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position. For example, one can be a candidate for membership in a group (sociology), group or election to an offic ...
she had originally favored is using a computer to track personal information about the delegates. ''Vanished'' involved concerns about superpower
Superpower describes a sovereign state or supranational union that holds a dominant position characterized by the ability to Sphere of influence, exert influence and Power projection, project power on a global scale. This is done through the comb ...
nuclear proliferation
Nuclear proliferation is the spread of nuclear weapons to additional countries, particularly those not recognized as List of states with nuclear weapons, nuclear-weapon states by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonl ...
during the 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 ...
. ''Trespass'' concerns black militancy of the type that largely ended during the late 1970s.
Knebel was also a staunch liberal who was "suspicious of the size and power of the American military" and intelligence community, as he wrote in ''Dark Horse;'' many of his novels represented that opinion. In 2025, his paranoid thriller book ''Night of Camp David'' was described as paralleling the second presidency of Donald Trump
Donald Trump's second and current tenure as the president of the United States began upon Second inauguration of Donald Trump, his inauguration as the List of presidents of the United States, 47th president on January 20, 2025.
On his first ...
.
He is the source of the quote: "Smoking is one of the leading causes of statistics."
Personal life
Knebel was married four times from 1935 to 1985. The first two marriages ended in divorce, his third wife died in 1982, and his fourth wife survived him. He had one son.
Towards the end of his life, he had cancer. He died at home in Honolulu
Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
, Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
in 1993. The cause of death was suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death.
Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
.
Bibliography
*'' Seven Days in May'' (1962), described above.
*'' Convention'' (1964), also written with Charles Bailey, about a woman from the Midwest
The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
United States who serves as a delegate at a major political convention
The terms party conference (British English, UK English), political convention (American English, US and Canadian English), and party congress usually refer to a general meeting of a political party. The conference is attended by certain Delega ...
.
*'' Night of Camp David'' (1965), about a President of the United States who may be insane.
*'' The ZinZin Road'' (1966), about Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...
workers in Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
caught in an incipient revolution.
*''Vanished'' (1968), about the political effects of the sudden, mysterious disappearance of the main aide to the President of the United States during a contentious re-election campaign.
*''Trespass'' (1969), about black militants occupying homes owned by rich Caucasians and demanding that title be given to the militants as the beginning of the creation of a black nation in the American South.
*''Dark Horse
A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person, team or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, that is unlikely to succeed but has a fighting chance, unlike the underdog who is exp ...
'' (1972), about a minor official chosen to replace a Presidential candidate who died shortly before the election.
*''Poker Game'' (1973), a story set in the world of computers.
*''The Bottom Line'' (1974), a novel about a business company convention and a man who found there's also a bottom line in private lives.
*''Dave Sulkin Cares!'' (1978), a story of love between two con artists, Gail and Johnny.
*'' Crossing in Berlin'' (1981), about an American man assisting an East German woman escape from East Germany
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
.
*''Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, government, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, demoralization (warfare), demoralization, destabilization, divide and rule, division, social disruption, disrupti ...
'' (1986), about sabotage of oil tankers by Japanese organized crime mobsters.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knebel, Fletcher
1911 births
1993 suicides
20th-century American novelists
Drug-related suicides in Hawaii
Miami University alumni
Writers from Dayton, Ohio
Writers from Honolulu
University of Paris alumni
American male novelists
20th-century American male writers
Novelists from Ohio
Novelists from Hawaii
1993 deaths