Knebel, Fletcher
Entry updated 26 January 2026. Tagged: Author.
(1911-1993) US journalist and author, most of whose books are political thrillers, often hovering at the edge of sf. Three of these tales are of particular interest: Seven Days in May (1962) with Charles W Bailey – later filmed as Seven Days in May (1964), directed by John Frankenheimer – describes an attempted military coup in the USA; Night of Camp David (1965) tells of a Near-Future President whose Paranoia about enemies in America and abroad, obsession with wiretapping, and longing to establish an alliance with the ruler of the USSR against Scandinavia, almost destroys the country after his ambitions extend to Canada, which involve the use of "force ... only if necessary" (see Invasion of Canada); and in Trespass (1969), set in 1973, a Black activist group takes over white properties and upsets the FBI. [JC/PN]
Fletcher Knebel
born Dayton, Ohio: 1 October 1911
died Honolulu, Hawaii: 26 February 1993
works
- Seven Days in May (New York: Harper and Row, 1962) with Charles W Bailey [hb/Leo Manso]
- Night of Camp David (New York: Harper and Row, 1965) [hb/]
- Trespass (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1969) [hb/]
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