Living Fletcher Knebel's Novel Fifty-Four Years Later

Wikipedia's synopsis of Fletcher Knebel's, 1965 novel, "Night of Camp David," reads this way:

"Iowa democratic Senator Jim MacVeagh is summoned to Camp David by President Mark Hollenbach. MacVeagh, who is expected to be Hollenbach's next vice president, becomes concerned because Hollenbach shows signs of intense paranoia. He erratically expresses his desire to develop a closer relationship between the United States and the USSR and attempts to cut ties with American allies in Europe. Hollenbach believes the American news media are conspiring against him. MacVeagh is the only person who notices that Hollenbach's mind is crumbling, as the presidential advisors and politicians he attempts to warn ignore him. The sole person in possession of evidence of Hollenbach's mental decline is his mistress, Rita. Hollenbach puts both MacVeagh and Rita under a FBI investigation."

Wikipedia notes when the book was released 54 years ago, then New York Times reviewer, David Dempsey described it as, "Too plausible for comfort."

You think?

Knebel, who co-wrote the political thriller, "Seven Days in May," three years earlier (about an attempted White House coup by members of the ultra right wing), wound up the tension tightly in "Night of Camp David." However the ending, in my mind anyway, was what we used to call a cop out.

But let's not get bogged down with literary judgments here.

This weekend, Donald J. Trump, the current President of the United States addressed a group of young conservatives in Florida at what was billed as the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit.

The Guardian reports Trump, in an hour plus speech, ripped the usual suspects such as Nancy Pelosi, his impeachment, and republican, "Never Trumpers." Then he moved on to the green new deal and wind powered energy.

The Guardian quoted him as telling the crowd, "I've never understood wind. You know, I know windmills very much. They're noisy. They kill the birds. You want to see a bird graveyard? Go under a windmill someday. You'll see more birds than you've ever seen in your life."

Trump went on to say, "They're made in China and Germany mostly. But they're manufactured tremendous if you are into this, tremendous fumes. Gases are spewing into the atmosphere. You know we have a world, right? So the world is tiny compared to the universe. So tremendous, tremendous amounts of fumes and everything."

And then, "You talk about the carbon footprint, fumes are spewing into the air, right? Spewing. Whether it's in China, Germany it's going into the air. It's our air, their air, everything, right?

He added, "You see all those windows. They're all different shades of color. They're like sort of white, but one is like an orange-white. It's my favorite color, orange."

As they say on social media, WTF?

Fletcher Knebel committed suicide in 1993 at the age of 82. He had been diagnosed as having terminal cancer. "Night of Camp David," was re-released by Vintage Books last year. On the cover, as it was on the original release, is the blurb, "What would happen if the President of the U.S.A. went stark raving mad?"

Well, these days, it appears we are finding out the answer to that one every time we turn on the news.


sic vita est


12-23-19