Charles de Gaulle, the founder of France’s Fifth Republic, is said to have survived more than 30 assassination attempts. One in particular stands out — here’s why. 1/20 
On 22 August 1962, Charles de Gaulle, founder of France’s Fifth Republic and then-President, was en route to his country home in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises. Accompanied by his wife Yvonne and protected by elite security personnel, the journey was meant to be routine. 2/20
At around 8 p.m, the presidential convoy passed through Petit-Clamart near Place de la Résistance on Route Nationale 10. 3/20
That’s when “Operation Charlotte Corday” was set into motion — a meticulously planned assassination attempt by a group of conspirators from the Organisation armée secrète (OAS), a far-right paramilitary group that opposed Algerian independence. 4/20
The ambush was led by Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry, a French Air Force officer. Armed with automatic rifles and hidden along the route, the group opened fire on the convoy. 5/20
Over 150 bullets struck the vehicles. The Citroën DS19 carrying de Gaulle had its rear window shattered, and several tires were blown out — but thanks to the car’s advanced suspension and the driver's skill, the President and his wife emerged unscathed. 6/20
In the aftermath, Bastien-Thiry was arrested, tried, and in 1963, executed by firing squad — the last such execution in French history. 7/20
The audacity of the attack made international headlines. Among those captivated was a 34-year-old British journalist named Frederick Forsyth, who was working as a reporter for Reuters and later the BBC. 8/20
Forsyth befriended members of the presidential guard and gathered detailed insights into the assassination attempt. 9/20
Years later, Forsyth drew upon this dramatic episode for inspiration. He transformed the failed plot into the basis for a thriller — not as journalism, but as fiction. 10/20
His debut novel, “The Day of the Jackal” (1971), imagined a scenario where the OAS, desperate after repeated failures, hires a foreign professional assassin — code-named “The Jackal” — to eliminate de Gaulle. 11/20
Forsyth initially struggled to find a publisher. Several rejected the manuscript, citing its unconventional narrative structure and detailed procedural tone. 12/20
Eventually, the novel was picked up by Hutchinson in the UK. Its success was immediate. Later that year, Viking Press released a 380-page clothbound U.S. edition, priced at $7.95, featuring a dust jacket designed by acclaimed American artist Paul Bacon. 13/20
By 1975, the book had sold over half a million copies worldwide. The “Jackal” became a household name, and Forsyth was hailed as a master of the modern political thriller. 14/20
Though Forsyth went on to write many more bestsellers, including The Odessa File and The Dogs of War, none of his later creations achieved the iconic status of the Jackal. 15/20
The novel's success spurred a critically acclaimed film adaptation, “The Day of the Jackal” (1973), directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Edward Fox in the title role. The movie remains a classic of the genre. 16/20
The Jackal’s legacy extended across cultures. The 1988 Malayalam film August 1, starring Mammootty and Captain Raju, was loosely inspired by Forsyth’s novel, reimagining the story in an Indian political context. 17/20
In 1997, Hollywood released “The Jackal”, a loose reimagining of the original, starring Bruce Willis as the titular assassin & Richard Gere as the man trying to stop him. Although it bore little resemblance to Forsyth’s novel it revived interest in the mythos of the Jackal. 18/20
Most recently, a new television adaptation has come to life, with Eddie Redmayne playing the Jackal in a dramatic reimagining of Forsyth’s original story. 19/20
Frederick Forsyth's death ends a chapter, not the story. His world of Cold War plots, silent assassins, and the ever-elusive Jackal still grips us—chilling, timeless, and unforgettable. 20/20
Image Attributes: @IMDb @WikiCommons
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
