Book Report and Review of Frederick Forsyth's Day of the Jackal

Frederick Forsyth's The Day of the Jackal chronicles the events of the summer of 1963, in which there was an attempt to assassinate the then-president of France, Charles de Gaulle. Anyone reasonably familiar with the 20th century will know automatically that the attack failed, but this novel describes just how close to the mark the attack came. The novel is historical fiction, so it tells a story that actually happened, but in places where little is …

…their efforts, but the main point is that the Jackal was stopped, and Charles de Gaulle lived. After the events of the fall of 1963, there were no serious attempts on de Gaulle's life, so it can be determined that the OAS all but disbanded. This represents a huge victory for de Gaulle's government, making it clear that even a professional assassin could not penetrate their defenses, and making President de Gaulle seem impervious to attack.