`SEVEN DAYS IN MAY' AUTHOR KNEBEL, 81, DIES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, February 28, 1993                   TAG: 9302280107
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: HONOLULU                                LENGTH: Short
`SEVEN DAYS IN MAY' AUTHOR KNEBEL, 81, DIES
Fletcher Knebel, a former syndicated columnist and co-author of the Cold War thriller "Seven Days in May," has committed suicide at age 81.
In a suicide note, Knebel said he was too old to struggle against lung cancer and other ailments.
"I have overdosed on sleeping pills after eight months of increasing pain, stemming from lung cancer, aortic aneurism and spasms of pounding heart," said the note released by his wife, Connie.
Knebel was found dead in his bedroom Friday by a neighbor whom his wife said she called after discovering a suicide note upon her return home.
Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II wrote "Seven Days in May," a book about a military scheme to overthrow the U.S. government, in 1962. It was turned into a movie starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas.
Knebel said he got the idea of writing the book after interviewing Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Curtis LeMay, who kept going off the record and damning President Kennedy for not bombing Cuba.
Knebel said he was walking past the White House after the interview and wondered why the U.S. military didn't revolt, as had happened in so many other countries.
Knebel's other best-sellers included "Convention" and "Night of Camp David."

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB