The Manhunt for The Jackal

This flow follows Claude Lebel’s effort to turn fragments of intelligence into a name, a trail, and finally an interception.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Name Without a Face

A Name Without a Face A warning reaches the state Colonel Rolland interprets Viktor Kowalski’s confused confession as evidence of a foreign assassin called The Jackal. Roger Frey and senior officials recognize that the threat could destabilize France if Charles de Gaulle were killed. A detective’s assignment With no reliable description or identity, the officials assign Claude Lebel to discover who the assassin is. His advantage is not a secret source but patient, methodical investigation.

International Enquiries

International Enquiries Searching foreign files Lebel and Lucien Caron contact police leaders in several countries through the International Criminal Police Organization. They seek known political killers, while keeping the inquiry unofficial and discreet. Possibilities without proof The replies produce a handful of suspects, but none fits securely. The process shows both the value and the limits of international cooperation: records offer leads, yet an unknown operator may remain outside every file.

The British Lead

The British Lead A rumor from the Caribbean Bryn Thomas follows a suggestion from Barrie Lloyd that an Englishman may have participated in the killing of Rafael Trujillo. The name Charles Calthrop emerges from an old report and becomes a fragile lead. A suspect takes shape Checks establish that Calthrop was in Ciudad Trujillo when the dictator was killed and had experience in the arms trade. The evidence is circumstantial, but it gives the search a name to test.

The False Passport Break

The False Passport Break A child’s record At Somerset House, investigators find a passport application in the name of Alexander James Quentin Duggan. The application matches a child who died in 1931, revealing that the passport holder is an impostor. A new search direction The discovery links Calthrop’s presumed disappearance to a forged identity. Thomas and Lebel can now investigate a traveler with a plausible passport rather than merely search for a man who may no longer use his birth name.

The Last Interception

The Last Interception Recognition at the barrier Claude Lebel learns that an apparent cripple passed through the security barrier using papers for a wounded veteran. He realizes the crutch may conceal the weapon and races to the apartment overlooking the ceremony. The hunt ends violently Lebel arrives as The Jackal fires and misses Charles de Gaulle. In the ensuing gunfight, The Jackal kills a young CRS officer, and Lebel shoots The Jackal dead.

August 11, 1963

August 12 to 13, 1963

August 12 to 14, 1963

Night of August 14, 1963

August 25, 1963