CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties explained

CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties
Author:Tom O'Neill with
Audio Read By:Kevin Stillwell[1]
Cover Artist:Lauren Harms (design)[2]
Country:United States
Language:English
Publisher:Little, Brown and Company
Pub Date:June 25, 2019
Media Type:Print (hardcover and paperback), e-book, audiobook
Pages:528
Isbn:978-0-316-47755-0
Isbn Note:(hardcover)
Oclc:1104138801
Dewey:364.152/340979493
Congress:HV6533.C2 O545 2019

CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties is a 2019 nonfiction book written by Tom O'Neill with Dan Piepenbring. The book presents O'Neill's research into the background and motives for the Tate–LaBianca murders committed by the Manson Family in 1969. O'Neill questions the Helter Skelter scenario argued by lead prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi in the trials and in his book Helter Skelter (1974).[3] [4] The book's title is a reference to the covert CIA program Operation CHAOS.[5]

Background

In 1999, entertainment reporter Tom O'Neill accepted a three-month assignment from the film magazine Premiere to write about how the Tate–LaBianca murders changed Hollywood. O'Neill missed his deadline but continued to investigate the murders.[6] [7] CHAOS is the product of twenty years of meticulous research, hundreds of interviews, and falling-outs with publishers that led to financial and legal repercussions for O'Neill.[8] [9]

Reception

Publishers Weekly wrote that "True crime fans will be enthralled."[10] The Guardians Peter Conrad wrote, "As [O'Neill] admits, the loose ends are still not tied up and with so many of the culprits dead they probably never will be. O'Neill's intricately sinister 'secret history' often sounds incredible; that doesn't mean that it's not all true."[11] Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Stephen Phillips deemed that O'Neill did "yeoman's work filling out an aging narrative straitjacketed by the exigencies of its author's legal strategy."[12] Writing for Library Journal, Bart Everts claimed the authors "make a convincing argument that there is much more to this case than Bugliosi and Gentry's narrative presents."[13] Greg King of The Washington Post wrote, "There's plenty of new information that makes CHAOS a worthwhile addition to the canon of Manson literature, even if it ends without a unified theory of the crimes and their motivations."[14]

In a mixed review, Kirkus Reviews called the book "overlong", praising "the author's confessions of the many dead ends and blank spots he encountered" but largely criticizing O'Neill for exploring too many theories.[15] Tony Allen-Mills of The Sunday Times felt that the early chapters of the book "do a convincing job picking out the flaws in Bugliosi's case, but the wheels start to come off when O'Neill begins searching for alternative explanations."[16]

Film adaptation

On July 19, 2019, Variety reported that Amazon Studios purchased the film rights to the book. Before CHAOS was published, an adaptation of O'Neill's story was originally in development by Errol Morris in collaboration with Netflix, but O'Neill backed out of the project over creative differences.[17]

On December 20, 2023, Screen International published an interview about Morris' newest film The Pigeon Tunnel. At the end of this interview Morris states after completing his next film Separated he will begin production on an adaptation of O'Neill's book for Netflix.[18]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: May 2020. Audio Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - May 17, 2020. The New York Times. October 13, 2022.
  2. Book: Tom O'Neill. Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties. June 25, 2019. Little, Brown. 978-0-316-47757-4. 2.
  3. Web site: Chaos by Tom O'Neill . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190526202605/https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/tom-oneill/chaos/9780316477550/ . May 26, 2019 . April 18, 2020 . Little, Brown and Company.
  4. RS Recommends: 'Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA and the Secret History of the Sixties' . Garber-Paul . Elisabeth . July 9, 2019 . . April 18, 2020.
  5. Web site: Extended interview: 50 years after the Manson murders, Tom O'Neill's disturbing new book CHAOS seeks to dismantle the myths of Helter Skelter . Mack . Adrian . August 9, 2019 . . April 18, 2020.
  6. Web site: Journalist Misses His Deadline on Manson Article. By 20 Years. . Williams . Alex . July 28, 2019 . . April 18, 2020.
  7. Web site: A Manson Murder Investigation 20 Years In the Making: 'There Are Still Secrets' . Romanoff . Zan . June 27, 2019 . Longreads . April 18, 2020.
  8. Harty . Patricia . Patricia Harty (journalist) . What Are You Like? Tom O'Neill . . October / November 2019 . April 18, 2020.
  9. Web site: He Went Down the Manson Rabbit Hole and Barely Escaped . Canfield . Kevin . August 4, 2019 . . April 18, 2020.
  10. Web site: Nonfiction Book Review: Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O'Neill with Dan Piepenbring . March 18, 2019 . . April 18, 2020.
  11. Web site: Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O'Neill with Dan Piepenbring – review . Conrad . Peter . Peter Conrad (academic) . July 7, 2019 . . April 18, 2020.
  12. Web site: What really happened in the Manson murders? 'Chaos' casts doubt on Helter Skelter theory . Phillips . Stephen . July 12, 2019 . . April 18, 2020.
  13. Everts. Bart. May 1, 2019. CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA and the Secret History of the Sixties. Library Journal. July 25, 2024.
  14. News: A 20-year search for the truth behind the Manson Family murders . King . Greg . Greg King (author) . August 1, 2019 . . April 18, 2020.
  15. Web site: Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O'Neill with Dan Piepenbring . April 23, 2019 . . April 18, 2020.
  16. News: Allen-Mills . Tony . June 30, 2019 . Charles Manson, the CIA and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O'Neill with Dan Piepenbring — revisiting a notorious murder mystery . . August 26, 2021 . https://archive.today/20200418232158/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/charles-manson-the-cia-and-the-secret-history-of-the-sixties-by-tom-oneill-with-dan-piepenbring-revisiting-a-notorious-murder-mystery-5rbfnl3bf . April 18, 2020.
  17. Web site: Amazon Studios Takes Film Rights to Manson-Centered Drama 'Chaos' (Exclusive) . Donnelly . Matt . July 19, 2019 . . April 18, 2020.
  18. Barber . Nicholas . December 20, 2023 . Errol Morris explains why his John le Carré documentary 'The Pigeon Tunnel' switched from a series to a feature film . July 4, 2024 . Screen International.