DeLillo has stated that Libra is not a nonfiction novel due to its inclusion of fictional characters and speculative plot elements.[1] Nevertheless, the broad outline of Oswald's life, including his teenage years in New York City, his military service, his use of the alias "Hidell",[2] and his defection to the Soviet Union are all historically accurate. Both the Warren Commission and the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations implicated Oswald in the attempted assassination of General Walker.[2][3] Many other characters in the novel, including FBI agent Guy Banister, Oswald's friend George de Mohrenschildt, and his wife Marina were real people. In an author's note at the close of the book, DeLillo writes that he has "made no attempt to furnish factual answers to any questions raised by the assassination."[1]
The Warren Commission found that Oswald acted alone, while the House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded that Kennedy's assassination was likely the result of a conspiracy.
