Media & Press
Press Kit
Everything you need to cover the story — book assets, talking points, interview angles, and direct contact with the author.
The Book at a Glance
For Interviews & Articles
Key Talking Points
For interviews, articles, and podcast episodes
The official story has a fatal flaw
Every account of the Lincoln assassination places John Wilkes Booth as the lone gunman. But Booth was one of the most famous faces in America — a celebrated actor who performed at Ford's Theatre regularly. Paul Mellen's research asks the question no one has asked: why would a professional conspiracy use its most recognizable member as the triggerman?
John Surratt was a trained intelligence operative
John Surratt was not a celebrity. He was a Confederate spy and Union double agent — a man trained to move invisibly, carry out operations, and disappear. Mellen's archival research places him inside Ford's Theatre on the night of April 14, 1865, directly contradicting the official account that he was in Elmira, New York.
The escape route tells the story
After the assassination, Surratt fled to Canada, then England, then Rome — where he enlisted in the Papal Zouaves under a false name. He was not arrested until November 1866, eighteen months after the assassination. When he was finally tried in 1867, the jury deadlocked. He was never retried. He lived until 1916.
His mother was hanged while he escaped
Mary Surratt was convicted by a military tribunal and hanged on July 7, 1865 — the first woman executed by the U.S. federal government. The evidence against her was largely circumstantial. Her son John, whom Mellen identifies as the actual shooter, was never convicted. Three of the four judges who convicted her signed a clemency petition.
The Vatican connection is documented
Surratt's flight to Rome and his enlistment in the Papal Zouaves was not coincidental. Mellen's research traces the network of Catholic clergy and Confederate sympathizers who sheltered Surratt from Canada to Europe — a network that had operated throughout the Civil War as a Confederate intelligence corridor.
Primary sources, not speculation
Mellen's conclusions are drawn from primary source documents: National Archives records, Canadian government files, British intelligence documents, and Vatican archives. This is not conspiracy theory — it is archival research that challenges the official narrative on evidentiary grounds.
Podcast & Documentary
Interview & Episode Angles
Proven topics for history podcasts, true crime shows, and documentary features
Who really pulled the trigger at Ford's Theatre?
The Confederate spy who got away with murder
Mary Surratt: executed while the real killer escaped
The Vatican, the Papal Zouaves, and the Lincoln assassination
Why the official Lincoln assassination story doesn't add up
The 1867 trial that should have convicted Lincoln's killer
Paul Mellen is an investigative historian and author whose archival research into the Lincoln assassination draws on primary source documents from the National Archives, Canadian government records, British intelligence files, and Vatican archives. His work has been featured on Fox Nation and Fox & Friends.
Paul Mellen spent years tracing the documentary evidence trail of the Lincoln assassination — not through secondary sources or popular histories, but through the primary source records that most researchers never consult. His investigation took him through the National Archives in Washington D.C., Canadian government archives in Ottawa, British intelligence files, and Vatican records. The result is a fully illustrated book that challenges the official account of who fired the fatal shot at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865. Mellen's research has been featured on Fox Nation in a dedicated documentary and on Fox & Friends. He is available for interviews, podcast appearances, and speaking engagements.
Editorial Use
Media Assets
Available for editorial use with attribution
Book cover (high-res)
AvailableFront cover of 'Who Really Shot Abraham Lincoln?' — suitable for print and digital editorial use
Author photo
On requestPaul Mellen author photograph — contact us to request
Fox Nation documentary trailer
AvailableYouTube trailer — embeddable, no permission required
Fox & Friends interview clip
AvailableFox News video — link available on request
Book Cover — Editorial Use
The book cover image is available for editorial use in articles, blog posts, podcast show notes, and documentary features. Attribution required: "Who Really Shot Abraham Lincoln? by Paul Mellen". Contact us for a high-resolution file.
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Get in Touch
Contact for Press & Media
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The Book Behind the Story
Paul Mellen's fully illustrated investigation — as featured on Fox Nation and Fox & Friends. Available now.
ISBN 978-0-578-93580-5 · Available on eBay