J. Bowyer Bell

John Bowyer Bell (November 15, 1931 – August 23, 2003) was an American historian, artist and art critic. He was best known as a terrorism expert.

Background and early life Bell was born into an Episcopal family in 1931 in New York City. The family later moved to Alabama, from where Bell attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, majoring in history. He also studied art, and discovered he had "total visual memory"—the equivalent of perfect pitch in a singer. He considered becoming a professional artist and made frequent visits to New York to visit other artists, including his hero Franz Kline, but committed to academia. As well as releasing updated versions of The Secret Army, Bell continued to write about other aspects of the conflicts in Ireland and the Middle East. His paintings continue to be exhibited since his death.