We’re all familiar with the assassination attempts that succeeded. Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Kennedy. And most are familiar with the attempt on Reagan’s life. And the two attempts on Ford’s life. Less know about the Andrew Jackson incident. All were by people who were lacking in sanity. But there was an attempt that was done by two sane, but suicidal political activists.
The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was created in the 1930s, led by Albizu Campos. He preached a violent revolution to get the island its independence. He was arrested and sentenced to six years in a New York prison for attempting the overthrow of the government. When he returned to Puerto Rico in 1947, he attempted to revive the movement. This was despite the fact that most Puerto Ricans supported the political party that favored the idea of a Free Associated State.. On Oct. 30, 1950, the rebels seized the town of Jayuya (the home town of the two assassins), but the National Guard put down the rebellion. The town was badly damaged.
Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo decided that the assassination of the President would help their cause and exact revenge for their home town. Their plan benefited from the fact that because the White House was being renovated, Truman was living at Blair House (the Vice President’s residence). On Nov. 1, 1950, Torresola and Collazo approached the building from opposite sides. Each was armed with a pistol, but only Torresola was competent in its use. Truman was upstairs taking a nap. Collazo walked up behind Secret Service agent Donald Birdzell, intending to shoot him in the back, but he had failed to chamber a round. Birdzell heard the click and turned. Collazo finally got the gun ready and shot Birdzell in the knee. Agent Vincent Mroz heard the shot and raced outside. He shot Collazo in the chest. Agents Floyd Boring and Joseph Davidson shot at him through the fence. Birdzell returned fire from the ground. It has been described as the biggest gunfight in Secret Service history. Collazo was hit in the scalp and chest. He sat down to reload.
Meanwhile, Torresola approached a guard booth and shot policeman Leslie Coffelt several times. He also wounded Officer Joseph Downs several times, but he managed to crawl to the back door to lock it. Torresola went to aid Collazo and shot Birdzell from behind in his other knee. At this point, Collazo collapsed due to his wounds. Truman, awakened by the gunfire, looked out the window, but Torresola did not notice him. Coffelt shot Torresola dead and then lost consciousness. He died a few hours later at the hospital. Collazo was captured and sentenced to death. In 1952, Truman commuted the sentence to life imprisonment. In 1979, Pres. Carter commuted his sentence to time served and he was released.
In 1952, Truman insisted on a plebiscite to determine the wishes of the Puerto Rican people. The public voted 82% in favor of keeping the Free Associated State status.
- Amazing 148-149
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attempted_assassination_of_Harry_S._Truman
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