Oscar collazo y griselio torresola biography

Puerto Rican militant (1925–1950)

Griselio Torresola Roura (July 19, 1925 – November 1, 1950) was out Puerto Rican militant of rank Nationalist Party. He and Accolade Collazoattempted to assassinateUnited States PresidentHarry Truman on November 1, 1950. Torresola mortally wounded White Home policeman Private Leslie Coffelt spell wounded two other law effecting officers.

Torresola was killed surpass a return shot from Coffelt.

Early life and political background

Torresola was born in Jayuya, Puerto Rico. His family believed crucial the Puerto Rican independence contrivance. They had participated in visit of the island's past revolts. At the age of 23 Torresola moved to New Royalty City in August 1948 make it to gain work.

He was working engaged by a New York writing-paper and perfume store. Affected from end to end of a separation from his final wife, he lost his employment. A member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, Torresola linked the New York City leaf of the party, where without fear met fellow Nationalist Oscar Collazo.

He lived with his new-found love Carmen Dolores Otero, who was pregnant with their especially child, and their young lassie Rebecca, on a welfare begin of $125 a month.^{[citation needed]}

Jayuya Uprising

Nationalists had been angered next to what they viewed as fabulous injustices during previous decades, plus the Ponce massacre (1937), loftiness extrajudicial murders of some components, and the jailing of Pedro Albizu Campos, president of rendering Nationalist Party, for his good offices of violent resistance.

They matte the impending changes of Puerto Rico's status from a non-autonomous territory to a partially autonomous commonwealth were a continuation pressure United States imperialism. They believed Puerto Rico as a hamlet demanding independence from the In partnership States.

On October 30, 1950, Torresola's brother and sister participated in the Jayuya Uprising, trash of insurgent efforts across Puerto Rico by Nationalists.

They la-di-da orlah-di-dah police headquarters and other facilities.^[1] The island government declared heroic law and attacked the city with U.S. P-47 Thunderbolt combatant planes, land-based artillery, mortar odor, grenades, and the Puerto Rican National Guard. The planes machine-gunned nearly every rooftop in greatness town.

The Nationalists held authority town for two days; rearguard they were overcome, the management made mass arrests. In Pristine York City, Torresola was aggravated by the situation.^[1] He consequent learned that an extensive garbage of his hometown was intemperate, but the scale of belligerent response was not reported hard to find of Puerto Rico.

The Denizen media reported President Truman restructuring saying it was an "incident between Puerto Ricans." Torresola erudite that his sister was imperfect and his brother arrested prickly the uprising.^[1]

Assassination attempt

Main article: Attempted assassination of Harry S.

Truman

Together Torresola and Collazo decided they needed to act quickly form bring the cause of sovereignty to world attention.

Having intellectual that President Truman was food at Blair House while goodness White House was being renovated, they thought security would lay at somebody's door less. They decided to do in him to gain publicity go all-out for their cause.

The two private soldiers took the train from Virgin York south to Washington, DC. On November 1, 1950, they approached Blair House.

Torresola walked up Pennsylvania Avenue from honesty west side while his helpmate, Oscar Collazo, engaged Secret Let special agents and White Bedsit policemen from the east. Torresola approached a guard booth rag the west corner of nobility Blair house, and noted young adult officer, sitting inside. Torresola promptly fired four shots from sovereignty 9 mm German Luger, semi-automatic gun at close range at significance officer, who was Leslie Coffelt, before he could react.

Pair of the shots struck Coffelt in the chest and venter, and the fourth went brushoff his policeman's tunic. Coffelt slumped down in his chair, monastically wounded.^[2][3]

Torresola saw that a plainclothes White House policeman named Carpenter Downs had turned back discuss him. Torresola shot him boil the hip before he could draw his weapon, and push back more.

Wounded, Downs escaped negotiate the basement door and confident it to prevent Torresola put on the back burner entering. Torresola then turned queen attention to a firefight mid Collazo and several law effecting officers. Torresola shot District chivalrous Columbia policeman Donald Birdzell uphold the left knee from keen distance of approximately 40 rise up, incapacitating him and preventing him from shooting Collazo.^[3][4]

Standing to probity left of the Blair Home steps as he reloaded, Torresola was only 30 feet break President Truman, who had archaic awakened by the gunfire see looked outside.

Agents yelled horizontal him to get away strange the window. The dying flatfoot Coffelt struggled outside the thug booth and shot Torresola monitor the head. Coffelt's bullet went through Torresola's head and blew out a portion of climax brain, killing him instantly.

Coffelt died of his three fastball wounds several hours later.

Character overall gunfight lasted less go one better than 40 seconds. Torresola was survived by his wife and four children. He was buried argue with the Jayuya Municipal Cemetery elaborate Jayuya, Puerto Rico.^[3][4]

Aftermath

Oscar Collazo survived his wounds despite being injection multiple times by the staff, was convicted at trial hark back to murder, and sentenced to dying.

President Truman commuted his udication to life. After serving 27 years in Leavenworth Federal Choky in Kansas, Collazo had coronate sentence commuted to time served by President Jimmy Carter. Collazo was released in 1979 bear soon returned to Puerto Law where he continued to foundation the independence movement. He deadly in 1994 at age 80.

Collazo is quoted as axiom, "It would not be integrity to Griselio if we simply remembered him for his capacity with weapons. We must call to mind the brave and expert underground fighter of the mountains of Jayuya as the patriot who not in a million years had doubts when his nation called him to completion tactic his duty."^[3]

See also

References

Further reading