THE TRUMAN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT IN THE AMERICAN CONSCIOUSNESS

Smith Jr, Kenneth R. (2003) THE TRUMAN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT IN THE AMERICAN CONSCIOUSNESS . Master's Thesis, Department of History, Central Connecticut State University.

Abstract

In the annals of United States history the attempted assassination of President Harry S. Truman by two Puerto Rican Nationalists is by most measures a relatively small event, but at the time this incident took place it was indeed a major news event. Even in considering the emotions involved, when viewed at the moment of its occurrence, it could never be said that any attempt on the life of a United States President should be considered a minor incident. Still, it is equally true that the impact this incident had on the United States is considered by those not involved, as negligible. Obviously, if the chief executive had been killed, it would have been a far more significant event. Had the president been killed, it would have had a much greater impact on both the history of the United States and the citizens of Puerto Rico. From a historical perspective when it comes to presidential assassinations however, a near miss is as good as a mile. Still, the impact that this apparent attempt on the president’s life had on a small number ‘reluctant citizens,’ who were Puerto Rican and who would have preferred, if given the choice, to be citizens of a free and independent Puerto Rico, had, and continues to have, long reaching and mostly negative consequences. This thesis presents the facts of this case as they were reported in the North American press and as they were recorded in the transcripts of the subsequent trial of the one surviving so called “assassin.” This study surveys the trial of Oscar Collazo, the surviving partner of the assassination team that attacked Blair House, how the case against the alleged assassins was presented in the press and what effects that coverage had on the Nationlist movement in Puerto Rico and in the United States. Because of its significance to these important events, this work also examines the history of the Nationalist movement as it was presented in a frequently prejudiced United States press. These biased views are contrasted with other more balanced sources, both primary and secondary, which focus primarily on the history of the relationship between the United States and the people of Puerto Rico. Other writings, interviews and commentaries, all with distinctive points of view also employed emphasize the point that if there is any certainty concerning these events, it is that the emotional bias expressed in the media played a significant role in the final determination of the fate of the alleged assailants and the history of the nationalist movement in the island of Puerto Rico itself. Primarily, this paper examines the repercussions of the actions of these two most important players in the dramatic events that took place in fall of 1950, Oscar Collazo and Grisello Torresola. These two individuals were considered to be nationalists or possessed nationalist leanings with ties in both in the United States and in Puerto Rico. Although the focus here is primarily on the assassination attempt itself, it is necessary to consider the two related events that took place in the autumn of that year: The failed October revolutionary uprising on the island itself and the November assassination attempt in the nation’s capital, Washington D. C. An understanding of both these event is essential to fully comprehend the troubled history that will later follow. One reason it is impossible to separate these events is that the cast of characters were all related to one another. Almost all the players were related either by blood or by politics as activist members of the Nationalist movement. In some instances they were joined both by blood and politics. For example, Grisello Torresola’s sister and brother were both active members of the Nationalist Party, living in Puerto Rico. One must take this approach because, almost from the very beginning, the press in general and especially the print media in the major metropolitan areas, such as the New York Times and the Washington Post, connected the failed attempt on President Truman’s life and the series of events concerning the Nationalist movement on the island, that took place on the island prior to the incident in the capital. It was obvious from the start that the press, at the very least, connected the two events through the relationships of the persons involved and implied the possibility these matters were part of some larger anti United States plot that would take Puerto Rico away from the control of the United States..