Assassin Targets Truman: Puerto Rican Independence Tensions Explode
Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attacked Blair House on November 1, 1950, attempting to assassinate President Truman while the White House was under renovation. Torresola, an expert marksman, shot and killed Secret Service officer Leslie Coffelt before Coffelt, mortally wounded, returned fire and killed Torresola with a single shot. Collazo was wounded and captured on the front steps. Truman was upstairs napping and came to the window to see what was happening; agents shouted at him to get back. The attack was motivated by Puerto Rican independence; Torresola and Collazo wanted to draw attention to the nationalist cause. Collazo was sentenced to death, commuted to life by Truman, and freed by President Carter in 1979. He returned to Puerto Rico and lived until 1994.
November 1, 1950
76 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Puerto Rico
Wikipedia
Harry S. Truman
Wikipedia
Griselio Torresola
Wikipedia
Oscar Collazo
Wikipedia
Blair House
Wikipedia
attempt to assassinate
Wikipedia
Puerto Rico
Wikipedia
Griselio Torresola
Wikipedia
Oscar Collazo
Wikipedia
Attempted assassination of Harry S. Truman
Wikipedia
Harry S. Truman
Wikipedia
Blair House
Wikipedia
What Else Happened on November 1
Roman Emperor Valentinian I received word that the Alemanni had breached the Rhine frontier, launching a massive raid into Gaul. This breach forced the emperor …
The emperor packed up and personally moved to Paris. Not a general, not a deputy — Valentinian I himself relocated his command to a city most Romans still consi…
A single land deed buried in bureaucratic paperwork accidentally named a nation. Emperor Otto III, just sixteen years old, signed a document granting land right…
Empress Matilda surrendered her claim to the English throne after months of political deadlock, allowing Stephen of Blois to reclaim his title as King. This col…
Fifteen-year-old Philip II ascended the French throne, inheriting a kingdom largely confined to the royal domain around Paris. By centralizing administrative po…
The Seljuq Turks seized the strategic port of Sinope, securing their first direct access to the Black Sea. This conquest transformed the Sultanate of Rum into a…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.