War
Against All Puerto Ricans by Nelson Denis, 2015, Excerpts
On December 11, 1947, he
boarded the SS Kathryn and returned to Puerto Rico. From the moment Albizu set
foot in San Juan, Hoover became obsessed with following and recording his every
movement. Thousands of Puerto Ricans and dozens of FBI agents met Albizu at the
dock. They packed into San Juan cathedral and followed him in a heaving mass to
Sixto Excobar Stadium, where he would address a standing-room only crowd of
14,000. Albizu began his speech: “My name is Pedro Albizu Campos. You are my
people. And this is our island.” A roar filled the stadium, For over an hour,
he thundered about independence. Every newspaper on the island reported
Albizu’s dramatic return.
Juan Emilio Viguie filmed
Albizu’s return on the SS Kathryn, the tumultuous crowds, the march down Calle
San Augustin, the flags, the motorcades, the speech to 14,000 supporters at
Sixto Escobar Stadium. He made a short newsreel of it, Recibermiento a Don Pedro (Reception of Don Pedro).
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