Today’s feature is an analysis of the gunfight surrounding the attempt on the life of President Harry S. Truman. It’s conducted by Claude Werner.
In the afternoon of November 1, 1950, two Puerto Rican Nationalists made an assassination attempt on President Truman. It's been described as the biggest gunfight in Secret Service history. Before the assassins were able to enter Truman’s temporary residence on Pennsylvania Avenue across from the White House, their attack was stopped by the White House Police and the Secret Service.
Blair House -- Image source: Library of Congress via the White House Historical Association.
One White House Police officer, Leslie Coffelt, was mortally wounded. The assassin who had shot him, Griselio Torresola, was also killed. The other assassin, Oscar Collazo, was wounded. So were two other White House Police officers, Donald Birdzell and Joseph Downs.
While the White House was being renovated, President Truman was temporarily staying across the street in a building called Blair House. The building was not physically well protected like the White House. It was located directly on Pennsylvania Avenue with only a low iron fence partially around the perimeter. Because it had been two separate residences at one time, it had two entrances. To protect the two entrances and associated service entrances, there were two small guardhouses behind the sidewalk at the sides of the building. These were manned by White House Police officers. The officers that day were Officers Coffelt and Joseph Davidson The steps of the main entrance were guarded at all times by a plainclothes White House Police officer. The officer on that day was Officer Birdzell. Secret Service Agents Floyd Boring and Vincent Mroz moved around the perimeter. One Agent, Stewart Stout, was stationed inside with access to a Tommy Gun.
Of the two assassins, only Torresola was an experienced marksman. The other, Collazo, knew little about guns and only had been given a little dry practice with his weapon that morning. Torresola used a Luger and Collazo used a Walther P-38. Both carried two spare magazines. They had spent that morning carefully surveilling Blair House and making their plan.
The White House Police officers carried service revolvers and the Secret Service Agents carried Colt Detective Specials. All the LEOs were seasoned experienced men and were well qualified with their weapons. Four had been in combat, either in the military or in previous law enforcement roles.
From the standpoint of the participants, the gunfight consisted of several different engagements. The assassins made a two-pronged attack on both entrances. The gunfight began when assassin Collazo attempted to shoot White House Police Officer Birdzell, stationed at the base of the steps of the main entrance, in the back. Fortunately, Collazo experienced a malfunction of his weapon. Birdzell heard a click and turned to see Collazo pounding on his weapon. As Birdzell began to draw, Collazo’s P-38 fired, hitting Birdzell in the knee. Birdzell then began to create distance between himself and Collazo by limping out into Pennsylvania Avenue. As he moved, he began firing at Collazo.
Officer Davidson in the East guardhouse immediately drew his revolver and fired six rounds at Collazo but made no hits. Agent Boring, who had been in the booth calling headquarters, drew his Detective Special and fired a shot at Collazo’s head. The shot went through Collazo’s hat but only creased the top of his skull. In an interview years later, Boring said “I figured the guy had a big head; he had a little tiny head.” Agent Mroz came out of the basement door and fired one shot at Collazo. Hearing the second gunfight beginning to unfold on the other side of Blair House, he then went back into the building to respond to it. Boring took cover behind a nearby tree while Davidson began to reload.
Officer Leslie Coffelt -- Image source U.S. Secret Service / U.S. Department of Treasury via the White House Historical Association.
After assassin Collazo shot Officer Birdzell, assassin Torresola approached the West guardhouse manned by Officer Coffelt, which was directly behind the sidewalk. Torresola whirled around the side of the guardhouse into the doorway and fired four shots at Officer Coffelt. Coffelt was hit three times and mortally wounded. He sank back into his chair while drawing his revolver. Plainclothes Officer Downs was at the basement entrance behind Coffelt’s guardhouse and heard the gunfire. He turned and attempted to draw his revolver but Torresola shot him three times and disabled him.
Assassin Torresola saw that Officer Birdzell was shooting at Collazo, so he fired his last round at Birdzell, hitting him in the other knee. Having now been shot in both knees, Birdzell collapsed. Torresola proceeded to advance toward the now unguarded second entrance of the building. His Luger was out of ammunition and he began to reload.
In an amazing display of determination and heroism, mortally wounded Officer Coffelt stood up, supported himself on the side of the guardhouse, took aim, and fired one round at a range of about seven yards at Torresola. The shot hit Torresola just above the left ear. He was killed instantly and fell to the ground. Officer Coffelt collapsed after firing that fateful shot.
After Floyd Boring took cover behind the tree, he took careful aim at Collazo who was by then out of ammunition and attempting to reload. Boring fired one more shot and hit Collazo in the chest. Collazo collapsed and the gunfight was over.
When the shooting began, Agent Stout inside the building unlocked the cabinet holding the Tommy Gun, loaded it, and established a blocking position. Had Officer Coffelt not killed Torresola, the assassin would have been met by a hail of .45 caliber bullets when he opened the door. In less than a minute, approximately thirty shots had been fired and the gunfight was over.
Officer Leslie Coffelt, an incredible hero, died a few hours later in hospital. Officers Birdzell and Downs both survived their wounds. President Truman, unfazed by the assassination attempt, went to Arlington National Cemetery later that afternoon for a ceremony honoring Sir Arthur Dill. Wounded assassin Collazo was taken into custody, tried, convicted, and sentenced to Death. President Truman commuted his sentence to life imprisonment. Nearly three decades later, President Carter further commuted his sentence to time served. Assassin Torresola’s body was returned to Puerto Rico and buried.
Claude Werner is The Tactical Professor. He is a retired Army officer, former Chief Instructor of the elite Rogers Shooting School, and has been an NRA Certified Instructor in six disciplines for 35 years. His blog is https://thetacticalprofessor.net/ .
