On November 1, 1950, two Puerto Rican nationalists, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola, attempted to assassinate President Harry S. Truman at Blair House in Washington, D.C. Truman was living there while the White House was under renovation. The attackers approached the residence and opened fire on police and Secret Service officers guarding the building. A gun battle followed in which Torresola and White House Police Officer Leslie Coffelt were killed, and several others were wounded. Truman, inside at the time, was unharmed but heard the shots. The attack drew attention to Puerto Rican independence movements and led to tighter presidential security practices.
