56-518: Anastasio " Tachito " Somoza Debayle ( Spanish: [anasˈtasjo soˈmosa ðeˈβajle] ; 5 December 1925 – 17 September 1980) was the 53rd President of Nicaragua from 1967 to 1972 and again from 1974 to 1979. As head of the National Guard , he was de facto ruler of the country between 1967 and 1979, even during the period when he was not the de jure ruler. Somoza Debayle succeeded his older brother, Luis Somoza Debayle , in office. He
112-677: A campaign to crush the Sandinistas; individuals suspected of supporting the Front were targeted. The Front, named after Augusto César Sandino (a Nicaraguan rebel leader in the 1920s), began its guerrilla war against the Somozas in 1963. It received funds from the Soviet Union and Cuba under Fidel Castro . Support for the Sandinistas ballooned after the earthquake, especially when U.S. President Jimmy Carter withdrew American support for
168-521: A car crash caused by a cerebral hemorrhage in 1982, making it impossible to expand the film for an American release. After Grace's death, Rainier refused to remarry. He established the Princess Grace Foundation-USA in 1982 in her honor, to support fledging American artists. Rainier smoked sixty cigarettes a day. In the last years of his life his health progressively declined. He underwent surgery in late 1999 and 2000, and
224-544: A converted Curtiss C-46 . He took with him the caskets of his father and brother and, it is claimed, much of Nicaragua's national treasure. The country was left with $ 1.6 billion in foreign debt , the highest in Central America. After Somoza had fled, the Sandinistas found less than $ 2 million in the national treasury. Denied asylum in the U.S. by President Carter, Somoza later took refuge in Paraguay , then under
280-620: A daughter, Patricia. She was later sent to a series of schools abroad. On 10 December 1950, Somoza married Hope Portocarrero , an American citizen and his first cousin. Their wedding was held at the Cathedral in Managua and officiated by Archbishop Jose Antonio Lezcano. Over 4,000 guests attended the ceremony. The reception was given by Somoza's father, President Anastasio Somoza García, in the luxurious and modern Palacio de Comunicaciones. The couple had five children: Somoza and Hope attended
336-487: A few weeks after his brother's death. While Luis had ruled more gently than his father, Anastasio shared his father's cold intolerance of dissent. His rule soon resembled his father's in all significant respects, with harsh repression of dissent. On education Somoza in his memoirs states "My dream was to provide a University equal to any in the world so that those young men and women with special qualifications could achieve educational equivalency with any student in any part of
392-635: A leftist Nicaraguan priest who preached liberation theology and was later appointed as the Sandinista government's Minister of Culture). By the late 1970s, human rights groups were condemning the record of the Somoza government. Support for the Sandinistas was growing inside and outside the country. In July 1977, Somoza had a heart attack, and went to the US to recuperate. In 1975 Somoza Debayle launched
448-520: A plane into his bunker, though Somoza himself never appears in the book. American comedian Stephen Colbert 's mother briefly dated him. Colbert still has his pants in his house, as mentioned in the podcast Strike Force Five . President of Nicaragua The president of Nicaragua ( Spanish : presidente de Nicaragua ), officially known as the president of the Republic of Nicaragua ( Spanish : Presidente de la República de Nicaragua ),
504-711: A postal museum in 1950: the Museum of Stamps and Coins , in Monaco's Fontvieille district by using the collections of the Monegasque princes Albert I and Louis II . The prestigious philatelic collectors organization, Club de Monte-Carlo de l'Élite de la Philatélie, was established in 1999 under his direct patronage. The club is headquartered at the postal museum, and its membership restricted to institutions and one hundred prestigious collectors. Rainier organized exhibitions of rare and exceptional postage stamps and letters with
560-478: A ten-year relationship with the French film actress Gisèle Pascal , whom he had met while a student at Montpellier University, and the couple lived at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Rainier's sister, Princess Antoinette , wishing her own son to ascend the throne, spread rumors that Pascal was infertile. The rumours combined with a snobbery over Pascal's family origins ultimately ended the relationship. Rainier established
616-499: Is the head of state and head of government of Nicaragua . The office was created in the Constitution of 1854. From 1825 until the Constitution of 1839, the head of state of Nicaragua was styled simply as Head of State ( Jefe de Estado ), and from 1839 to 1854 as Supreme Director ( Supremo Director ). The incumbent president, Daniel Ortega , has served as president since 2007. The Supreme Court of Nicaragua ruled that
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#1732787257940672-671: The Carter administration for his downfall. His son, Anastasio Somoza Portocarrero , went into exile in Guatemala . Brian Latell, a former US National Intelligence Officer for Latin America and Cuba, argues in his book, After Fidel , that the plan to assassinate Somoza was devised in Havana, with direct input from Fidel Castro . According to him, the Sandinistas had won power in July 1979 with
728-527: The National Guard (Nicaragua's national army), by his father. The president had also appointed numerous family members and close personal friends to other important posts in his government. As commander of the Guard, the young Somoza was head of the nation's armed forces, effectively the second-most powerful man in Nicaragua. Two years after his return from West Point, Somoza Debayle had an affair and fathered
784-558: The Societé Monégasque de Banques et de Métaux Précieux , a bank which held a significant amount of Monaco's capital, was bankrupted by its investments in a media company in 1955, leading to the resignation of Monaco's cabinet. In 1962, Rainier ratified the Principality's new constitution, which significantly reduced the power of the sovereign. He had suspended the previous constitution in 1959, saying that it "has hindered
840-558: The Brazilian newspaper Gazeta Mercantil estimated that the Somoza family's fortune amounted to between $ 2 billion and $ 4 billion with its head, Anastasio Somoza Debayle, owning $ 1 billion. At the time he fled the country, he reportedly personally controlled 22 percent of the agricultural land of Nicaragua. Somoza was the subject of the 1983 film Last Plane Out , in which he was portrayed by actor Lloyd Battista . The film chronicles journalist Jack Cox's journey to Nicaragua, when Somoza
896-712: The French Croix de Guerre with bronze star (representing a brigade level citation) and was given the rank of Legion of Honor in 1947. Following his decommission from the French Army , he was promoted by the French government as a captain in April 1949 and a colonel in December 1954. Rainier became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco upon the death of his maternal grandfather, Prince Louis II, on 9 May 1949, at
952-527: The Israeli regime to call back a ship carrying weapons vital to the survival of the Somoza regime. Because of Somoza's status, most of his family members were forced to flee into Honduras , Guatemala , and the United States. It is uncertain where the surviving Somozas live; they changed their names to protect their own lives. On July 17, 1979, Somoza resigned from the presidency and fled to Miami in
1008-532: The National Cathedral. Somoza also allegedly exported freshly imported emergency blood plasma abroad at the time of the earthquake, when most medical supplies in Nicaragua were desperately in short supply. Somoza was re-elected president in the 1974 election. By this time, the Catholic Church had begun to speak out against his government (one of his fiercest critics was Ernesto Cardenal ,
1064-650: The Palace announced that Rainier's doctors believed his chances of recovery were "slim". On 6 April, Prince Rainier III died at the Cardiothoracic Centre of Monaco at 6:35 am local time at the age of 81. His son subsequently became the new Prince of Monaco as Albert II. His funeral was held on 15 April 2005 beside his wife, Princess Grace, at the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate , the traditional burial place of princes and princesses of Monaco, and
1120-698: The Palace on 18 April, with the religious wedding being held on 19 April at the Saint Nicholas Cathedral . Rainier wore a military dress of his own design, based on the uniforms of Napoleon Bonaparte . Presided over by Bishop Gilles Barthe, the marriage was broadcast by MGM Studios, and viewed by over 30 million people across the globe. The couple honeymooned in the Mediterranean on their yacht, Deo Juvante II . Princess Grace gave birth to their first child, Princess Caroline , on 23 January 1957. Their second child and heir, Prince Albert ,
1176-482: The Palace scheduled to support her trip to the Cannes Film Festival . After a year-long courtship described as containing "a good deal of rational appraisal on both sides," Prince Rainier married Kelly in 1956. The union was met with mass attention from the public, and was described as the "wedding of the century" and the "world's most anticipated wedding" by the media. The civil ceremony took place at
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#17327872579401232-441: The United States and Europe. According to El Diario Nuevo and La Prensa , "Every morning the homeless, drunks, and poor people went to sell half a liter of blood for 35 (Nicaraguan) cordobas . On 23 December 1972, an earthquake struck the nation's capital, Managua , killing about 5,000 people and virtually destroying the city. The government declared martial law , and Somoza took over de jure as well as de facto control of
1288-568: The administrative and political life of the country". The changes ended autocratic rule, placing power with both the Prince and a National Council of eighteen elected members. At the time of his death, he was the world's second longest-serving living head of state , just below the King of Thailand , Bhumibol Adulyadej , and the longest-reigning monarch in Europe. In the 1940s and 1950s, Rainier had
1344-589: The age of 25. After ascending the throne, Rainier III worked to recoup Monaco's lustre, which had become tarnished through financial neglect and scandal (his mother, Princess Charlotte, took a noted jewel thief known as René the Cane as her lover). Upon ascension, the Prince found a treasury that was practically empty. Monaco's traditional gambling clientele, largely European aristocrats, found themselves with reduced funds after World War II. Other successful gambling centres had opened to compete with Monaco. To compensate for
1400-452: The age of ten, Tachito was educated in the United States. During this period, their father became president of Nicaragua, and served from 1937 to 1947, and again from 1950 into 1956. He and older brother Luis Somoza Debayle both attended St. Leo College Prep (Florida) and La Salle Military Academy on Long Island. Somoza attended La Salle with Lt. Andrew Edward Tuck III, uncle of American television host Stephen Colbert , and would stay at
1456-489: The assistance of massive, covert Cuban military aid. Fidel and his brother Raúl Castro purportedly developed a complex, multinational covert action to provide the Sandinistas with huge quantities of modern armaments. Latell claims Cuban intelligence and paramilitary advisors poured into Nicaragua along with the equipment. He says the evidence indicated that Somoza's assassination was similar to other such operations in which Cuban intelligence had been involved. He says that Somoza
1512-552: The club's members. Throughout his reign, Rainier surveyed all the process of creation of Monaco stamps. He preferred stamps printed in intaglio and the art of engravers Henri Cheffer and Czesław Słania . Rainier's car collection was opened to the public as the Monaco Top Cars Collection in Fontvieille. The Prince met Academy Award –winning actress Grace Kelly in 1955, during a photocall at
1568-481: The commando team had considered the possibility that Somoza's vehicle might be equipped with armor panels in front. Worried that it could deflect the rocket projectile, they chose to make a lateral attack on the vehicle. Somoza was killed instantly and burned, along with his new driver, César Gallardo, and Somoza's financial advisor, Colombian citizen Jou Baittiner. Later media reports in Paraguay said that Somoza's body
1624-569: The constitutional ban on immediate reelection was unenforceable. In 2014, the legislature amended the constitution to allow the President to run for an unlimited number of five-year terms. Rainier III, Prince of Monaco Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years. Rainier
1680-430: The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Following their father's assassination on 21 September 1956, Somoza's elder brother, Luis , took over the presidency. Anastasio also had a large hand in the government during this time; he helped ensure that the presidency was held by politicians loyal to his family from 1963 to 1967. Anastasio was elected president in his own right on 5 February 1967 and took office on 1 May,
1736-736: The country as head of the National Emergency Committee. He reportedly embezzled a large amount of money from funds sent to Nicaragua from around the world to help rebuild Managua. These reports were debunked by the U.S. House subcommittee on International Development March 9, 1978, stating "Since the 1972 earthquake, 28 major audits, two separate congressional staff surveys, and a General Accounting Office report on reconstruction activities have been completed. We are pleased to note that no diversion or misuse of official U.S. assistance has been revealed by these reports." Some parts of Managua have yet to be rebuilt or restored, including
Anastasio Somoza Debayle - Misplaced Pages Continue
1792-629: The day before his 21st birthday, Rainier's mother renounced her right to the Monegasque throne and Rainier became Prince Louis's direct heir. In World War II , Rainier joined the Free French Army in September 1944, and served under General Joseph de Goislard de Monsabert as a second lieutenant . As soldier, he witnessed action during the German counter-offensive in Alsace . Rainier received
1848-517: The estate and signaled when he was leaving at 10:10 am. Once in position, Hugo Irurzún ( Capitán Santiago ) readied the RPG-7. He tried to fire an anti-tank rocket at the car, but the RPG-7 misfired. Ramon shot the chauffeur while Irurzún quickly reloaded the RPG with a new rocket. The second rocket directly hit the sedan. Accounts said that the car's engine kept running after the rocket explosion. Previously,
1904-466: The estate. The commando team also utilized disinformation tactics to gain access into important residencies under the guise of a famous name, that being Julio Iglesias . They waited in ambush for Somoza in Avenida España. Somoza was often driven about the city in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan, which was believed to be unarmored. Team member Oswaldo, disguised as a paper boy, watched Somoza exit
1960-553: The family home in Larchmont during the holidays instead of returning to Nicaragua. This led to Somoza going on several dates with Andrew Edward's sister and Colbert's mother, Lorna. Somoza Debayle passed the examination for West Point, entered the United States Military Academy on July 3, 1943, and graduated on June 6, 1946. After his return to Nicaragua, Somoza Debayle was appointed chief of staff of
2016-682: The left-wing governments of Nicaragua, led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front , and Cuba, led by the Communist Party of Cuba . But some commentators noted that the exiles in Miami were also relieved at Somoza's death. The newly founded Contra army, which consisted of many ex-members of Somoza's National Guard, would have had to give the impression of having no relation to the old Somoza regime, for purposes of public relations and world opinion. In 1979,
2072-621: The loss of income, Rainier decided to promote Monaco as a tax haven , commercial centre, real-estate development opportunity, and international tourist attraction. The early years of his reign saw the overweening involvement of the Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis , who took control of the Société des Bains de Mer and envisioned Monaco as solely a gambling resort. Prince Rainier regained control of SBM in 1964, effectively ensuring that his vision of Monaco would be implemented. During his reign,
2128-579: The opposition Conservative while he retained control of the National Guard . Somoza and his triumvirate drew up a new constitution that was ratified by the triumvirate and the cabinet on April 3, 1971. He stepped down as president on May 1, 1972. However, as head of the National Guard, he remained the de facto ruler of the country. Anastasio Somoza and his son were both part owners of Plasmaferesis. The company collected blood plasma from up to 1,000 of Nicaragua's poorest persons every day for sale in
2184-478: The powers of sovereign rule. Rainier married American film star Grace Kelly in 1956, which generated global media attention. They had three children: Caroline , Albert and Stéphanie . Rainier died in April 2005 from complications relating to a lung infection as a result of frequent smoking; he was succeeded by his son, Albert II. Rainier was born at Prince's Palace in Monaco, the first native-born prince since Honoré IV in 1758. Rainier's mother, Charlotte,
2240-544: The regime for human rights reasons, including the televised murder of American journalist Bill Stewart by government soldiers. At this point, the opposition to the Somozas included not only Sandinistas, but other prominent figures such as publisher Pedro Chamorro (assassinated on January 10, 1978). Israel was the last nation to supply weapons to the Somoza regime. During the 1947–1949 Palestine war when Israel expelled 700,000 Palestinians, Somoza's father provided substantial financial support to Israel. President Carter forced
2296-596: The rule of Alfredo Stroessner . He bought a ranch and a gated house at Avenida España no. 433 in Asunción , the capital. The president of the Nicaraguan Chamber of Deputies, Francisco Urcuyo , took over as acting president, but lasted only a day before peacefully handing Managua to the Sandinistas. Little more than a year later, Somoza was shot dead in Asunción on September 17, 1980. He was 54 years old. He
Anastasio Somoza Debayle - Misplaced Pages Continue
2352-462: The team members said: "We cannot tolerate the existence of millionaire playboys while thousands of Latin Americans are dying of hunger. We are perfectly willing to give up our lives for this cause." The Sandinista team had researched and planned their assault over a time period of more than six months. The team studied Somoza's movements via a team member who was staked out at a newspaper kiosk near
2408-577: The world". In 1968, Prince Rainier III bestowed Somoza with the Order of St. Charles , Monaco's highest honor. He was due to leave office in May 1972; at the time, Nicaraguan presidents were barred from immediate re-election. However, prior to that, Somoza worked out an agreement that allowed him to stand for re-election in 1974 . He would be replaced as president by a three-man junta consisting of two members of his Nationalist Liberal Party and one member from
2464-649: Was a long-time nemesis of Castro after having provided critical support to the U.S. in preparing for the Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba in April 1961. Jorge Masetti, a former Argentine guerrilla working with Cuban intelligence services, describes the Somoza assassination and also asserts that Cuba had a direct role in planning it in his memoir, In the Pirate's Den (2002). Somoza's funeral attracted numerous wealthy Nicaraguan and Cuban exiles in South Florida, who protested
2520-484: Was ambushed by a seven-strong Sandinista commando team (four men and three women). The action was known as "Operation Reptile". The Sandinista team were armed with two Soviet-made machine guns, two AK-47 assault rifles, two automatic pistols, and an RPG-7 rocket launcher, with four anti-tank grenades and two rockets. The leader was Argentinian Marxist revolutionary Enrique Gorriarán Merlo (code named "Ramon"), an ex- Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo member. One of
2576-515: Was battling insurgents. The same year, he was depicted in Under Fire , set during the 1979 Nicaraguan Revolution , this time portrayed by actor René Enriquez . In Warren Beatty 's Rules Don't Apply , Somoza is portrayed by Julio Oscar Mechoso . In Graham Greene 's novel The Captain and the Enemy , the titular character's final act is a failed attempt at assassinating Somoza by crashing
2632-458: Was born at the Prince's Palace of Monaco , the only son of Hereditary Princess Charlotte and Prince Pierre . During his reign, he was responsible for the transformation of Monaco's economy, shifting from its traditional casino gambling base to its current status as a tax haven and cultural destination. The Prince also coordinated the substantial reforms of Monaco's constitution , which limited
2688-551: Was born in 1925 as the third child of Anastasio Somoza García and Salvadora Debayle . At the age of seven, he was enrolled at the Instituto Pedagógico La Salle, run by the Christian Brothers . One of his classmates was Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal , who later became a journalist and publisher of La Prensa newspaper and one of the most prominent opponents of the Somoza dynasty. From
2744-563: Was born on 14 March 1958. Their youngest, Princess Stéphanie , was born 1 February 1965, with all children having been delivered at the Palace. In 1979, the Prince made his acting debut alongside the Princess in a half-hour independent film, Rearranged , produced in Monaco. After its premiere in Monaco, Princess Grace showed it to ABC TV executives in New York in 1982, who expressed interest if extra scenes were shot. However, Grace died in
2800-897: Was conducted in England, at the public schools of Summerfields in St Leonards-on-Sea , Sussex, and after 1935 at Stowe School , in Buckinghamshire. Rainier then attended the Institut Le Rosey in Rolle and Gstaad , Switzerland from 1939, before continuing to the University of Montpellier in France, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1943, before studying at Sciences Po Paris in Paris. In 1944,
2856-584: Was continuing to deteriorate; however, on 27 March, he was reported to be conscious, his heart and kidney conditions having stabilized. His prognosis remained "very reserved". On 31 March 2005, following consultation with the Crown Council of Monaco , the Palais Princier announced that Hereditary Prince Albert would take over the duties of his father as regent since Rainier was no longer able to exercise his princely functions. On 1 April 2005,
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#17327872579402912-401: Was fine, though he was suffering from bronchitis . On 7 March 2005, he was again hospitalized for a lung infection. On 22 March, he was then moved to the hospital's intensive care unit. The following day, it was announced he was on a ventilator , suffering from renal and heart failure. On 26 March, the palace reported that despite intensive ongoing efforts to improve the prince's health, he
2968-542: Was hospitalized in November 2002 for a chest infection. He spent three weeks in hospital in January 2004 for what was described as general fatigue. In February 2004, he was hospitalized with a coronary lesion and a damaged blood vessel. In October of that year, he was again in hospital with a lung infection. His son, Hereditary Prince Albert, later appeared on CNN 's Larry King Live and told Larry King that his father
3024-430: Was so unrecognizable that forensics had to identify him through his feet. Of the seven assassins, six escaped. Iruzun was killed in a shootout with Paraguayan police the day after the assassination. Somoza was buried in Miami, at Woodlawn Park Cemetery and Mausoleum . (His father, Somoza Garcia, was buried in Nicaragua.) A few months before Somoza's murder, his memoirs, Nicaragua Betrayed , were published. He blamed
3080-605: Was the last member of the Somoza family to be president, ending a dynasty that had been in power since 1937. After insurgents led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (Spanish: Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional ; FSLN) were closing in on Managua in July 1979, Somoza fled Nicaragua. Power was ceded to the Junta of National Reconstruction . He was assassinated in 1980 while in exile in Paraguay . Somoza Debayle, nicknamed "Tachito" (Spanish: Little Tacho ) by his father,
3136-529: Was the only child of Louis II, Prince of Monaco , and his lover, Marie Juliette Louvet ; she was legitimised through formal adoption and subsequently named heiress presumptive to the throne of Monaco. Rainier's father, Count Pierre of Polignac , who was half- French and half- Mexican , adopted his wife's dynasty, Grimaldi, upon marriage and was made a Prince of Monaco by his father-in-law. Rainier had an older sister, Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy . His parents divorced in 1933. Rainier's early education
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