ACLU Hays Commission Report on the Ponce Massacre (1937)

In the aftermath of the Ponce Massacre of March 21, 1937, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) dispatched a commission of inquiry led by Arthur Garfield Hays, a prominent civil liberties attorney who had previously served as counsel in the Scopes Trial.

The Hays Commission conducted extensive interviews with witnesses, survivors, police officers, and government officials. Its report concluded unequivocally that the event was a massacre, not a confrontation:

"The facts show that the weight of the evidence is that this was a massacre. The marchers were fired upon without provocation and without warning."

Key findings:
- The march was peaceful and unarmed
- Governor Blanton Winship revoked the march permit at the last minute as a deliberate provocation
- Police surrounded the marchers and opened fire from multiple directions
- There was no warning given before the shooting began
- 19 people were killed and over 200 wounded
- The police officers acted under orders

The report recommended that Governor Winship be removed from office and that the responsible officers be prosecuted. Neither recommendation was implemented. Winship remained as governor until 1939, when he was replaced for political reasons unrelated to the massacre.