The Hays Commission Report on the Ponce Massacre (1937)

In the aftermath of the Ponce Massacre of March 21, 1937 — in which police opened fire on a peaceful Nationalist march, killing 19 people and wounding over 200 — the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sent a commission of inquiry led by Arthur Garfield Hays (a prominent civil liberties attorney) to investigate.

The Hays Commission Findings:
The commission's report was damning:
1. The march was peaceful: The Nationalists had organized a lawful, peaceful march that was subsequently banned by the colonial governor — but the marchers proceeded peacefully
2. Police initiated the violence: The police opened fire on the unarmed marchers without provocation
3. Massacre, not confrontation: The commission used the term 'massacre' — rejecting the police characterization of the events as a confrontation
4. No warning: Police gave no adequate warning before opening fire
5. Continuing fire: Police continued firing on fleeing civilians — shooting people in the back as they ran
6. Cross-fire: The positioning of police on multiple sides of the march meant that police bullets struck both marchers and bystanders
7. Governor's responsibility: The commission held Governor Blanton Winship (a U.S.-appointed colonial governor) responsible for creating the conditions that led to the massacre

The Report's Impact:
- The Hays Commission report provided international documentation of colonial violence
- It contradicted the official police and government version of events
- Despite the report's findings, no police officer was convicted for the killings
- Governor Winship was eventually recalled — but not specifically for the massacre
- The report remains one of the most important documentary records of U.S. colonial violence in Puerto Rico

The Report's Conclusion:
The commission concluded that the events in Ponce constituted a 'massacre' committed by police acting under orders of the colonial government. It drew parallels to British colonial violence in India — placing the Ponce Massacre in the context of imperial repression worldwide.

Historical Significance:
The Hays Commission report is significant because:
- It was produced by an independent, mainland U.S. civil liberties organization — lending credibility that a colonial investigation would not have had
- It documented the events while witnesses were still available
- It established a factual record that contradicted colonial propaganda
- It demonstrated that some Americans were willing to confront their own government's colonial violence