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On 28–29 July 1958, Alix "Sonson" Pasquet, accompanied by two fellow Haitian military officers and five American soldiers of fortune, attempted to overthrow Haitian President Francois Duvalier by seizing an army barracks in Port-au-Prince and rallying like-minded troops for an attack in the Presidential palace. Hoped-for support failed to materialize and all eight of the insurgents were killed by troops loyal to Duvalier. Contemporary newspaper articles sometimes referred to the coup attempt as 'Pasquet's Invasion' or 'the Sheriffs Invasion' (as some of the Americans involved were former sheriff's deputies). ==Background== Francois 'Papa Doc' Duvalier was elected President of Haiti in September 1957. A doctor and former Minister of Health, he was initially seen by many Haitians as a populist reformer; however, he soon began to display behavior typical of an autocrat. Rival political parties were banned, and independent newspapers were shut down. Mixed-race ''mulattoes'', who formed much of Haiti's upper class - and who were a source of much of the opposition to Duvalier - were frequently harassed, arrested, or forced into exile. Among those exiled were three former officers in the Haitian Army: Captain Alix "Sonson" Pasquet, Lt. Phillipe "Fito" Dominique, and Lt. Henri "Riquet" Perpignan.〔'We Remember', by Frantz Haspil, ford9 website,pstd 7 29 06, retvd 3 25 14; http://www.fordi9.com/Pages/Affair29July58.htm〕 Pasquet was an aviator who had trained and served in combat with the Tuskegee Airmen during the Second World War.〔'The Siege of Casernes Dessalines: the Story of Alix Pasquet, Haitian Tuskegee Airman'; the Haitian Blogger, pstd 1 23 12, retvd 3 25 14 http://thehaitianblogger.blogspot.com/2012/01/siege-of-casernes-dessalines-story-of.html〕 He was from a prominent ''mulatto'' family, and had also been a star player on Haiti's national football team. Dominique and Perpignan were also ''mulatto'' army officers. Dominique was Pasquet's brother-in-law. From exile in Miami, Florida, Pasquet led a political movement to overthrow Duvalier and restore Haiti's traditional social order. At the same time, he, Dominique, and Perpignan began plotting a direct strike against the Duvalier government. Although the U.S. government was tepidly supportive of the anti-communist Duvalier, the exiles befriended five Americans who were willing to accompany them on a mission to Haiti. The Americans - Arthur Payne, Dany Jones, Levant Kersten, Robert F. Hickey, and Joe D. Walker〔 - were intrigued by the promise of adventure and a possibly very lucrative outcome. A yacht captained by Walker, the ''Molly C'', would take them to Haiti.〔 Pasquet's plan was to land near the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, seize the Casernes Dessalines (an army barracks near the National Palace), and from there summon old friends in military units he had served with. He knew the area well and felt confident that many officers and troops would quickly rally to the anti-Duvalier cause. Using the large cache of weapons and ammunition stored in the Casernes Dessalines, they would then seize the Palace and other key facilities. The eight well-armed invaders left Miami aboard the ''Molly C'' on or about 25 July.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「July 1958 Haitian coup d'état attempt」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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