Anastasio ("Tachito") Somoza Debayle (December 5, 1925 – September 17, 1980) was officially the forty-fourth and forty-fifth President of Nicaragua from May 1, 1967 to May 1, 1972 and from December 1, 1974 to July 17, 1979. As head of the National Guard, he was ruler of the country from 1967 to 1979. He was the last member of the Somoza family to be President, ending a dynasty that had held power since 1936. December 5 is the 339th day (340th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the President of Nicaragua, for the 2006 presidential election results see: Nicaraguan general election, 2006 History of Nicaragua Presidentes de Nicaragua Categories: | ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... July 17 is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... The Guardia Nacional de Nicaragua, otherwise known as Guardia or in English Nicaraguan National Guard, was a militia created during the occupation of that country by the United States. ... Somoza was the name of an influential political dynasty in Nicaragua. ...

Name

As is customary in Spanish-speaking countries, he was given both his father's and mother's last names, Somoza being his father's surname and Debayle being his mother's surname. Debayle is pronounced "deh-BY-lay" and is of French origin.

Biography

He was the second son of Anastasio Somoza García, dictator of Nicaragua since 1937. The younger Anastasio, nicknamed "Tachito" (his father's nickname was "Tacho") was initially educated in St. Leo College Prep (Florida) and La Salle Military Academy (Long Island) before graduating from the United States Military Academy on June 6, 1946. The following year, he was appointed head of the National Guard by his father, who had previously given many important posts to family members and close personal friends. As commander of the Guard, he was effectively the second most powerful man in Nicaragua.On December 10, 1950, he married Hope Portocarrero, his first cousin^{[citation needed]}, with whom he had five children: Anastasio, Julio, Carolina, Carla, and Roberto. Anastasio Somoza García Anastasio Somoza García (February 1, 1896 – September 29, 1956) was officially the thirty-fourth and thirty-ninth President of Nicaragua, but ruled effectively as dictator from 1936 until his assassination. ... La Salle Military Academy was a Catholic boys school with middle school/junior high school and high school divisions located in Oakdale, New York. ... USMA redirects here. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Following his father's assassination on September 21, 1956, Somoza's elder brother, Luis Somoza, took over the presidency. Anastasio had a large hand in the government during this time and saw to it that the presidency was held by politicians loyal to his family from 1963 to 1967. On 1 May, 1967, shortly before the death of his brother, Anastasio Somoza was himself elected president for the first time. While Luis had ruled more gently than his father had, Anastasio's rule soon resembled that of his father in all significant aspects.^{[citation needed]} September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Luis Somoza Debayle (1922–1967) was the acting president and later dictator and president of Nicaragua 1956–1963 following the 1956 assassination of his father, Anastasio Somoza García. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ...

His term in office was due to end in May 1972, due to a law which disallowed immediate re-election. However, prior to that, Somoza worked out an agreement allowing him to stand for reelection in 1974; he would be replaced as president by a three-man junta consisting of two Liberals and one Conservative while retaining control of the National Guard. Somoza and his triumvirate drew up a new constitution, signed by the triumvirate and the cabinet on April 3, 1971. He then stepped down as president on May 1, 1972. However, as head of the National Guard, he remained the de facto ruler of the country. General Augusto Pinochet (sitting) as head of the newly established military junta in Chile, September 1973. ... This article is part of or related to the Liberalism series Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Nicaraguan political parties | Liberal parties ... The Conservative Party of Nicaragua (Partido Conservador de Nicaragua) is a political party in Nicaragua. ... April 3 is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 272 days remaining. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without...

On December 23, 1972, an earthquake hit the nation's capital Managua, killing around ten thousand people, and virtually destroying the city. Martial law was declared, making Somoza ruler of the country once again in name as well as in fact. He took over as head of a National Emergency Committee. The Somoza family was widely accused of pocketing aid sent to the country from abroad; indeed, parts of Managua have never been rebuilt or restored, including the Cathedral. December 23 is the 357th day of the year (358th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... An earthquake is the result from the sudden release of stored energy in the Earths crust that creates seismic waves. ... Coordinates: Country Nicaragua Department Managua Municipality Managua Founded 1819 Seat of the Government 1852 Capital of the Nation 1857  - Mayor Dionisio Marenco Area    - City 544 km²  - Urban 173. ...

Somoza was reelected president in the 1974 election, partially due to his declaring nine opposition parties illegal. By this time, the Catholic church had begun to speak against the government. (Indeed, one of his fiercest critics was Ernesto Cardenal, a leftist Nicaraguan priest who preached liberation theology and would become the Sandinista government's Minister of Culture.) By the late 1970s, human rights groups were condemning the record of the Somoza government, while support for the Sandinistas was growing in the country. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Roman Catholic Church... Ernesto Cardenal Martínez (born January 20, 1925) is a Catholic priest and was one of the most famous liberation theologians of the Nicaraguan Revolution. ... Liberation theology is a school of theology that focuses on Jesus Christ as not only the Redeemer but also the Liberator of the Oppressed. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... This article is about the Nicaraguan left-wing political party. ...

In 1975 Somoza Debayle launched a violent campaign against the Sandinista Front and individuals suspected of supporting the Front were targeted. The Front, named after Augusto César Sandino, began its guerrilla war against the Somozas in 1963 and was funded by Cuba under Fidel Castro, and the Soviet Union. Support for the Sandinistas ballooned after the earthquake, especially when Jimmy Carter withdrew American support for the regime. This proved critical, since the Somozas had been able to hold onto power largely because the United States saw it as a bulwark against Communism. At this point, the opposition to the Somozas included not only Sandinistas, but other prominent figures such as Pedro Chamorro (assassinated on January 10, 1978). In 1979, Somoza resigned the presidency and fled to Miami where he was denied entry by Jimmy Carter, after which he took refuge in Alfredo Stroessner's Paraguay; his regime only survived him by a day until the Sandinistas took full control. Sandino (centre) en route to Mexico. ... James Earl Jimmy Carter, Jr. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the city in Florida. ... Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda, whos name is also spelled Stroessner, Strössner or Strößner, (November 3, 1912, Encarnación - August 16, 2006, Brasilia) served as President of Paraguay from 1954 to 1989. ...

Anastasio Somoza Debayle was assassinated in Asunción, Paraguay, at the age of 54, by a commando team led by the Argentinian Enrique Gorriarán Merlo an ex-ERP (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo) member. This episode is described by Gorriarán Merlo himself in his book Memorias ("Memories") ISBN 950-49-1063-7. He is buried in Miami, Florida at Woodlawn Park North Cemetery and Mausoleum. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Commando (disambiguation). ... Enrique Gorriarán Merlo Enrique Haroldo Gorriarán Merlo (18 October 1941 – 22 September 2006) was an Argentine revolutionary and guerrilla leader, born in San Nicolás de los Arroyos, Buenos Aires Province. ... ERP may stand for: Effective radiated power, used in radio communications Peoples Revolutionary Army (Argentina) (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo) Electronic Road Pricing, toll-collection scheme in Singapore Enterprise resource planning Estonian Reform Party European Recovery Program, better known as the Marshall Plan Event-related potential, a method used...

The small multinational team of paramilitary operatives were waiting in ambush for Somoza as he was being chauffered about the city. The team fired two shots from a bazooka from close range. The second shot incinerated Somoza's vehicle, killing him instantly.

A few months before Somoza’s death, his memoirs, Nicaragua Betrayed, were published. In them he blamed the Carter Administration for his downfall. His son, Anastasio Somoza Portocarrero, went into exile in Guatemala. Anastasio Somoza Portocarrero is the son of former Nicaraguan president Anastasio Somoza Debayle. ...

Former National Intelligence Officer for Latin America and Cuba expert, Professor Brian Latell, 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 communist Sandinistas had won power in July 1980 with the assistance of massive, covert Cuban military aid. Along with his brother Raúl Castro, the two masterminded a complex multinational covert action to provide the Sandinistas with huge quantites of modern armnaments. Cuban intelligence and paramilitary advisors poured into Nicaragua along with the equipment. In fact, a Cuban general from the Ministry of the Interior - where all the intelligence, police, and security functions are centerd - was the first to storm into Somoza's bunker as it was being overrun by Cubans and Nicaraguans. Latell states that the evidence indicated that the assassination operation was similar to other assassination operations Cuban intelligence had been involved in, and that Somoza was a long-time nemesis of Castro after he provided critical support to the U.S. for the failed Bay of Pigs operation in 1961. Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born on August 13, 1926) is the current President of Cuba but on indefinite medical hiatus. ... Sandinista! is also the name of a popular music album by The Clash. ... Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz (born June 3, 1931) is the Acting President of Cuba and First Vice President of the Cuban Council of State. ... Map showing the location of the Bay of Pigs. ...

Trivia

• In Rubén Blades & Willie Colon's song "Plástico" from their album "Siembra" when doing the roll call for Latin American countries, Rubén sings "Nicaragua sin Somoza."
• He attended the presidential inauguration of President John F. Kennedy.
• He was a member of Phi Sigma Alpha fraternity.
• He was portrayed by René Enríquez in the 1983 film Under Fire.
• Roberto Clemente, the famous baseball player, died in a plane crash delivering aid to the victims of the 1972 Managua earthquake in Nicaragua.

This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... René Enríquez (November 24, 1933 – March 23, 1990) was an American television actor of the 1970s and 1980s. ... Under Fire is a political film set in 1979, during last days of the Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua. ... Roberto Clemente Walker (August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Major League Baseball right fielder and right-handed batter. ...

Further reading

• Ally Betrayed...Nicaragua ed. by John Rees
• At the Fall of Somoza by Lawrence Pezzullo
• Death of Somoza by Claribel Alegria and Darwin J. Flakoll
• Dictators Never Die: Nicaragua and the Somoza Dynasty by Eduardo Crawley
• Nicaragua Betrayed by Anastasio Somoza (as told to Jack Cox)
• Nicaragua Traicionada by Anastasio Somoza (Spanish version of Nicaragua Betrayed)
• Somoza Falling by Anthony Lake
• Somoza's Last Stand: Testimonies from Nicaragua by Larry Towell
• Under the Big Stick: Nicaragua and the United States Since 1848 Karl Berman, Boston: South End Press, 1986.