Gathering for a Moment of Silence at the Site of the 1975 Bombing at Fraunces Tavern
Fifty years ago, on December 4, 1975, a bomb exploded at Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan, killing four people and injuring over 50 others. The attack was carried out by the Puerto Rican separatist group, the FALN, and was aimed at the heart of American liberty. The bombing targeted a historic site where George Washington had bid farewell to his troops after the Revolutionary War.
Joe Connor, whose father, Frank, was killed in the attack, has dedicated his life to bringing justice for his father and the other victims. He is the author of “Shattered Lives: Overcoming the Fraunces Tavern Terror” and has been a leading voice in seeking accountability for the attack.
The FALN members responsible for the bombing have never been charged, and the man believed to be the group’s chief bomb maker, Willie Morales, escaped to Cuba, where he is still living along with an estimated 50 other U.S. fugitives. The U.S. has a bill in Congress asking Havana to return the fugitives, and former President Joe Biden removed Cuba from the State Department’s list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. However, in his first term, President Donald Trump put Cuba back on the list, and during his confirmation hearing, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for Cuba to return the fugitives.
In the decades since the attack, FALN members have been granted clemency, with President Barack Obama commuting the 70-year sentence of Oscar Lopez Rivera, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes, and President Bill Clinton offering clemency to the terrorist group’s imprisoned members. However, the attack remains an open investigation by the NYPD and the Joint Terrorism Taskforce, with New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch calling it “terrorism in its purest form.”
A ceremony was held at Fraunces Tavern to mark the 50th anniversary of the bombing, attended by family members, former FBI agents, survivors of the bombing, and others. Joe Connor’s son, Frank, gave the benediction, remembering the four men who were killed and all whose lives were cut short by terrorism. Connor emphasized the need for Cuba to return the fugitives, stating that the pressure on Cuba must be kept up to achieve this goal.