Radio Topia. From PRX is Radio Topia, this is Radio Diaries. I'm Joe Richmond.

After the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, all of us have been trying to grapple with an event that feels so different from anything we've experienced before in this country.

But this attack wasn't the first time the capital has been

violently breached. History books mention 1814 when the British Army set fire to

the capital. Less well known as what happened on March 1st, 1954. Today in the show, two forgotten stories

about the history of America versus America. First stop, 1954.

That's when four young Puerto Rican New Yorkers staged an arm attack on Congress from the

Visitors Gallery above the Chamber of the House of Representatives.

The attack was meant to bring attention to the fight for Puerto Rican independence.

Producer Ben Spiro brings us this story.

You'll hear from journalist Ray Suarez, along with four eyewitnesses who are at the capital that day.

A congressman, a staffer, a page, and a DC police officer.

In Washington, D.C., ruthless fanatic violence erupted in the halls of Congress.

Three men and a woman believed to be members of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Gang,

opened fire from the visitors

gallery of the House of Representatives.

At that time we were debating a bill which was called the Rosero bill allowing immigrant workers from the south of our borders to come into California and Arizona to work the fields and harvest the fruit.

And it was pretty controversial even then.

And I turned around, noticed some people came in the door

which was to my left upstairs, and then I turned around and looked at them and you know I

think they were just tourists like so many people and I paid no more attention to

them. And I was standing in the doorway of the cloakroom looking out, just watching things as

...