"Albizu stayed in Columbus Hospital until November 9, 1945, and lived in the Bronx until December 11, 1947. On that day, he went to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, boarded the SS Kathryn, and returned to Puerto Rico. From the moment Albizu set foot in San Juan, Hoover became obsessed with following and recording his every movement, essentially becoming his Boswell."
"Thousands of Puerto Ricans and dozens of FBI agents met Albizu at the dock. They packed into San Juan Cathedral and followed him in a heaving mass to Sixto Escobar Stadium, where he would address a standing-room-only crowd of 14,000. The Puerto Rican flags flew everywhere—from cars, storefronts, houses, trees, and even the stadium rafters, and WPRP broadcast Albizu’s speech island-wide. The FBI agents added a curious glamour, as they openly filmed and taped the event and noted the identity and license plate of every Nationalist leader in attendance. A youth choir sang “La Borinqueña,” and then Albizu began his speech: “My name is Pedro Albizu Campos. You are my people. And this is our island.”
