Was Juan Bonnet Jr. Assassinated?*
As a young and enthusiastic historian of science, I visited Puerto Rico one summer to find out what was written about the history of science in the island and of the island. The most prominent author I came across was Juan Bonnet Jr, a nuclear physicist who seems to have developed a close affinity to the topic. Bonnet Jr. had not only written several articles and books, but he had also organized small colloquies as well as directed various theses on the topic. One of his contributions to the study, curiously, was the realization that there had not been a 'critical mass' of scientists and engineers in the island--claim that is perhaps typical of a nuclear physicist.
Much to my surprise, I later found out he had clashed with my father, Gonzalo Fernós López, over the development of a nuclear facility in Rincon. My father was at the time a retired architect who had developed a passion for things environmental and was the defacto forerunner of today's environmental movement in Puerto Rico. Fernós Lopez had attacked with his acerbic wit both the project and Bonnet Jr., giving him a verbal 'paliza' in the daily newspapers. Prior to his own death, my father told me that both he and Bonnet Jr. had been asked to take part in a public debate on the subject. Although the televised debate never took place, my father remarked with some amusement that Bonnet Jr. requested that he would agree to the debate, but only on one condition: 'que se me trate con respeto'. In those days only a few decades ago, fights occurred in the public forum with words rather than bullets.
Sadly, when I tried to locate Bonnet Jr. to talk to him about the history of science in the island, I also found out that he was no longer alive. In the early 1990s, he had apparently been at a small 'colmado' buying the typical groceries--milk, 'pan de agua' (bread) and coffee--when he was apparently assassinated during an attempted robbery. Bonnet Jr., a man with strong bourgeoisie affinities, allegedly had been wearing a business suite at the moment, and 'treated' the assailant with some condescension--which allegedly led to his villainous misfortunate. The implicit message of the story, of course, was that his was but an 'accidental' death of one of many of the crime statistics in Puerto Rico. Unfortunate, but also unplanned.
At least, that is what I was told and used to believe.
Not anymore.
The longer you live in Puerto Rico, the more you come across 'accidental' deaths or near-fatal brushes that raise a bit of suspicion as to their actual cause. Community leaders, typically a dominant male, are 'dropping like flies'--slowly but consistently, raising some question as to whether these accidental deaths are in fact accidental and why this is occurring.
Some, not all, of the examples alluded to include Manuel Alvarado (professor UPR), William Miranda Marin (Caguas mayor), Alfredo Salazar's son (former PPD candidate), and Ralph Christiansen, BPPR banker. The first two died of pancreatic cancer and the last two in motorized vehicle accidents. (Alfredo Salazar's son survived, but badly injured.) Most people don't realize that cancer in fact can be induced by viruses; poor maintenance on small routine flights can lead to disaster. Yet for these four predominant social figures, there are literally hundreds of other men with lesser rank who nonetheless served important roles in their respective communities who also died in unusual and unfortunate circumstances: electricians, tow-truckers, bank reformers, etc.
You may or may not side with some of the individuals mentioned above, with either their moral or ethical status. But that is not the issue.
It appears as if the law and justice are being appropriated by non-state actors, with a mafia-like character that may or may not be linked to organized crime. It is certainly the fact that many of the individuals who died ('fallecido') were moral standard-bearers in their respective communities, and that their absence have created leadership vacuums in their respective communities that are now 'up for grabs'. Certainly, as any historical anthropologist will tell you, the 'feminization' of a community has traditionally been a sure way to take over a community.
While you may or may not have agreed with Bonnet Jr's nuclear policies, as my father did, Bonnet Jr. was a 'light in the darkness' given that he stood for a world-view that was based on mathematical rigor and empirical fact. Bonnet Jr., as well as my father, represented what is typically referred to as the 'rule of law'.
In spite of their disagreements, both my father and Bonnet Jr. had the same ontological belief that societies should be based on the best available knowledge rather than on arbitrary rule or the noxious self-interest of a few individuals at the expense of the community. This is why, for both, public debates were so important given that the best arguments for either side could be portrayed before the citizens of a democracy, and these had the responsibility, in turn, to make the wisest decisions possible. Decisions were to be made by reason rather than imposed by a gun or medical terrorism.
The nuclear facility was never completed because it was located over a geological fault line. While some at the time might have been 'offended' given the funds that were already spent, in light of the March 2011 Fukushima reactors incident, it was the correct decision.