Gaitan: The Fate of the Columbian Liberal

The article is devoted to the political views, circumstances and consequences of the tragic death of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán (1903-1948) - the most prominent political figure of Colombia in the XX century. The aim of the publication is to analyze on the basis of new sources and materials the ideology and policy of «gaitanismo», the international and regional context of the events of 1948, the beginning of the Cold war in the Western hemisphere, connected with the decisions of the IX Panamerican conference in Bogotá, the attitude of the US authorities towards Gaitan, the investigation of the murder of the prominent Colombian politician. The author comes to the conclusion that in the situation of the Cold war the USA was the main interested party in the Gaitán’s elimination. Truman's administration was determined to suppress not only the Socialist and Communist parties in Latin America, but also the liberalism, focused on national and social goals.