Originally published in 1970, this is the story of Haiti under the rule of Dr. François Duvalier. Bernard Diederich lived in Haiti for 14 years and had personal experience of the early Duvalier days and the period of Maloire’s rule. His work exposes the evil of Duvalier’s rule and the tale of how Duvalier undid U.S. policy.
“No one alive … is better qualified than Bernard Diederich to tell the horrifying story of Haiti under the rule of Dr. François Duvalier,” writes Graham Greene in the foreword to this edition. “What a story it is: tragic, terrifying, bizarre, even at times comic. Papa Doc sits in his bath wearing his top hat for meditating … the head of his enemy Philogenes stands on his desk … the hearse carrying another enemy’s body is stolen by the Tonton Macoutes at the church door … the writer Alexis is stoned to death … This is a very full account of Duvalier’s reign, which will be indispensable to future historians.” — Graham Greene (Foreword)