Luckner Cambronne
Encyclopedia
Luckner Cambronne was a high-ranking political figure in François Duvalier
's regime in Haiti
who some believe to have played a significant role in the early spread of AIDS
.
Cambronne was born the son of a poor preacher and had a career as a bank teller. His alliance with François Duvalier
, the Haitian politician who became President of Haiti
, led to Cambronne's rising to the number two position in power.
In his political career, Cambronne started out as a messenger for Duvalier. After developing a reputation for enforcement and cruelty, he quickly rose in his administration. He was appointed Minister of the Interior and National Defense under Duvalier.
Cambronne became Duvalier's second in command and head of his fearsome private militia, popularly known as the Tonton Macoute
s.. Cambronne's reign was characterized by his embezzlement
campaign: the use of public funds for his personal businesses and enterprises. As head of the Tonton Macoutes, Cambronne led a campaign of state terrorism
against all opposition, having opponents threatened, attacked, murdered and "disappeared
".
He was known as the "Vampire of the Caribbean" for his profiting from the sale of Haitian blood and cadavers to the West for medical uses. Critics accused his forces of picking people to murder to provide bodies for such shipments.
Cambronne was co-owner of Hemo-Caribbean, a plasma center in Port-au-Prince that operated from 1971 to 1972 and had poor hygiene standards. A 1972 New York Times story reported that Hemo-Caribbean exported 1,600 gallons of plasma to the United States a month. Without appropriate preventative action, diseases can easily be transferred from one donor to another through the reuse of blood tubing. The book The Origin of AIDS by Jacques Pépin argues that Hemo-Caribbean was a major "amplifier" of the HIV
/AIDS
crisis, which he says had likely crossed over from Africa to Haiti through a single carrier around 1966.
After the death of Papa Doc, Cambronne was said to be interested in becoming Prime Minister
under his son and successor, "Baby Doc" (Jean-Claude Duvalier
). Baby Doc's mother, Simone Duvalier, outmaneuvered Cambronne and insisted on his exile..
Cambronne moved to Miami, Florida
in 1972. He died there in exile on the 24th of September 2006.
François Duvalier
François Duvalier was the President of Haiti from 1957 until his death in 1971. Duvalier first won acclaim in fighting diseases, earning him the nickname "Papa Doc" . He opposed a military coup d'état in 1950, and was elected President in 1957 on a populist and black nationalist platform...
's regime in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
who some believe to have played a significant role in the early spread of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
.
Cambronne was born the son of a poor preacher and had a career as a bank teller. His alliance with François Duvalier
François Duvalier
François Duvalier was the President of Haiti from 1957 until his death in 1971. Duvalier first won acclaim in fighting diseases, earning him the nickname "Papa Doc" . He opposed a military coup d'état in 1950, and was elected President in 1957 on a populist and black nationalist platform...
, the Haitian politician who became President of Haiti
President of Haiti
The President of the Republic of Haiti is the head of state of Haiti. Executive power in Haiti is divided between the president and the government headed by the Prime Minister of Haiti...
, led to Cambronne's rising to the number two position in power.
In his political career, Cambronne started out as a messenger for Duvalier. After developing a reputation for enforcement and cruelty, he quickly rose in his administration. He was appointed Minister of the Interior and National Defense under Duvalier.
Cambronne became Duvalier's second in command and head of his fearsome private militia, popularly known as the Tonton Macoute
Tonton Macoute
Tonton Macoutes was a Haitian paramilitary force created in 1959 by President François 'Papa Doc' Duvalier. In 1970, the militia was officially renamed the Milice de Volontaires de la Sécurité Nationale .Haitians called this force the “Tonton Macoutes,” after the Haitian Creole mythological...
s.. Cambronne's reign was characterized by his embezzlement
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
campaign: the use of public funds for his personal businesses and enterprises. As head of the Tonton Macoutes, Cambronne led a campaign of state terrorism
State terrorism
State terrorism may refer to acts of terrorism conducted by a state against a foreign state or people. It can also refer to acts of violence by a state against its own people.-Definition:...
against all opposition, having opponents threatened, attacked, murdered and "disappeared
Forced disappearance
In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
".
He was known as the "Vampire of the Caribbean" for his profiting from the sale of Haitian blood and cadavers to the West for medical uses. Critics accused his forces of picking people to murder to provide bodies for such shipments.
Cambronne was co-owner of Hemo-Caribbean, a plasma center in Port-au-Prince that operated from 1971 to 1972 and had poor hygiene standards. A 1972 New York Times story reported that Hemo-Caribbean exported 1,600 gallons of plasma to the United States a month. Without appropriate preventative action, diseases can easily be transferred from one donor to another through the reuse of blood tubing. The book The Origin of AIDS by Jacques Pépin argues that Hemo-Caribbean was a major "amplifier" of the HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
crisis, which he says had likely crossed over from Africa to Haiti through a single carrier around 1966.
After the death of Papa Doc, Cambronne was said to be interested in becoming Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
under his son and successor, "Baby Doc" (Jean-Claude Duvalier
Jean-Claude Duvalier
Jean-Claude Duvalier, nicknamed "Bébé Doc" or "Baby Doc" was the President of Haiti from 1971 until his overthrow by a popular uprising in 1986. He succeeded his father, François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, as the ruler of Haiti upon his father's death in 1971...
). Baby Doc's mother, Simone Duvalier, outmaneuvered Cambronne and insisted on his exile..
Cambronne moved to Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
in 1972. He died there in exile on the 24th of September 2006.
Cultural references
- A character loosely based on Cambronne, named Captain Dargent Peytraud, appears in the cult horror film The Serpent and the Rainbow. The Peytraud character is additionally depicted as a bokorBokorBokors in the religion of vodou are sorcerers or houngan or mambo for hire who are said to 'serve the loa with both hands', meaning that they practice both dark magic and light magic...
(priest) in Haitian Vodou.