This Day in History: 1932-06-24

David McTaggart, one of the founders of Greenpeace, was born on this day in 1932 in Canada. He was the chairman of Greenpeace International from 1979 to 1991. McTaggart got involved because (according to his Greenpeace biography) “he was outraged with the French Government’s decision to cordon off a vast swath of international waters in order to conduct their nuclear testing program in the Pacific. He renamed his 12.6 meter sailing craft “Greenpeace III” and sailed to the zone surrounding Moruroa Atoll. McTaggart observed international law in establishing his anchor position, but ignored the French Government’s unilateral declaration of the area as a forbidden zone. The presence of his boat, at a position downwind from the planned blast, forced the French government to halt its test. A French Navy vessel eventually rammed the boat to end the embarrassing situation. McTaggart repaired his boat and returned a year later. He was physically beaten by French military personnel, who denied the charge, claiming that McTaggart’s ship had already left the area. One of McTaggart’s crew had photographed the beating, however, and the film, which was smuggled out of French custody with the crewmember, proved the French had been lying. The photographs were widely published, and the story drew further criticism to the French nuclear testing program.” He retired and was killed in a car accident on March 2001 near his home in Italy. Te Vaka dedicated the song “Sei Ma Le Losa” to McTaggart.