Chile coup 50 years later: The U.S. role and its unintended consequences

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Chile coup 50 years later: The U.S. role and its unintended consequences

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When the U.S. role in the 1973 coup in Chile became known, activists took action. So did U.S. lawmakers. This is what happened after the U.S. helped topple a Marxist and aided a right-wing dictator.

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James Doubek

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Pinochet died in 2006 at age 91 having avoided trials for medical reasons.
On September 11, 1973, military jets bombed the presidential palace, and President Allende committed suicide after delivering a final speech. General Augusto Pinochet, who had previously been considered a constitutionalist, emerged as the new leader. The military junta then launched a brutal campaign against communists and socialists.
Nixon's administration increased aid to Chile after the coup, but some members of Congress began to question this policy. Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts held hearings on human rights abuses in Chile and introduced amendments to cut off aid to the Pinochet regime.
In 1980, Pinochet and his military junta pushed a new constitution to provide a legal basis for their continued rule and entrench the power of the military.
In the 1988 plebiscite, thanks to the concerted efforts of opposition groups and the effective messaging of the "No" campaign, Chileans rejected Pinochet's bid to extend his dictatorship.
In 1976, Orlando Letelier, a Chilean exile, was assassinated by Chilean agents in Washington, D.C. This led to a deterioration of U.S.-Chile relations and sanctions against Chile.
The estimated 200,000 Chilean exiles around the world were mostly highly educated, they included prominent cultural, intellectual, and political figures who had a major influence on government policies of their host countries.
Pinochet expected the Reagan administration to support his dictatorship when it took office in 1981. However, after some initial support, Reagan came to view Pinochet as a liability rather than an asset and concluded that he should be removed from office.
The Church Committee found no direct evidence that the United States was involved in the 1973 coup in Chile. However, the report suggests that the United States may have given the impression that it would support a military coup. Additionally, the report notes that U.S. officials may have crossed the line between monitoring coup plotting and actually encouraging it.
After the coup, a state of siege was declared, political parties were banned. Universities shut down, and a process of widespread arrest of political opponents began to take place.
The CIA secretly funded El Mercurio, a major Chilean newspaper that was critical of Allende, to the tune of at least $1.5 million.
Documents show that Henry Kissinger was the driving force behind US policy in Chile, which shifted from trying to stop Allende from gaining power to actively supporting Pinochet's rise to power.
The 1973 Chilean coup was a major turning point in US foreign policy. Many Americans were shocked and outraged by the sudden overthrow of Chile's democratically elected president, Salvador Allende, by a military junta led by Augusto Pinochet.
Kissinger admitted to Nixon five days after the Chilean coup that the United States had helped create favorable conditions to achieve it, but denied that the United States had directly orchestrated the coup.
Salvador Allende, a self-proclaimed Marxist, ran for president of Chile several times. In 1964, he was a leading candidate and pledged to nationalize the mostly American-owned copper mines. The United States responded by spending heavily on anti-communist propaganda and supporting Allende's opponent. This influence proved effective, and Allende lost the election.
A 1975 U.S Senate report revealed that the United States spent $8 million on secret operations to undermine Salvador Allende's government in the years leading up to the 1973 coup. The U.S. also supported economic measures that were designed to weaken Allende's government.
During the 17-year dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, over 3,000 people were forcibly disappeared or killed, and approximately 38,000 were imprisoned for political reasons. Many of these prisoners were tortured.
In 1970, Allende ran for president again. Richard Nixon was now president of the United States, and Henry Kissinger was his national security advisor. They perceived Allende as a threat to U.S. interests and instructed top U.S. officials to do whatever they could to prevent Allende from taking office.
Under the Pinochet regime, people were subjected to torture and extrajudicial killings in detention centers throughout Chile. One of the most well-known victims was the popular folk singer Víctor Jara.
During the Allende years, the CIA financed the largest truckers' union, which went on strike and blocked the roads. This led to shortages of food and basic necessities, Chileans had to wait in long lines to buy supplies, a situation which created a feeling of chaos and polarization.

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09

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10

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2023

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12

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NPR

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Chile commemorates 50th anniversary of civil-military coup
Chile

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https://www.npr.org/2023/09/10/1193755188/chile-coup-50-years-pinochet-kissinger-human-rights-allende

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Pinochet died in 2006 at age 91 having avoided trials for medical reasons.

News

Claim

The CIA secretly funded El Mercurio, a major Chilean newspaper that was critical of Allende, to the tune of at least $1.5 million.

News

Claim

In 1980, Pinochet and his military junta pushed a new constitution to provide a legal basis for their continued rule and entrench the power of the military.

News

Claim