NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Chilean coup of 1973

The Chilean coup d'état of 1973 was a watershed event in the history of Chile and the Cold War. Historians and partisans alike have wrangled over its implications ever since. On September 11, 1973, less than three months after the first failed coup attempt, and less than a month after the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, where the Opposition held a majority, condemned Allende's alleged breaches of the constitution and requested his forcible removal, the Chilean military overthrew president Salvador Allende, who died during the coup. General Augusto Pinochet exploited the situation to seize total power and establish an anti-communist military dictatorship which lasted until 1990. Image File history File linksMetadata Coup1973. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Coup1973. ... Front view of La Moneda Front view of La Moneda The Palacio de La Moneda (Spanish The Mint Palace), is the actual seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. ... This is the history of Chile. ... For other uses, please see Cold War (disambiguation). ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... El tanquetazo (Spanish for the tank attack) refers to the failed coup attempt against the Popular Unity government of Socialist president Salvador Allende Gossens in Chile on June 29, 1973. ... Congress building The Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Chile (Spanish: CÃ¡mara de Diputados) is the lower house of Chiles bicameral Congress. ... Salvador Isabelino del Sagrado CorazÃ³n de JesÃºs Allende Gossens[1] (July 26, 1908 â€“ September 11, 1973) was President of Chile from November 1970 until his removal from power and death on September 11, 1973. ... General Augusto JosÃ© RamÃ³n Pinochet Ugarte[1] (born November 25, 1915) was head of the military council that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, and which came to power in a violent coup which deposed the Socialist President Salvador Allende. ... Anti-communism is opposition to communist ideology, organization, or government, on either a theoretical or practical level. ... A military dictatorship is a form of government wherein the political power resides with the military; it is similar but not identical to a stratocracy, a state ruled directly by the military. ...

Situation before the coup

When Salvador Allende came to power as a result of the 1970 Chilean presidential election, Chilean society was already wracked by huge economic difficulties. Problems such as slow growth, inflation, unequal income distribution and the concentration of economic power remained stubborn and intractable. The majority of the Chilean population were at the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum and had grown weary of perennial problems that were affecting the country.^{[citation needed]} It has been argued^{[citation needed]} that with a mere 36.61% of the vote, Allende did not have a clear "mandate" to embark in the wide reforms put forward on his program. Conversely, it has been argued^{[citation needed]} that because Radomiro Tomic garnered 28.11% of the vote with a similar platform, Allende did have a "mandate". In any event, the legality of the election itself has never been in dispute. President Allende's Socialist political agenda brought opposition from many sectors of Chilean society as well as the United States, which placed diplomatic and economic pressure on the government. Salvador Allende was president of Chile from 1970 until 1973. ... Salvador Isabelino del Sagrado CorazÃ³n de JesÃºs Allende Gossens[1] (July 26, 1908 â€“ September 11, 1973) was President of Chile from November 1970 until his removal from power and death on September 11, 1973. ... A presidential election was held in Chile on 4 September 1970. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ...

Towards the end of 1971, Cuban leader Fidel Castro toured Chile extensively during a four-week visit. ^[1] This gave credence to the belief of those on the right that the Chilean Way to Socialism was an effort to put Chile on the same path as Cuba. Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born on August 13, 1926) is the current President of Cuba. ...

October 1972 saw the first of what were to be a wave of confrontational strikes led by some of the historically well-off sectors of Chilean society. A strike by truck-owners soon joined by the small businesmen, some (mostly professional) unions, and some student groups. Other than the inevitable damage to the economy, the chief effect of the 24-day strike was to bring the head of the army, general Carlos Prats, into the government as Interior Minister.^[2] General Prats, as vice-president General Carlos Prats González (1915 - Chilean political figure, and General Augusto Pinochets predecessor as Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army. ...

Despite declining economic indicators, Allende's Popular Unity coalition actually slightly increased its vote to 43 percent in the parliamentary elections of March 1973. However, by this point what had started as an informal alliance between Allende's coalition and the Christian Democrats was long gone. ^[3] The Christian Democrats now leagued with the right-wing National Party to oppose Allende's government, the two parties forming the Confederación Democrática coalition (CODE). The conflict between the executive and legislature paralyzed initiatives from either side. ^[4] Popular Unity (Spanish: Unidad Popular or UP) was the coalition of Chilean political parties that coalesced behind the successful candidacy of Salvador Allende for the 1970 Chilean presidential election. ...

Crisis

On June 29, 1973, a tank regiment under the command of Colonel Roberto Souper surrounded the La Moneda presidential palace in a violent but unsuccessful coup attempt.^[5] This failed coup was followed by a general strike at the end of July, joined this time by the copper miners of El Teniente as well. El tanquetazo (Spanish for the tank attack) refers to the failed coup attempt against the Popular Unity government of Socialist president Salvador Allende Gossens in Chile on June 29, 1973. ... June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Colonel Roberto Souper was a Chilean military leader who launched a violent but unsuccessful coup against the regime of Salvatore Allende. ... Front view of La Moneda Front view of La Moneda The Palacio de La Moneda (Spanish The Mint Palace), is the actual seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. ...

In August of 1973, a constitutional crisis was clearly in the offing: the Supreme Court publicly complained about the government's inability to enforce the law of the land and on August 22 the Chamber of Deputies (with the Christian Democrats now firmly united with the National Party) accused Allende's government of unconstitutional acts and called on the military ministers to enforce constitutional order. ^[4] Supreme Court building in Santiago The Supreme Court of Chile is the highest court of appeal in Chile. ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... Congress building The Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Chile (Spanish: CÃ¡mara de Diputados) is the lower house of Chiles bicameral Congress. ...

For some months, the government had been afraid to call upon the national police known as the Carabineros, for fear of their lack of loyalty. On August 9, Allende made General Carlos Prats Minister of Defense. Nonetheless, General Prats was forced to resign not only this position but his role as Army Commander-in-chief on August 24, 1973, embarrassed by the Alejandrina Cox incident and a public protest of the wives of his Generals in front of his home. He was replaced as Commander-in-chief by General Augusto Pinochet that same day. ^[4] Image File history File links Allende-Pinochet. ... Image File history File links Allende-Pinochet. ... August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ... General Prats, as vice-president General Carlos Prats González (1915 - Chilean political figure, and General Augusto Pinochets predecessor as Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army. ... The Chilean Army (EjÃ©rcito de Chile in spanish) is the land arm of the Military of Chile . ... August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... General Augusto JosÃ© RamÃ³n Pinochet Ugarte[1] (born November 25, 1915) was head of the military council that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, and which came to power in a violent coup which deposed the Socialist President Salvador Allende. ...

Supreme Court Resolution

On May 26, 1973, Chile’s Supreme Court issued a unanimous resolution denouncing the Allende regime’s "disruption of the legality of the nation" by its failure to uphold judicial decisions, due to the government's constant refusal to allow the police to carry out the judicial resolutions that were opposed to its own measures.^[6] May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

Chamber of Deputies' Resolution

On August 22, 1973 the Christian Democrats and the National Party members of the Chamber of Deputies passed, by 81 to 47 votes, a resolution entitled "Declaration of the Breakdown of Chile’s Democracy", which called upon the military to "put an immediate end" to what they described as "breach[es of] the Constitution… with the goal of redirecting government activity toward the path of Law and ensuring the constitutional order of our Nation and the essential underpinnings of democratic coexistence among Chileans." August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Congress building The Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Chile (Spanish: CÃ¡mara de Diputados) is the lower house of Chiles bicameral Congress. ...

The resolution declared that the Allende government was seeking "...to conquer absolute power with the obvious purpose of subjecting all citizens to the strictest political and economic control by the state... [with] the goal of establishing a totalitarian system," and claimed that it had made "violations of the Constitution" into "a permanent system of conduct." Many of the charges came down to disregarding the separation of powers and arrogating the prerogatives of both the legislature and judiciary within the executive.

The resolution finally condemned the "creation and development of government-protected armed groups which... are headed towards a confrontation with the Armed Forces." Allende's efforts to re-organize the military and police, which he could not trust in their current forms, were characterized as "notorious attempts to use the Armed and Police Forces for partisan ends, destroy their institutional hierarchy, and politically infiltrate their ranks."

Although this call for "redirecting government activity toward the path of Law and ensuring the constitutional order of our Nation and the essential underpinnings of democratic coexistence" was invoked to justify the September 11 coup, in retrospect that was clearly not the agenda of the coup. September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ...

Allende's response

Two days later (August 24, 1973), Allende responded ^[7] characterizing Congress's declaration as "destined to damage the country's prestige abroad and create internal confusion," and predicting that "It will facilitate the seditious intention of certain sectors." He pointed out that the declaration (passed 81-47 in the Chamber of Deputies) had not obtained the two-thirds Senate majority constitutionally required to convict the president of abuse of power: essentially, they were "invoking the intervention of the Armed Forces and of Order against a democratically elected government" and "subordinat[ing] political representation of national sovereignty to the armed institutions, which neither can nor ought to assume either politicial functions or the representation of the popular will." August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

Allende argued that he had followed constitutional means in bringing members of the military into the cabinet "at the service of civic peace and national security, defending republican institutions against insurrection and terrorism." In contrast, he said that Congress was promoting a coup or a civil war, using a declaration "full of affirmations that had already been refuted beforehand" and which, in substance and process (handing it directly to the various ministers rather than delivering it to the president) violated a dozen articles of the then-current constitution. Further, he argued that the legislature was trying to usurp the executive role. Image File history File links Allende_9_11_73. ... Image File history File links Allende_9_11_73. ... Front view of La Moneda Front view of La Moneda The Palacio de La Moneda (Spanish The Mint Palace), is the actual seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. ...

"Chilean democracy," Allende wrote, "is a conquest by all of the people. It is neither the work nor the gift of the exploiting classes, and it will be defended by those who, with sacrifices accumulated over generations, have imposed it... With a tranquil conscience... I sustain that never before has Chile had a more democratic government than that over which I have the honor to preside... I solemnly reiterate my decision to develop democracy and a state of law to their ultimate consequences... Parliament has made itself a bastion against the transformations... and has done everything it can to perturb the functioning of the finances and of the institutions, sterilizing all creative initiatives."

Allende went on to argue that the parliamentarians used the expression Estado de derecho ("rule of law") to refer to "a situation which presupposes economic and social injustice... which our people have rejected." Strong economic and political means, he said, would be needed to get the country out of its current crisis, and Congress was obstructing these means; having already "paralyzed" the state, they were now seeking to "destroy" it. He concluded by calling upon "the workers, all democrats and patriots" to join him in defense of the constitution and of the "revolutionary process." The rule of law is the principle that governmental authority is legitimately exercised only in accordance with written, publicly disclosed laws adopted and enforced in accordance with established procedure. ...

Military Coup d'état

On September 11, 1973, a military coup d'état removed Allende. The intervention was extremely violent from the very begining. The rebels surrounded the La Moneda Palace with tanks and infantry troops and bombed it with Hawker Hunter fighter jets. The president and some of his aides were besieged in the palace. Allende refused to surrender, and addressed the nation for a last time in a potent farewell speech. September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... A coup dÃ©tat (pronounced ), or simply coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government through unconstitutional means by a part of the state establishment â€” mostly replacing just the high-level figures. ... Front view of La Moneda Front view of La Moneda The Palacio de La Moneda (Spanish The Mint Palace), is the actual seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. ... Sixteen Hunters of the RAF Black Arrows perform aerobatics at the Farnborough Air Show, England. ...

The worst violence occurred in the first few months after the coup, with the number of suspected leftists killed or "disappeared" soon reaching into the thousands. In the days immediately following the coup, the National Stadium was used as a concentration camp holding 40,000 prisoners. Some of the most famous cases of "desaparecidos" are Charles Horman, a U.S. citizen who was tortured and killed during the coup itself; Chilean songwriter Víctor Jara, murdered while held prisoner at the Chile Stadium immediately after the coup, and the October 1973 Caravan of Death (Caravana de la Muerte) where at least 70 persons were killed. Approximately 130,000 individuals were arrested in a three-year period, with the number of dead and "disappeared" reaching into the thousands within the first few months. Most of the people targeted had been supporters of Allende. A forced disappearance occurs when an organization forces a person to vanish from public view, either by murder or by simple sequestration. ... The Estadio Nacional de Chile (National Stadium of Chile) is located in the Ã‘uÃ±oa municipality of Santiago, Chile. ... It has been suggested that Internment be merged into this article or section. ... Desaparecidos means literally the disappeared in Spanish, and is a reference to people who were arrested, often illegally, by various South American military governments and then vanished. ... Charles Horman (May 15, 1942 â€“ September 20, 1973), an American journalist, was one of the victims of the coup dÃ©tat led by General Augusto Pinochet in Chile on September 11, 1973 which deposed the democratically-elected socialist president, Salvador Allende. ... VÃctor Jara VÃctor Lidio Jara MartÃnez (September 28, 1932 â€“ September 15, 1973) was a Chilean educator, theatre director, poet, folk singer/songwriter, and political activist. ... This is not the Estadio Nacional de Chile. ... The Caravan of Death was an Army squad that roamed Chile in October 1973, following Augusto Pinochets coup, murdering the regimes opponents. ...

Following Pinochet's defeat in the 1989 plebiscite, the 1991 Rettig Commission, a multipartisan effort from the democratic governments to discover the truth about the allegations, listed a number of torture and detention centers (such as Colonia Dignidad, Esmeralda ship or Víctor Jara Stadium), and found that at least 3,000 people were killed or disappeared by the regime. Image File history File linksMetadata MonedaBombing. ... Image File history File linksMetadata MonedaBombing. ... Front view of La Moneda Front view of La Moneda The Palacio de La Moneda (Spanish The Mint Palace), is the actual seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. ... Torture is any act by which severe pain, whether physical or psychological, is intentionally inflicted on a person as a means of intimidation, deterrence, revenge, punishment, sadism, or information gathering. ... Detention generally refers to a state or government holding a person in a particular area, either for interrogation, as punishment for a wrong, or as a precautionary measure while investigating a potential threat posed by that person. ... Colonia Dignidad (Dignity Colony, now known as Villa Baviera, Bavaria Village), is a settlement located in an isolated area in the Maule Region of southern Chile, near the village of Parral. ... Esmeralda (BE-43) Esmeralda (BE-43) is a steel-hulled four-masted barquentine tall ship of the Chilean Navy. ... VÃctor Jara VÃctor Lidio Jara MartÃnez (September 28, 1932 â€“ September 15, 1973) was a Chilean educator, theatre director, poet, folk singer/songwriter, and political activist. ... ...

A later report, the Valech Report (published in November 2004), confirmed the figure of 3,000 deaths but dramatically reduced the alleged cases of disappearances. It tells of some 28,000 arrests in which the majority of those detained were incarcerated and in a great many cases tortured. Many were exiled and received abroad, in particular in Argentina, as political refugees; however, they were followed in their exile by the DINA secret police, in the frame of Operation Condor which linked South-American dictatorships together against political opponents. Monsignor Valech delivers the report to President Lagos The Valech Report (officially The National Commission on Political Imprisonment and Torture Report) was a study published on November 29, 2004 that detailed abuses committed in Chile between 1973 and 1990 by agents of Augusto Pinochets military regime. ... A prison is a place in which people are confined and deprived of a range of liberties. ... Torture is any act by which severe pain, whether physical or psychological, is intentionally inflicted on a person as a means of intimidation, deterrence, revenge, punishment, sadism, or information gathering. ... EXILE is a 6-member Japanese pop music band. ... For the Biblical Dina, see Dinah. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

In the book in which he recounts the coup (El Día decisivo), General Pinochet affirms that he was the leading plotter of the coup and used his position as Commander of the Army to coordinate a far-reaching scheme with the other branches of the military. In recent years, however, high military officials from the time have said that Pinochet only reluctantly got involved in the coup a few days before it was scheduled to occur, and then only followed the lead of the Navy and Air Force, as they triggered it. General Augusto JosÃ© RamÃ³n Pinochet Ugarte[1] (born November 25, 1915) was head of the military council that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, and which came to power in a violent coup which deposed the Socialist President Salvador Allende. ...

Casualties

Contrary to common belief, and to the ferocity of the battle, the real number of casualties directly caused by the military overthrow of the goverment was very small. According to the official reports prepared after the return of the democracy, at the La Moneda Palace only two people died, and both by their own hands: President Allende and the journalist Augusto Olivares. Two more were injured, the GAPs Antonio Aguirre and Osvaldo Ramos, who would later be kidnapped from the hospital and made dissapear. On the military side, there were 5 deaths: two sargents, a corporal, an army private, and a transit policeman. A press photographer also died in the crossfire while attempting to cover the event. In the rest of Santiago, the deaths in battle were also very few: 10 policemen, one MIR and two Socialist fighters, 5 workers and two housewives. Front view of La Moneda Front view of La Moneda The Palacio de La Moneda (Spanish The Mint Palace), is the actual seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. ...

For the rest of the country, the account is very similar: in the city of Vallenar, one miner died; 3 socialist fighters and one policemen died in Talca; and two police officers in Antofagasta were murdered by a subordinate. The total number of people who died that day due to the fighting was of only 33. By the end of the day, the military were in total control of the country. Vallenar is a city in Atacama Region, Chile. ... Talcas main comercial street Talca (2002 Census pop. ... Antofagasta is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west and steep hills to the east Street in Antofagasta () is a port city and episcopal see in northern Chile, about 700 miles north of Santiago. ...

Most of the deaths that followed were human rights abuses that happened in the following 3 months, after the surrender of the leftist forces. By December 31, 1973, the number of deaths had elevated to 1.823 persons, of which at least 1.522 died while in the custody of the victorious military forces. December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

Allende's death

President Allende died in La Moneda Palace during the coup. The junta officially declared that he committed suicide with a machine gun (generally presumed to be the machine gun given to him by Fidel Castro), and an autopsy labelled his death as suicide. At the time few of his supporters accepted the explanation; today it is widely—though still not universally—accepted based on statements given by two doctors from the La Moneda Palace infirmary who say that they witnessed the suicide.^[8]^[9]^[10] Allendes last photograph alive Salvador Allende, President of Chile died during the Chilean coup of 1973. ... Front view of La Moneda Front view of La Moneda The Palacio de La Moneda (Spanish The Mint Palace), is the actual seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. ... Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born on August 13, 1926) is the current President of Cuba. ... Front view of La Moneda Front view of La Moneda The Palacio de La Moneda (Spanish The Mint Palace), is the actual seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. ...

Aftermath

On September 13, the Junta dissolved Congress. At the same time it also outlawed the parties that had been part of the Popular Unity coalition, and all political activity was declared "in recess". Original members of the Junta shortly after taking power. ... Download high resolution version (500x748, 66 KB)Subject: Chiles military Junta Source: http://www. ... Download high resolution version (500x748, 66 KB)Subject: Chiles military Junta Source: http://www. ... General Augusto JosÃ© RamÃ³n Pinochet Ugarte[1] (born November 25, 1915) was head of the military council that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, and which came to power in a violent coup which deposed the Socialist President Salvador Allende. ... September 13 is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years). ... Popular Unity (Spanish: Unidad Popular or UP) was the coalition of Chilean political parties that coalesced behind the successful candidacy of Salvador Allende for the 1970 Chilean presidential election. ...

Initially there were four leaders of the junta: in addition to General Augusto Pinochet from the Army, there were General Gustavo Leigh Guzmán of the Air Force, Admiral José Toribio Merino Castro of the Navy, and General César Mendoza Durán of the National Police (Carabineros de Chile). Coup leaders soon decided against a rotating presidency and named General Pinochet permanent head of the junta. A military dictatorship is a form of government wherein the political power resides with the military; it is similar but not identical to a stratocracy, a state ruled directly by the military. ... General Augusto JosÃ© RamÃ³n Pinochet Ugarte[1] (born November 25, 1915) was head of the military council that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, and which came to power in a violent coup which deposed the Socialist President Salvador Allende. ... General Gustavo Leigh GuzmÃ¡n (September 19, 1920-September 29, 1999) represented the Air Force in the junta that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990 He was born in Santiago, son of HernÃ¡n Leigh BaÃ±ados and Laura GuzmÃ¡n Cea. ... Admiral JosÃ© Toribio Merino Castro (December 14, 1915-August 30, 1996) was a member of the military junta that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990. ... General CÃ©sar Mendoza DurÃ¡n (September 11, 1918-September 13, 1996) was a member of the military junta that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, representing the carabineros. ...

Once the Junta was in power, Pinochet soon consolidated his control, first retaining sole chairmanship of the Junta (originally agreed to be rotated among all members), and then he was proclaimed President.

Debate

Over the years, both the perpetrators of the coup themselves and their supporters have justified the coup by arguing that it was essential for preserving freedom, democracy and prosperity in Chile. They claim that Salvador Allende wanted to establish a Cuban-style dictatorship, which in their view would have destroyed human rights as well as economic prosperity, and therefore they insist that the forcible removal of the elected president was a necessary and justified course of action. Although they acknowledge an initial decline in the economy, supporters contend that subsequent economic growth in the late 1980s and 1990s was a direct result of Pinochet's economic policy. A coup dÃ©tat (pronounced ), or simply coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government through unconstitutional means by a part of the state establishment â€” mostly replacing just the high-level figures. ... Salvador Isabelino del Sagrado CorazÃ³n de JesÃºs Allende Gossens[1] (July 26, 1908 â€“ September 11, 1973) was President of Chile from November 1970 until his removal from power and death on September 11, 1973. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... The Miracle of Chile is a phrase coined by Milton Friedman to describe the neoliberal, monetarist economic reforms implemented in Chile under General Augusto Pinochet. ...

Those opposed to the coup characterize the notion of preserving democracy by instituting a dictatorship as ridiculous and hypocritical. They further argue that Allende won the presidency in a free and fair election. As Chile had been a democracy since 1932, the coup represented an unprecedented and inexcusable outrage against democracy. Among the evidence against the coup being an attempt to safeguard democracy and prosperity in Chile are the several thousand documented cases of torture as well as "disappearances". Critics also argue that the coup failed in any goal of preserving prosperity for any except a small elite. In the early Pinochet years, unemployment rose, real wages fell, the divide between rich and poor grew, decreasing the economic prosperity of the average Chilean. (See Chile under Pinochet) 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... Torture is any act by which severe pain, whether physical or psychological, is intentionally inflicted on a person as a means of intimidation, deterrence, revenge, punishment, sadism, or information gathering. ... A Forced disappearance occurs when an organization (usually a ruling government and that is usually a police state or dictatorship) forces a person to disappear from public view. ... General Augusto Pinochet was head of the junta that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990. ...

A number of people and organizations who supported the coup when it took place were later very critical of Pinochet's regime. They considered the activities of Allende's regime illegal, in a way that justified a coup, but Pinochet did not restore democracy as they had hoped for. Thus, these people and organisations supported the coup but not the rule carried out by the Pinochet government.

U.S. role in the 1973 coup

While U.S. government hostility to the Allende regime is unquestioned, the U.S. role in the coup itself remains a controversial matter. Documents declassified during the Clinton administration show that the United States government and the CIA had sought the overthrow of Allende in 1970, immediately after he took office ("Project FUBELT"; U.S. efforts to prevent Allende taking office in 1970 are discussed in 1970 Chilean presidential election), but claims of their direct involvement in the actual coup are neither proven nor contradicted by publicly available documentary evidence; many potentially relevant documents still remain classified. Regarding Pinochet's rise to power, the CIA undertook a comprehensive analysis of its records and individual memoirs as well as conducting interviews with former agents, and concluded in a report issued in 2000 that the CIA "did not assist Pinochet to assume the Presidency." ^[11] The United States on several occasions sought to influence the policies or government of Chile. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... Project FUBELT is the codename for the secret CIA operations that were intended to undermine Salvador Allendes government and promote a military coup in Chile. ... A presidential election was held in Chile on 4 September 1970. ...

In a 2003 interview on the U.S. Black Entertainment Television network, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell was asked about why the United States saw itself as the "moral superior" in the Iraq conflict, citing the Chilean coup as an example of U.S. intervention that went against the wishes of the local population. Powell responded: "With respect to your earlier comments about Chile in the 1970s and what happened with Mr. Allende, it is not a part of American history that we're proud of." Chilean newspapers hailed the news as the first time the U.S. government had conceded a role in the affair. Black Entertainment Television is an American cable network targeted toward African-American audiences in the United States. ... In several countries, Secretary of State is a senior government position. ... General Colin Luther Powell, United States Army (Ret. ... This article regards the 2003 invasion of iraq. ...

Quotes

Henry Alfred Kissinger (born Heinz Alfred Kissinger on May 27, 1923) is a German-born Jewish American diplomat, Nobel laureate and statesman. ... Edward Malcolm Korry (1922 - January 29, 2003) was an American diplomat during the administrations of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. ... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 â€“ April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ... Richard McGarrah Helms (March 30, 1913 â€“ October 23, 2002) was the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) from 1966 to 1973. ... September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... General Augusto JosÃ© RamÃ³n Pinochet Ugarte[1] (born November 25, 1915) was head of the military council that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, and which came to power in a violent coup which deposed the Socialist President Salvador Allende. ... Henry Alfred Kissinger (born Heinz Alfred Kissinger on May 27, 1923) is a German-born Jewish American diplomat, Nobel laureate and statesman. ... Harold Pinter Pinter redirects here. ...

Additional information

Contents

Situation before the coup

Crisis

Supreme Court Resolution

Chamber of Deputies' Resolution

Allende's response

Military Coup d'état

Casualties

Allende's death

Aftermath

Debate

U.S. role in the 1973 coup

Quotes

Additional information

See also

Media

External links

Notes

References

Contents

Situation before the coup GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Crisis

Supreme Court Resolution

Chamber of Deputies' Resolution

Allende's response

Military Coup d'état

Casualties

Allende's death

Aftermath

Debate

U.S. role in the 1973 coup

Quotes

Additional information

See also

Media

External links

Notes

References

Situation before the coup