New documents further expose Nixon's role in Chile coup, dictatorship

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Guardian
27 Aug 2023 12:24

Declassified documents reveal President Nixon's awareness and support of Augusto Pinochet's 1973 coup in Chile, shedding light on his role in the military overthrow of President Salvador Allende.

Classified documents approved for release by US State Department (CIA.gov)

In a recent revelation, two declassified documents from the US Department of State shed light on the extent of President Richard Nixon's involvement in the notorious Augusto Pinochet's coup d’état in Chile in 1973, The Guardian reported.

The documents provide insights into Nixon's awareness of the impending military takeover and his administration's support for the overthrow of the democratically-elected socialist President Salvador Allende.

One of the documents, showing the President's daily brief from September 11, 1973, the morning of the US-backed military coup, outlined that Chilean military officers were determined to restore political and economic order. However, it also noted that they might lack an effectively coordinated plan to capitalize on civilian opposition.

Another daily briefing dated September 8, 1973, indicated that there was no evidence of a coordinated tri-service coup plan in Chile. It further cautioned against the potential isolation of "hotheads in the Navy" should they attempt a coup.

Ultimately, on September 11, three days after the briefings, the Chilean armed forces united to overthrow President Allende, marking the beginning of Augusto Pinochet's brutal 17-year dictatorship.

Throughout Pinochet's rule, a staggering 40,175 people were documented as victims of executions, torture, political imprisonment, or enforced disappearances.

Chile reverted back to democracy in 1990, but the aftermath of Pinochet's regime continues to polarize the country. Pinochet was arrested in London in 1998, though he never faced imprisonment for his crimes before he passed away while under house arrest in 2006.

The declassification of these documents has drawn attention to the enduring commitment between the United States and Chile.

A US State Department press release highlighted that this move “demonstrates our enduring commitment to the US-Chile partnership and is consistent with our joint efforts to promote democracy and human rights in our own countries and around the world."

Curiously, neither of these declassified daily briefings posed any apparent threat to US national security, leaving many to wonder why they remained classified for nearly five decades.

Chile's Undersecretary for Foreign Relations, Gloria de la Fuente, expressed gratitude to the Biden administration for their responsiveness to the request to declassify documents relating to their country.

“The declassification of documents promotes the search for truth and reinforces our countries’ commitment to democratic values,” she said.