Fifty Years Later, Decoding Chile’s Military Coup And Marxist President Allende’s Killing

By Nitya Chakraborty

September 11, 1973 was the day when fifty years ago, the first democratically elected left wing president of Chile Dr. Salvador Allende, a leading Marxist was, overthrown through a bloody military coup which had the full backing of the US administration led by the President Richard Nixon.. Dr. Allende created a history in the Latin American continent by convincing defeating his right wing opponent as a leader of the People’s Unity Coalition and thus emerging as the first democratically elected President of not just Chile but also the Latin American region.

Till Dr. Allende’s accession to power through regular elections, Cuba was the only country run by the Communist Party of Cuba headed by Fidel Castro, the father of the Cuban revolution. Dr. Castro took over power in 1959 through armed struggle by defeating the Batista regime backed by the US and the CIA. There was no elections as per the norms of the western democracy. But in Chile, it was normal parliamentary elections in November 1970. The victory of Dr. Allende and his leftist coalition led to shock waves in the US and the big corporate lobby of the US and the west who had big investments in Chile and the other countries of the Latin American continent got panicky..

The Americans in collaboration with a section of the army, the right wingers of the political spectrum and the US multinationals started planning for the ouster of the Left wing regime of Chile from the day one of accession itself, but the things got a bit easier from the beginning of 1972 after a dominant section of the Chilean army became hostile to the Allende presidency and fell into the trap of the CIA. The reports released around year 2000 reveal that the CIA had spent more money per capita in 1964 Chilean elections than the total cost of Republican and Democratic campaigns in the same year. In 1970 elections, the CIA spent huge amount in favour of the anti-Allende candidate but the Socialist presidential candidate was so popular that he could trounce his rival despite massive support given to his rival by the Americans and the domestic business bosses of Chile.

The Nixon regime could not wait for their action much longer as the Allende government started to implement measures as per the election manifesto and the government measures got huge support from the underprivileged who were immensely benefitted at the reforms implemented by the Marxist President. Copper mining was nationalized benefitting the Chilean economy but adversely affecting the interests of the US copper giant Anaconda. The educational and health facilities for the lower strata of the population were expanded and in general, a base was being prepared by early 1973 for further industrialization of the Chilean economy by making optimum use of the national resources. For American multi nationals with interests in Chile, the time was running out. They continuously put pressure on US administration for early action. Nixon-Kissinger regime decided to take the final plunge after the Cuban President Fidel Castro visited Chile and both Presidents worked out a programme of collaboration for the growth of the economies of the two countries.

Henry Kissinger started giving full time to the task of Operation Allende. At the domestic level, the CIA funded the disgruntled elements in the government, bureaucracy and the army. The truckers strike was funded to create a shortage of essential commodities. The changes were imposed in the army hierarchy to facilitate the takeover of the top echelons by the US supporters. At the international level, steps were taken to create a big pressure on the economy. The US cut off all its economic and aid links. The IMF also followed. A situation was being artificially generated to show that the Chilean economy under Dr. Allende was collapsing. But for CIA, till the end of May 1973, nothing worked as they wanted.

Then finally, army was the only route left to organize the regime change as the CIA has been doing since the early1950s starting from the overthrow of Dr. Mossadek. The chief of the Chilean army general Carlos Prats was removed through a CIA plot and he was replaced by general Augusto Pinochet who was in collusion with the Americans. The path was clear by the end of August, 1973 as General Pinochet who worshipped Adolf Hitler took over as the army chief as per normal procedure of the Chilean army without the knowledge of the President Allende that this man would kill democracy and the elected government about three weeks later.

For the Nixon-Kissinger duo and the CIA, the plot was ready with General Pinochet the army chief, only the suitable day had to be fixed. So September 11 was fixed as the President was to address the nation that day on his plans to deal with economic crisis. Pinochet took no chances, he deployed his army units to capture all vital institutions as also installations of the Allende government. Pinochet called upon President to surrender but Allende who was in his Presidential Palace refused and vowed to fight for democracy. Dr. Allende was able to address his countrymen in a radio broadcast live. The Marxist President did not budge a little from his resoluteness and firm faith in the power of the Chilean people. He said in his message ‘Keep in mind that much sooner than later, the great avenues will again be opened through which will pass free men to build a better society’.

The Presidential palace was shelled from all sides by Pinochet’s army. The body guards could not protect, most of them were killed. President Dr. Allende was also found killed in late afternoon. Following the take over of the palace by the Coup leaders, the persecution of the key supporters of the Government started. In the next few years, thousands were arrested, many were killed and thousands more disappeared. Even now, the families of those ‘disappeared’ are looking for them.

In the last five decades after the killing of Dr. Allende and the military coup, there have been many twist and turns in the Chilean politics. Presently the left wing president Gabriel Boric is ruling. There are many other countries in Latin America like Bolivia, Columbia, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, which are being ruled by various types of left. Mexico and Brazil are the two big countries which are now active in implementing pro left reforms. Argentina will go for presidential elections on October 22 and Ecuador on October 15. The Latin America is on the move, but all the left parties must take lessons from what went wrong in 1973 when the first democratically elected Marxist government in Chile was overthrown.. The lessons will be of relevance for all the left wing governments as the challenge from the Right and the US backed parties and groups remains still valid. (IPA Service)

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