The United States should not forget the truth | 50th anniversary of Chile's 9/11 coup

On September 11, 2022, Chilean citizens commemorated the 49th anniversary of the death of former President Allende near the Moneda Palace in the capital Santiago.

On September 11, 1973, it forever changed the lives of many Chileans. The United States supported the then Chilean Army Commander Augusto Pinochet in launching a military coup, bombing and occupying the Moneda Palace. Chilean President Salvador Allende died in the coup, marking the beginning of a 17 year period of military rule in Chile. According to Reuters, during Pinochet's presidency, approximately 40000 people in Chile were imprisoned, tortured, or killed. Behind the 9/11 coup that brought immense pain to the Chilean people, the black hands of the United States were everywhere.

For a long time, the United States has kept a large number of documents related to the Chilean coup confidential, but with the efforts of various sectors, some documents have been made public, proving that the senior officials of the US government not only understand the coup process, but also plan to overthrow the Allende regime from the beginning. Recent declassified documents indicate that on September 8 and September 11, 1973, the President's Daily Briefing, compiled by the Central Intelligence Agency, showed that the United States was not only aware of the impending coup, but also analyzed the situation in San Diego and Allende's actions.

According to the US National Security Archive, on September 12, 1970, eight days after Allende was elected president, a senior US official and then CIA Director Richard Helmstone called to discuss a coup in Chile. Former US President Nixon also issued an order to the CIA to make Chile's economy scream. The senior management of the US government believes that Allende's "Marxist government" is incompatible with American ideology. They are concerned that Allende's election will set an example and precedent, which will have an impact on other regions of the world, especially in some European countries, disrupting the world order and affecting the US position in the world. And if Allende can truly implement socialism in Chile and peacefully redistribute social resources, other countries will also follow suit.

According to CIA documents, the subversion of the Allende regime is divided into "Track One" and "Track Two". "Track One" refers to obstructing Allende's rule through diplomatic, political, economic and other means, such as manipulating Chilean parliamentarians. "Orbit One" did not include CIA, and when these measures did not achieve the expected results, the more sinister "Orbit Two" surfaced. Track 2, also known as the FUBELT program, received a budget of $10 million from the CIA to carry out secret activities in Chile and create a "coup atmosphere".

The CIA's target is aimed at Chilean Army Commander Ren é Schneider. Why is it him? Because Schneider defended the peaceful transfer of presidential power, he publicly stated that the Chilean armed forces would not interfere in the presidential election. Chilean media tycoons have suggested to the CIA director that the key to a coup is to eliminate Schneider's influence. In a telegram, US Ambassador to Chile, Edward Curry, said that in order to prevent Schneider from playing a role, he could be "replaced" if necessary. The CIA also plans to have a new military leader supported by them come to power after Schneider's assassination, and then the military will announce that the assassination was carried out by Allende, further declaring the election invalid.

In October 1970, Schneider was assassinated. According to the CIA's "Activities in Chile" released in 2000, the CIA had contact with assassins and although they were not optimistic about them, they succeeded. Later, the group sent representatives to "reward" the CIA. Although the CIA claimed that they did not feel obligated to give money because they were "acting on their own", due to "confidentiality, good intentions to support the organization, and humanitarian reasons," the CIA still paid $35000. Moreover, the CIA also admitted that due to their lack of confidence in the gang, they contacted other individuals planning to launch a coup and provided them with firearms and ammunition. The National Security Archive of the United States published an article stating that after Schneider's death, the CIA director held a meeting to praise this action. The CIA believes that Chile's intelligence station has performed exceptionally well and made every effort, with the station manager completing the task in difficult circumstances. Afterwards, various materials were extensively hidden by the CIA to evade congressional scrutiny.

However, the CIA's "wishful thinking" fell through, and even if Schneider was assassinated, the CIA's designed "military takeover" did not occur. Instead, there was a growing demand in Chile for a peaceful transfer of presidential power, and Allende successfully became president. But the top officials of the US government have not given up yet. By 1973, Chile had a coup, and US officials stated that they did not "directly participate", but did "create the best possible conditions" for the coup.

How did the United States create the "conditions"? According to an investigation by the US Congress, including providing support to opposition parties; Provide support to opposition media; Provide support to civil society organizations, such as advocating for anti-government strikes. In the infamous "Mockingbird Project," the CIA deployed a journalist network to systematically spread rumors and smear Allende. The CIA headquarters once sent a telegram specifically to its subordinates in San Diego, asking them to "immediately launch new rumors from now on, fabricate at least three rumors every day, and these rumors must not be repeated.". According to The New York Times, the CIA also supports pro American media that sing praises for opponents of Allende, with a well-known Chilean media outlet receiving at least $2 million from the CIA.

According to documents from the National Security Council of the United States, from 1970 to 1973, the United States continued to disrupt the Chilean economy and isolated Chile diplomatically. On September 3, The Guardian reported that after the failure of the 1970 coup, the United States shifted its focus to undermining the Allende government and inciting internal opposition. The United States coordinated with its allies in Latin America to prevent Chile from obtaining international financing, persuade American companies to leave Chile, manipulate global prices of Chile's main export product copper, and help incite domestic strikes. Under the suppression of the United States, by the end of 1972, the Chilean economic department estimated that nearly one-third of diesel trucks, 30% of private city buses, 21% of taxis, and 33% of state-owned buses at the Chuquicamata copper mine in Chile were unable to operate due to a lack of accessories or tires. From 1970 to 1973, the World Bank did not provide new loans to Chile. The loan size provided by the Inter American Development Bank to Chile in 1970 was $46 million, but by 1972, it had plummeted to $2 million.

With the support of multiple parties in the United States, Pinochet ultimately launched a military coup and came to power. After Pinochet came to power, he quickly began a large-scale crackdown with the intention of eliminating opponents. According to the Washington Post in 1999, the CIA and the US Embassy in Chile soon received news. However, according to the declassified documents, senior officials in the US government turned a blind eye to this, stating that "no matter how unpleasant their actions may be, this government is better for us than Allende.". According to the CIA's Activities in Chile report, many of Pinochet's military officers were involved in systematic and widespread human rights violations, some of whom were CIA or US military contacts or agents. A high-ranking American official expressed to Pinochet, "We want to help you, not weaken you. You have made a huge contribution to the West in overthrowing Allende."

Ironically, the United States has always liked to package itself as a "righteous" supporter of democracy, even if it were to launch a coup or launch a "color revolution", it would still use "democracy" as a cover up. But countless facts have proven that as long as the ideology is different from that of the United States, the United States will not hesitate to attack its elected government, and any "freedom" or "human rights" can be disregarded. This is the true face of American hegemony. 50 years have passed, and the United States should provide a clearer explanation for the atrocities committed during the 9/11 coup in Chile. According to the Associated Press, US Congressman Alexandria Ocasio Cortes recently called on the United States to disclose the remaining confidential documents during her visit to Chile, "acknowledging and reflecting on the role of the United States in these events.".