It's sort of an odd thing for an American to be abroad and see demonstrations and observations on 9/11. We tend to be pretty myopic and unaware of world history, focusing mainly on the contrivances of our own national history.
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Regardless of where one falls on the conspiracy theories of what happened in the US on 9/11/01, a US CIA backed coup did take place on 9/11, twenty-eight years earlier in Chile.
Salvador Allende, for all his faults, was the elected president of the country. In a sense, the CIA had gotten him there. By backing the incumbent, Eduardo Frei Montalva (who couldn't serve consecutive terms), they developed a plan to have Jorge Alessandri Rodriguez elected, after which he would resign. This would provide a "short term", after which the Frei could run in the new election.
What they didn't expect was for Alessandri to let the cat out of the bag prematurely. Before the election was settled, he announced that he'd be resigning after the election if he won. Why? Who knows? This resulted in Allende winning the election.
Because Allende was a socialist (arguably a communist), and apparently took counsel from Castro, the CIA felt threatened by his presidency. Once he was in office, a plot took shape for his ousting.
Chile has always been a sort of odd bird, as far as South America goes. They've had stable governments and a strong economy for most of the last century. Since 1932 they had held democratic elections, and violence in the country was nothing like the political turmoil experienced by their neighbors over the Andes or to the north.
Tension was mounting within the country even as the CIA was plotting Allende's fall. Allende had made some economic blunders and was not following the constitution on other matters. This prompted Chile's Supreme Court to denounce his actions, ordering the Carabineros (Chile national police) to refuse to enforce the government's unconstitutional statutes.
What followed was described by some as the most violent event in Chilean history. This may or may not be true, but Chile had seen war before. Battles and generals are celebrated there like in much of the world.
If you talk to Chileans about what happened, you'll get varied responses. The years that followed were dark for Chile. Some argue that Allende was destroying the democracy and had to be confronted. Others argue that he was the duly elected president and that the coup was tyrannical.
On September 11, 1973, the Chilean Navy took Valparaíso. While the Navy's commander, Admiral Montero, was loyal to Allende, he was cut off from being able in intervene. José Toribio Merino, who was apparently a mastermind of the coup, assumed control of the navy.
Other military leaders were cut off from Allende as well. Augusto Pinochet and Gustavo Leigh, generals of the army and air force, respectively, ignored Allende's efforts to contact them. The stage was set for the military to take over the duly elected government.
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Allende refused to resign, which would have likely de-escalated the situation immediately. Eventually, seeing no way out, he announced to the nation what was happening and bid them farewell, still refusing to resign. That afternoon, with the military surrounding the palace, Allende shot himself. While there was speculation that he was assassinated, it wasn't until years later that evidence was provided to support this claim. Still, the truth seems to elude us. Such is the way of government intrigue.
What followed was a sweeping effort to eliminate all things Allende. Leftists were hunted down and killed or disappeared. Over the next three years about 130,000 were arrested.
Over the next fifteen years, much happened to stabilize the country, even in the face of incredible atrocity. The economic boon Chile enjoys is a legacy of this time period. It can be argued that their relatively stable government is as well. It does appear that the libertarian influence Chile is known for, however much it's deteriorating today, was incubated into the 80s.
The coup of Allende and subsequent killings, arrests and tortures have caused a great deal of division in the country. Many refuse to even talk about it. Those who do are divided. Yes, Allende was the duly elected president. And, yes, he was breaking his vows and acting unconstitutionally.
On the other hand, yes, Pinochet did depose the president and rule the country, to one degree or another, for the next fifteen years. Yes, many were killed, disappeared and arrested. Yet a stability resulted from it when he stepped down in 1988, when he lost the election.
It's understandable that Chileans are reluctant to take a side in this discussion. Many lost family to the Pinochet regime. Yet others see it as a necessary step. I've heard people share that their parents lived in terror during those days. But others didn't, and found it a time of stability where they were (outside of Santiago, I would think).
Today September 11 is commemorated in various ways, from communist parades to celebrations of liberty. In light of the fact that it all involved the state, nothing favorable can be offered for the entire account. Whether Chile would have been better off if Allende had been impeached or otherwise constitutionally deposed, or served his term, remains in doubt. Nobody can know. And I really have no opinion on the matter.
If you ask a Chilean about it, don't be surprised if they simply don't want to discuss it. It's sort of taboo among some. In fact, it seems that the most vocal are those who oppose the coup, including the Marxists and communists to tend to be a loud minority in the country. You can see an ignorant and foolish parade in this video.
I know a man who was personal friends with Pinochet. We haven't talked about it much, but he shares little stories now and then. He does claim that he's a libertarian, though I don't know if Pinochet was. A couple of years ago he said that he had written a book about the rescue of Pinochet, because he'd developed a plan to get him out of Europe (another story). It wasn't ever executed and Pinochet was released. Pinochet just laughed when he shared his plan. In my mind the question remains regarding who this Pinochet really was and what he represented.
Chile enjoys stability today (an ironic comment for a country with so much seismic activity). The Carabineros are reputed to be the most honest and least violent police force in South America, and perhaps the world. Violent crime is low, though petty crime is probably as bad as any other country. Almost everyone is left to live their lives in peace. Is that in some way a fruit of the 9/11 coup, or in spite of it? I'll let you be the judge.
Steemin' on,
Another Joe
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