CIA Machinations in Chile in 1970

CIA Machinations in Chile in 1970
Reexamining the Record
Kristian C. Gustafson
From Studies in Intelligence, Vol. 47, No. 3, 2003 - Unclassified
Edition
http://www.cia.gov/csi/studies/vol47no3/
Editor's Note: Mr. Gustafson received the Studies in Intelligence
Walter L. Pforzheimer Award for this article in 2002. The prize is given
to the graduate or undergraduate student who submitted the best paper
on an intelligence-related subject during the preceding year.
* * *
From 1970 to 1973, the United States government was involved in
overt and covert actions against the elected government of Chile led by
Marxist Salvador Allende. Unfolding events during these politically
tumultuous years included the death of Chilean Minister of Defense
RenŽ Schneider in October 1970. Ultimately, Allende was overthrown
and replaced by Gen. Augusto Pinochet. The initial history of this
period, recorded in the 1970s and early 1980s, told of a US government
that abused its power and betrayed its principles. Public reaction was
universally negative. This interpretation of events has affected the
conduct and perception of American intelligence activities ever since.
[1]
A generation has now passed and it is time to reexamine this
"accepted" version of events. Recently, the US government posted
thousands of declassified documents to its on-line "Chile Collection."
[2] These newly available resources allow a more candid--and
realistic--look into the actions and thoughts of the CIA agents and

officers involved in those controversial operations. This study focuses
on CIA covert action during the six weeks following Allende's victory
at the polls in mid-September 1970. While the activities of the CIA
may not always be excused, they can at least be better understood.
Genesis
So sure were senior US officials that Salvador Allende and his coalition
would be defeated in the September 1970 election, as he had been three
times previously, that, despite CIA warnings, they were caught
off-guard when he won a plurality. Undeterred by the voters' preference,
President Richard Nixon delivered a clear and forceful Directive calling
for expanded CIA operations in Chile. In the weeks between Allende's
election and his inauguration planned for 3 November, the CIA actively
sought to foment a coup in Chile. Washington was unequivocal about
its desire to keep Allende from power.
American actions against the Allende government occurred in what
Nixon's National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, called the
"Autumn of Crises." [3] The Soviet Union was actively threatening
American national security in several different arenas. Soviet missiles
and technicians had been moved into Egypt. The rest of the Middle
East was in chaos--Israeli attacks against its Arab neighbors were
increasing daily, and Syria had attacked its supposed ally, Jordan. At
the beginning of September, a large Soviet flotilla had arrived in
Cienfuegos, Cuba: There was suspicion that the Soviets had designs on
this harbor as a new submarine base in the Western Hemisphere. At a
more global level, Washington was struggling to maintain momentum
in the negotiations for the first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty.
It was in this framework of global power plays between the Soviet
Union and the United States that the White House had to deal with the
election of a Marxist-oriented government in Chile. On 15 September
1970, President Nixon called Kissinger, Director of Central Intelligence
(DCI) Richard Helms, and Attorney General John Mitchell into the
Oval Office to provide executive guidance for US policy toward Chile
and Allende. William Colby--then Deputy Director, later Director, of
the CIA--noted that "Nixon was furious" and was convinced that an

Allende presidency would ensure the spread of Cuban President Fidel
Castro's communist revolution to Chile and the rest of Latin America.
[4] He wanted to prevent Allende from being inaugurated. The message
he delivered at the meeting reflected his anger. The handwritten
minutes taken by DCI Helms are revealing:
One in 10 chance, perhaps, but save Chile: Worth Spending Not
concerned risks involved No involvement of Embassy $10,000,000
available, more if necessary full-time job--best men we have game plan
make the economy scream 48 hours plan of action. [5]
Helms, understanding the import of the President's statements,
commented: "If I ever carried a marshal's baton in my knapsack out of
the Oval Office, it was that day." [6] The Administration moved
quickly to implement the Presidential Directive. Kissinger was to
oversee the project, which was to be called "Track II" to differentiate it
from the ongoing diplomatic and related efforts to thwart communist
influence in Chile, known as "Track I."
When Allende's candidacy was announced in early 1970, the State
Department had developed a policy to try to dampen Marxist electoral
prospects. This approach--Track I--primarily involved efforts by the US
Ambassador and his diplomatic staff to hinder Allende through the
manipulation of Chilean congressmen and senators within the
framework of the Chilean constitution. At the time, the State
Department made a conscious decision to exclude the CIA from the
planning