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Arrian
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Kneel before Grog!
Jul 2001 time: 00:27
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quote: By GEORGE GEDDA, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - When a student asked Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) about the 1973 military coup in Chile, the retired general turned diplomat made no secret of his deep misgivings about the U.S. role in that upheaval.
"It is not a part of American history that we're proud of," Powell said, quickly adding that reforms instituted since then make it unlikely that the policies of that Cold War era will be repeated.
The matter might have ended there had not Washington operative William D. Rogers taken notice of Powell's televised comment. Rogers served under Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in 1975-76 as the department's top official on Latin America and maintains a professional relationship with Kissinger.
In a highly unusual move, the State Department issued a statement that put distance between the department and its top official. The statement asserted that the U.S. government "did not instigate the coup that ended Allende's government in 1973" — a reference to the elected president, Salvador Allende.
Rogers was concerned that Powell's comment was reinforcing what he called "the legend" that the Chile coup was a creation of a Kissinger-led cabal working in league with Chilean military officers opposed to Allende. He called the department legal office to point out that there was a pending law suit against the government and Powell's comment was not helpful.
"I also called Kissinger," said Rogers. "I talked to him about it. I wouldn't say he was upset. ... I told Henry I think this is bad stuff. It doesn't help the U.S. legal position."
Rightly or wrongly, Kissinger has been linked to the coup that brought Gen. Augusto Pinochet (news - web sites)'s military government to power.
Rogers said the Chilean military acted not because the United States urged it to do so, "but because they believed that had the Allende regime continued much longer, Chilean liberties would be irretrievably lost."
Peter Kornbluh, a student of Latin American issues, whose book, "The Pinochet File," will be released in September, disputed Rogers' account. "The U.S. government carried out a clear effort to undermine and destabilize Allende's ability to govern, creating the climate necessary for a coup to take place," Kornbluh said.
Rogers insists Kornbluh overstates the case. "Climate is one thing. Instigating a military attack on the civilian regime is quite another."
Kornbluh said the perceived U.S. role in Chile did not end with the coup. He added that the U.S. government helped the Pinochet regime consolidate its power with overt and covert support, "despite the full knowledge of its atrocities."
The notion of Nixon administration involvement in the post-Sept. 11, 1973, period was reinforced last November when 11 residents of Chile filed a complaint against Kissinger and the U.S. government seeking damages for deaths and other rights abuses by the Pinochet government.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, also names Michael Townley, a U.S.-born former Chilean intelligence agent.
Under the long-standing rules, Rogers said Kissinger's role as defendant is assumed by the U.S. government on grounds that Kissinger was not acting as an individual but was carrying out government policy.
Rogers said his main concern is not the court proceeding but the perception that the U.S. government was working hand in hand with Pinochet and his allies to oust Allende.
"The accusation that the U.S. is morally, legally or factually responsible for the coup is a canard," he said. "This is the issue raised by Powell's comment."
The State Department statement that the U.S. government "did not instigate" the coup is more in line with Rogers' view than with Powell's.
As for the suit against Kissinger and the U.S. government, the plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages "in excess of $11 million" for rights abuses committed in the post-coup period. They also asked for punitive damages in an amount "at least twice the compensatory damages."
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EDITOR'S NOTE — George Gedda has covered foreign affairs for The Associated Press since 1968.
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Not a catchy thread title, I'll admit, but I found this article interesting on a couple of different levels. Comment as you see fit.
-Arrian
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Bereta_Eder
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It would be interesting to have more Latin American posters here instead of them going to the spanish forum...
About that never happening again, a question and a name: Venezuela?
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South killer
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That is just another example of what usa has done, not only in Chile, but in many others parts of the world. For example, in argentina the military junta that started the falklands war was helped by usa to get to power.
The same has done usa in cuba (batista), in Irak (Guess who placed saddam in power???) and in many other places. During the '60 ,'70 and '80 USA implemented in latin america the ''national security progamme'' or something like that, that wasn't nothing more that aiding all military dictators in all latin american countries. There was even a period in which ALL (Yes i said ALL)latin american countries from Argentina to Mexico including brazil, chile, uruguay, etc. had a dictator placed or aided by USA. That's why i'm not anti-american, but anti american foreign policy. The american people has to wake up and realise that all the stories your government tells you are LIES, excuses to plant dictators, organise wars, and steal other countries.
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Joseph
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Ca. USA
Feb 2000 time: 21:27
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quote: Originally posted by South killer
That is just another example of what usa has done, not only in Chile, but in many others parts of the world. For example, in argentina the military junta that started the falklands war was helped by usa to get to power.
The same has done usa in cuba (batista), in Irak (Guess who placed saddam in power???) and in many other places. During the '60 ,'70 and '80 USA implemented in latin america the ''national security progamme'' or something like that, that wasn't nothing more that aiding all military dictators in all latin american countries. There was even a period in which ALL (Yes i said ALL)latin american countries from Argentina to Mexico including brazil, chile, uruguay, etc. had a dictator placed or aided by USA. That's why i'm not anti-american, but anti american foreign policy. The american people has to wake up and realise that all the stories your government tells you are LIES, excuses to plant dictators, organise wars, and steal other countries. |
In 1938, the USA was 13th in world Power. That right 12 other countries had more power than we did. The US did very little in Central and South America until after W.W.II. We did help Panama gain freedom from Colombia and we sent the Marines to Guatemala in 1923? That is about it. Your anti-American attitude is showing.
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Chilean President™
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Viña del Mar, CHILE
Feb 2001 time: 00:27
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Lo sé South, tarde o temprano pasaría.. pero deja que esto paso hace milenios.. y no estoy apoyando a Pinochet, sino que.. bueno es complicado. Allende hizo cosas muy malas también, el problema es que fuera de Chile eso no se sabe ya que lo han mitificado. 
You're way wrong about "Allende's economic policies", he believe that every industry, corporation, bank or whatever should be on the hand of the state (obviously cause he was a communist), but the actual economic situation of Chile is thanks to the reforms of Hernan Büchi (minister of Economics) and Jose Miguel Piñera (also in M.o.E.) who took the economic model of Friedman (el monetarismo.. don't know the name in english) and build the new open market economy, during the military government.
Allende maybe was a good man, but he commit a lot of mistakes. In social welfare, economics and even civil rights (he wanted to ban the right-wings parties).
Again, a dictatorial government isn't good, but if you compare Castro's Cuba to the Pinochet administration you will find that in one hand Cuba is after 50 year a dictatorship and Chile have democracy again after a free election under the Pinochet Adm., Cuba have a underdeveloped economy meanwhile Chile is signing free trade agreements with the US, Japan, UE and Korea (well the FTA with the US could be sign in a really long time due to the Chilean refuse to the war )
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