In 1999, President Bill Clinton, with the strong support of his Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, "ordered national security agencies to review for declassification documents that shed light on human rights abuses and other acts of political violence in Chile between 1968 and 1990"
(Link). Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D) of New York sponsored a bill to do just that, and amazingly it passed, becoming known as the
"INTELLIGENCE AUTHORIZATION ACT of 2000".
While never reported on Daily Kos, to my knowledge and with diligent search, the CIA, despite the protestations of then-CIA Director George Tenet, coughed up a lot of documents, and a report was produced. This report can be found at the U.S. State Department Freedom of Information Act Reading Room, as well as on the servers of the CIA itself!
With controversies on fair elections in Mexico and the United States in the news right now, we need to learn about U.S. government crimes against democratic process, made IN THEIR OWN WORDS. Maybe it was things like this that made the GOP and the Right hate Bill Clinton so much. Here's what you should have known six years ago....
Given the nature of electoral controversies in both Mexico and the United States, it is essential that we understand the track record of the United States in undermining democracies. The coup in Chile in the 1970s was a text book case, involving secrets held within the government, CIA black propaganda, recruitment of officers abroad, pay offs, kidnappings, arming of groups, subversion and manipulation of the electoral process, involvement by U.S. telecommunications companies, and the overthrow of elected governments.
I will heavily excerpt, bolding statements or sections I find especially important or revealing. I strongly recommend everyone go and read this report for themselves; it is not too long. Use either the State Department link or the CIA link, "CIA Activities in Chile".
In the CIA's own summary of Chilean activities, they minimized their culpability, maintaining they did not assassinate Allende; they may have supported the junta, but did not help Pinochet become President; and finally, admitting that CIA agents or military agents were involved in human rights abuses, but that CIA personnel used "then-current guidance for reporting such abuses and admonished its Chilean agents against such behavior".
The bulk of the report, however, is a damning brief, detailing many years of U.S. subversion of a democratic Latin American country. As you read the following, think of what you read, and have read, about Mexico in the press. The same could go for the electoral situation in the United States. (The next hot situation, primed for U.S./CIA intervention, is Cuba.)
In fact, the actions detailed herein represent a prima facie case of symptomatic behavior such that one can strongly suspect the United States of such behavior abroad and at home. (When you have time, read about the U.S. influence in the recent Iraq elections, or go back and study CIA influence in the 1948 Italian general election.)
The CIA and Chilean Democracy
At the direction of the White House and interagency policy coordination committees, CIA undertook the covert activities described below. There were sustained propaganda efforts, including financial support for major news media, against Allende and other Marxists. Political action projects supported selected parties before and after the 1964 elections and after Allende's 1970 election.
Sounds innocent enough, kinda, huh? Let's look at their list:
In April 1962, the "5412 Panel Special Group" --- a sub-cabinet body charged with reviewing proposed covert actions --- approved a proposal to carry out a program of covert financial assistance to the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) to support the 1964 Presidential candidacy of Eduardo Frei.
....
In December 1963, the 5412 Group agreed to provide a one-time payment to the Democratic Front, a coalition of three moderate to conservative parties, in support of the Front's Presidential campaign.
In April 1964, the 5412 Group approved a propaganda and political action program for the upcoming September 1964 Presidential election.
....
In 1967, the CIA set up a propaganda mechanism for making placements in radio and news media.
....
In the runup to the 1970 Presidential elections, the 40 Committee directed CIA to carry out "spoiling operations" to prevent an Allende victory.
OK. You've heard all this before. But not as an offical statement of the U.S. government. -- But it gets better (or rather, worse).
As part of a "Track I" strategy to block Allende from taking office after the 4 September election, CIA sought to influence a Congressional run-off vote required by the Constitution because Allende did not win an absolute majority.
As part of a "Track II" strategy, CIA was directed to seek to instigate a coup to prevent Allende from taking office.
Saddam Hussein is on trial. How come no one has been tried for the crime of instigating a coup in a foreign country?
CIA Arms the Coup Plotters, Abets Kidnapping of Army Officer
Under "Track II" of the strategy, CIA sought to instigate a coup to prevent Allende from taking office after he won a plurality in the 4 September election and before, as Constitutionally required because he did not win an absolute majority, the Chilean Congress reaffirmed his victory. CIA was working with three different groups of plotters. All three groups made it clear that any coup would require the kidnapping of Army Commander Rene Schneider, who felt deeply that the Constitution required that the Army allow Allende to assume power. CIA agreed with that assessment. Although CIA provided weapons to one of the groups, we have found no information that the plotters' or CIA's intention was for the general to be killed. Contact with one group of plotters was dropped early on because of its extremist tendencies. CIA provided tear gas, submachine-guns and ammunition to the second group. The third group attempted to kidnap Schneider, mortally wounding him in the attack. CIA had previously encouraged this group to launch a coup but withdrew support four days before the attack because, in CIA's assessment, the group could not carry it out successfully.
....
Although CIA did not instigate the coup that ended Allende's government on 11 September 1973, it was aware of coup-plotting by the military, had ongoing intelligence collection relationships with some plotters, and --- because CIA did not discourage the takeover and had sought to instigate a coup in 1970 --- probably appeared to condone it.
Yeah, I'd goddamn say that was how it appeared. Maybe it was the submachine guns. Maybe it was because only a paragraph before the CIA was said to have CIA had "encouraged" a group "to launch a coup". -- REMEMBER! Everything you are reading is an official U.S. report, instigated by President Clinton and ordered by Congress. This is not an article from Raw Story, Granma, Counterpunch, or Wayne Madsen Reports (for those who eschew one or more of these sites).
Within a year after the coup, the CIA and other US Government agencies were aware of bilateral cooperation among regional intelligence services to track the activities of and, in at least a few cases, kill political opponents. This was the precursor to Operation Condor, an intelligence-sharing arrangement among Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay established in 1975.
The document goes on to give much more supporting evidence. I will give only one more example (because otherwise you will click out of this diary as too long), re the involvement of U.S. telecommunications companies in the destabilization of Chilean democracy.
The company was International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT). Are you surprised? Here's what the report says:
As early as the 1964 Chilean Presidential election, American businessmen with interests in Chile had offered to provide the CIA with funds to prevent Allende from being elected. All of these early offers were rejected.
In early 1970 a [CIA] Station officer was contacted by a United States businessman employed by International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT) urging the US government to provide financial support to one of Allende's opponents, Jorge Alessandri. The Station provided the businessman the name of an individual who could securely funnel ITT funds to Alessandri.
Several months later another ITT representative approached the CIA in Washington to probe whether CIA would accept funds from his company and channel them to the Alessandri campaign. He was told that CIA could not receive and transfer funds to Alessandri on behalf of a private firm. The CIA also told him that, although the US Government was most anxious about a possible Allende victory, it was not supporting any specific candidate in the election. As occurred several months earlier, however, the Station provided this businessman advice on how to funnel ITT funds securely to Alessandri.
After Allende's election and before his inauguration, the CIA, under 40 Committee direction, made an effort --- in coordination with the Embassy in Santiago --- to encourage Chilean businesses to carry out a program of economic disruption.
This portion is good example of the Star Wars quote, viz. "Move along, nothing to see here." The CIA admits they helped ITT funnel money to an Allende opponent, but then state they were uncommitted in that election!
Everywhere you look: lies, obfuscation, crimes, cover-up, limited admissions followed by tons more lies and cover-up.
To be a true democrat and citizen, one must become informed. Without an informed electorate, the elections mean nothing. Ignorance is a greater threat than Diebold. I hope everyone on this site will read this and apply its lessons to a greater understanding of what is at stake in our fight against those who would undermine our democracy.
UPDATE
Okay, not so much an update, as an important addition... on the role of President Nixon. I really, really meant to put this in on first draft, but got in a rush. Anyway, as the U.S. Government reports:
On 15 September President Nixon informed the DCI that an Allende regime in Chile would not be acceptable to the United States. He instructed the CIA to prevent Allende from coming to power or unseat him and authorized $10 million for this purpose. The President specifically directed that this action be carried out by the CIA without advising the Departments of State or Defense or the U.S. Ambassador in Chile. In response to Nixon's direction, CIA took a variety of actions, including making overtures to the military of a foreign government to request its insights, forwarding worldwide propaganda information for placement in local media, initiating efforts to promote public opposition to Allende among leading newspapers such as El Mercurio, and contacting a Catholic layman who was in touch with Church leaders in Chile to influence their attitudes toward Allende. Station officers increased contacts with Chilean military officers. Frei was also encouraged to use his influence with the military and encourage officers to consider forming a new government before Congress elected Allende President.
Elsewhere, the report states:
According to the Church Committee report, in their meeting with CIA Director Richard Helms and Attorney General John Mitchell on 15 September 1970 President Nixon and his National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, directed the CIA to prevent Allende from taking power. They were "not concerned [about the] risks involved," according to Helms' notes. In addition to political action, Nixon and Kissinger, according to Helms's notes, ordered steps to "make the economy scream."
Ah... there they all are: Helms, Mitchell, Nixon, and Kissinger, the Tenet, Gonzalez, Bush, Cheney of their time!