US INTERVENTION?

US spent many resources to remove the

Socialism from his backyard

Cristobal
Andrade
Abalos
24/06/2016
Human Rights in
Chile
Prof. Agustn
Julio

mportant to mention that USA had an interventionist attitude from the beginning

of the 20th century about Latin America.

The motivations that took them to go against the Salvador Allende government are
both economic as politicians.
From the economic point of view, American companies were owners of deposits
mining, among the most important were the Anaconda and Kennecott, companies
which made huge profits due to the high demand for the minerals around the world
and also by the low-tax exploitation made to the Chilean State. In 1971 during the
Government of Salvador Allende was the nationalization of the copper, this meant
the nationalization of the copper mining, mining companies were transferred to the
State, Chile agreed to pay a compensation to these American companies. Richard
Nixon was the US President during those times. The nationalization of the copper
by Allende, was an irritating action to Nixon, this is shown in the famous phrase of
him saying we had to hit Chile in the ass, words that demonstrate the
dissatisfaction of one of the most important people in the world due to the situation
that unfolded in the country, show that Chile was a political and economic problem
for American ideologies.
U.S. stands during the 20th century by its economic power, obviously the hit that
shot him, the nationalization of the copper industry caused them to feel that power
in a certain way, was being weakened by a country with a Communist Government.
But it is not in 1971 when begins the concern of the U.S. Government by the
person of Salvador Allende and his radical ideas. For the 1964 election where
competing for the Presidency, Eduardo Frei Montalva, Salvador Allende and Julio
Durn, United States gave economic support to Frei Montalva, an amount
approaching the $ 4 million which were handed over by the CIA through private
companies with the intention of imposing the figure of Frei above Allende. It is
amazing to think that a Government can support with monetary resources to a

candidate from another country by the simple fact that your his container do not
share the same economic and political ideologies.
The fact that America was the greatest defender of capitalism, bothered in
tremendous way the radical reforms that wanted to impose Salvador Allende,
because to achieve these reforms the country should move from a capitalist model
to one Socialist.
Therefore you can see how the U.S, was aware of the political situation that was
living Chile during those years and the possible consequence that a Socialist
Government could be elected in a peaceful and democratic manner.
For the elections of 1970, again run for candidate Salvador Allende, with him, also
involved former President Jorge Alessandri candidate of the national party and
Radomiro Tomic by Christian democracy. Jorge Alessandri received financial
support from the CIA through Agustn Edward, the owner of the newspaper El
Mercurio. You can see how America developed a clandestine support in order to
boost the campaign of a candidate and at the same time attempting to weaken the
contenders through actions that even led to deaths.
We can observe how the elections were based on the help of ideological powers
which, at that time, fought globally to impose ideas about economic and political
development of countries far from its border. Not only US helped economically,
also did the USSR supporting Allende economically in the election that finished
catapulting it to La Moneda.
The cold war was also an important factor, because of this USA will tried to prevent
a socialist candidate arriving to power.
After Salvador Allende won the election, several alarms in the Government were
turn on, USA officially adopted a policy of full intervention in Chile, seeking to
destabilize the power without intervention by the U.S. military.
The media play a key role in the transmission of information to the people,
therefore they are responsible for keeping informed the citizens about what is
happening in the country, this does not mean that the information is always true or

have good intentions. After many years, CIA documents mention the delivery of
more than one million dollars was made to the newspaper El Mercurio, this money
had mainly two objectives, first help to the journal to address the situation of State
intervention in the industry of paper and second, initiate a campaign of terror in
order to create concern in citizenship and increase pressure on the Government of
Allende. US knew that it could not act to face discovered so it needed a means that
would allow them to carry out concrete actions which would militate against the
thought that people had about the work that was developing the UP. In particular
what was sought was discrediting the Government of Salvador Allende, many
times people believe everything they read, no one questions whether there are
other intentions as well as inform, does not stop to reason because they believe
the information, therefore U.S. knew he had a chance to put pressure on the
Government if the people received the message that they wanted to deliver.
The country's economy reflects how the country is developing politically, the
reforms and new thoughts can affect in a good or bad way, to Salvador Allende,
many of the changes that wanted to implement in the country brought about
negative consequences for certain economic sectors. One of the key factors that
helped to destabilize the Socialist Government was the strike of truckers, this was
in 1972, this produced a strong impact on the economy, and truckers blocked
roads and prevented people from supplies like goods and fuels. United States play
a leading role in this matter, now that truck drivers not to work, were not getting any
money, CIA target economic resources to the truckers in order to keep the strike
and cause concern among the masses.
US knew that the tract to remove Allende from power was through the economic
path.
All measures that implemented United States against Salvador Allende's
Government had intended to exhaust the patience of the Chileans, with the
intention to the people realize that socialism would not bring good consequences
for the country.

The strategy was to come in the minds of Chileans and provoke themselves a
revolution that pulled out the Government's power.
US has always been a financial partner to American countries, they went in search
of financing for development, and Chile was no exception during the twentieth
century, during the period of Allende, Chile had trouble getting financing for the
development of the reforms, the USSR was the main ideological and economic
support, but they had their own problems, therefore the Government suffer almost
null international exchange provoking collapse in the entire country every day.
USA was also key in the gestation of the military coup, although the CIA and Nixon
never recognized it, but what was clear is the American influence that was seek to
eliminate socialism in Chile
One should mention two important points, the failure of the Government of
Salvador Allende not only was it due to the intervention of US but it was also for the
sake of carrying out many important reforms in such a short time and without the
necessary support to do so. The intervention of the USA in Chile was product of
Richard Nixon and the CIA, not specifically the US. As we saw after the end of
Allende's Government product of the coup d ' tat, the Presidents who followed
Nixon were very critical of how it had developed such things in Chile and the
consequences.