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Nixon - Chile

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Silvana Dapueto Micali
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8 views2 pages

Nixon - Chile

Uploaded by

Silvana Dapueto Micali
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Nixon in Chile Latin America came to the forefront of US foreign relations when Nixon had to contend with a democratically elected Marxist president in Chile. In 1970, upon the election of Salvador Allende, it was made clear that the US objective was to keep him from taking office; or, in the worst case scenario, to remove him from power as quickly as possible. US companies had over $1 billion invested in Chile. International Telephone and Telegraph, and the copper conglomerates Anaconda and Kennecott all feared that an Allende presidency would mean nationalization of their companies and the collapse of revenue streams. The United States had intelligence stations in Chile that monitored Soviet submarine fleets and there was fear of a domino effect in South America. Kissinger felt that Chile posed a more serious threat than Cuba as the Marxists in place had been democratically elected in free and lair elections, and ratified by the Chilean congress. The US used both covert operations and economic measures to try 10 oust Allende. From 1970 to 1973, an estimated $10 million was spent in trying to bring about his downlall. To do so, the US: © cut off all economic assistance to Chile, amounting to $70 m © discouraged foreign private investment © opposed international credits and loans from the IME, World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank © tried to disrupt the international copper market (critical to the Chilean economy) © put diplomatic pressure on other Latin American countries to oppose Allende gave money to the opposition used the GIA to bring about a strike of truckers organized a break-in of the Chilean embassy in Washington DC, In reality, the popularity of Allende and his UP had begun to wane. ‘The Chilean military and middle classes strongly opposed his programs for social reform and were willing to take action themselves, The country was in chaos with reforms that were costly and a lack of income to pay for ambitious social programs. In August 1973, Augusto Pinochet was named commander in chief of the Chilean military, sealing the fate of Allende’s administration. On September 11, the navy seized the port of Valparaiso and by 4 p.m. armed forces that stormed the presidemtial palace announced that Allende had committed suicide. With the benefit of hindsight it seems that Chile was headed towards political change with or without US intervention and in that light the covert operations seem like money unnecessarily spent. However, it is significant that the US was willing to go to such lengths to overthrow a democratically elected government. The US embraced the Pinochet regime and enthusiastically supported it as it brutally repressed the opposition and removed all social reforms that had been put in place to assist the poor. But the Nixon administration was soon embroiled in its own affairs, and while covert actions might have been acceptable overseas they were not only immoral but illegal at home. Nixon resigned, facing impeachment, leaving the affairs of Latin America to Gerald Ford until the 1976 elections, The Rockefeller report of August 1969 addressed Latin America and assessed that there was potential for political upheaval and a strong Marxist presence in the region; it therefore made sense to collaborate with military rulers to prevent the spread of communism in the region.

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