{"id":47142,"date":"2014-09-08T12:00:09","date_gmt":"2014-09-08T11:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=47142"},"modified":"2015-05-05T21:30:38","modified_gmt":"2015-05-05T20:30:38","slug":"the-other-911","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2014\/09\/the-other-911\/","title":{"rendered":"The Other 9\/11"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI don’t see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist because of the irresponsibility of its own people.\u201d<\/em>
\n— Henry Kissinger<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The last known photograph of Allende alive, La Moneda Palace, 1 April 1973. Photograph: Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n

Ten days after the Salvador Allende government was overthrown in a Sept. 11, 1973, coup in Chile, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jack Kubisch told the House Subcommittee on Inter-American Affairs: “Gentlemen, I wish to state as flatly and as categorically as I possibly can that we did not have advance knowledge of the coup.”<\/p>\n

Information made available in roughly 5,000 documents declassified in 1999 told a vastly different — yet sadly predictable (for those paying even an iota of attention) — story.<\/p>\n

For those of you still<\/em> wondering \u201cwhat\u2019s really going on\u201d in places like Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, etc., it might help to learn some history.<\/p>\n

“Hammer and sickle stamped on their foreheads”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Salvador Allende, a physician by trade and nominally a social democrat reformer, first gained worldwide attention when he came within 3 percent of winning Chile\u2019s 1958 presidential election. Six years later, the United States decided to not leave such elections to chance. It was time to introduce the Chilean people to Democracy\u2122, American-style.<\/p>\n

The U.S. government, mostly through the covert efforts of the Central Intelligence Agency, spent more money per capita to support Allende\u2019s opponent, Eduardo Frei, than Lyndon Johnson and Barry Goldwater combined to spend that same year in the American presidential election.<\/p>\n

With an estimated $20 million of U.S. taxpayer money to work with, the CIA embarked on a program of anti-communist propaganda and disinformation designed to scare Chilean citizens — specifically mothers — into believing that an Allende victory would result in direct Soviet control of their country and their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo religious activity would be possible,\u201d they were told. Their children, hammer and sickle stamped on their foreheads, would be shipped to the USSR to be used as slaves, the radio and newspapers direly warned.<\/p>\n

The scare tactics worked.<\/p>\n

While Allende won the male vote by a small margin, 469,000 more Chilean women chose Frei. Cleverly manipulated to fear the \u201cblood and pain\u201d of \u201cgodless, atheist communism,\u201d the mothers of Chile voted against the man who promised to \u201credistribute income and reshape the \u2026 economy\u201d through the nationalization of some major industries (like copper mining) and the expansion of agrarian reform.<\/p>\n

A far cry from Leninism, Allende\u2019s policy of \u201ceurocommunism,\u201d i.e., communists linking with social democratic parties into a united front, was for the most part, as unacceptable to the Kremlin as it was to the White House. But who needs reality when there are nation-states to own?<\/p>\n

\u201cMake the economy scream\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When the 1970 Chilean presidential election rolled around, Salvador Allende was still a major player and, despite another wave of U.S.-funded propaganda, he was elected president of South America\u2019s longest functioning democracy on Sept. 4, 1970.<\/p>\n

However, he had a new and powerful enemy: Dr. Henry Kissinger.<\/p>\n

The 40 Committee was formed with Kissinger as chair. The goal was not only to save Chile from its irresponsible populace but to yet again stave off the Red Tide\u2122.<\/p>\n

\u201cChile is a fairly big place, with a lot of natural resources,\u201d explains Noam Chomsky, \u201cbut the United States wasn\u2019t going to collapse if Chile became independent. Why were we so concerned about it? According to Kissinger, Chile was a \u2018virus\u2019 that would \u2018infect\u2019 the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

At a Sept. 15, 1970, meeting called to halt the spread of infection, Kissinger and President Nixon told CIA Director Richard Helms it would be necessary to \u201cmake the [Chilean] economy scream.\u201d While allocating at least $10 million to assist in sabotaging Allende\u2019s presidency, outright assassination was also considered a serious and welcome option.<\/p>\n

The respect held by the Chilean military for the democratic process led Kissinger to pick as his first assassination target not Allende himself, but General Rene Schneider, head of the Chilean Armed Forces. Schneider, it seems, had long believed that politics and the military should remain discrete. Despite warnings from Helms that a coup might not be possible in such a stable democracy, Kissinger urged the plan to proceed.<\/p>\n

When the killing of Schneider only served to solidify Allende\u2019s support, a CIA-sponsored media blitz similar to that of 1964 commenced. Citizens were faced with daily \u201creports\u201d of Marxist atrocities and Soviet bases supposedly being built in Chile. U.S. threats to sever economic and military aid were also used to help cultivate a \u201ccoup climate\u201d among those in the military. These two approaches represented the hard and soft lines outlined by Nixon and Kissinger.<\/p>\n

How soft was soft? Edward Korry, U.S. ambassador to Chile at the time, articulated the soft sell by declaring that the U.S. task was \u201cto do all within our power to condemn Chile and the Chileans to utmost deprivation and poverty.\u201d Korry warned, \u201cnot a nut or bolt [will] be allowed to reach Chile under Allende.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the hard side, Dr. Henry began securing support for a possible military coup.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 1970,\u201d wrote historian Howard Zinn, \u201can ITT director, John McCone, who had also been head of the CIA, told Kissinger and Helms that ITT was willing to give $1 million to help the U.S. government in its plans to overthrow the Allende government.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stage was set for a clash of two experiments,\u201d says author William Blum. Allende\u2019s socialism was pitted against what was later called a \u201cprototype or laboratory experiment to test the techniques of heavy financial investment in an effort to discredit and bring down a government.\u201d<\/p>\n

This clash would reach its climax on Sept. 11, 1973.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was nothing but human rights\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The socialist experiment ended in violence on the other 9\/11 and Allende himself was said to have committed suicide \u2026 with a machine gun<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Of course, the U.S. claimed no complicity in or even knowledge of the coup at the time. However, as mentioned above, the State Department\u2019s declassified documents told a far different story.<\/p>\n

For example, a CIA document from the day before the coup stated bluntly, \u201cThe coup attempt will begin Sept. 11.\u201d Ten days later, the Agency announced, \u201csevere repression is planned.\u201d With thousands of opponents of the new regime gathered in soccer stadiums, a Sept. 28 State Department document detailed a request from Chile\u2019s new defense minister for Washington to send an expert advisor on detention centers.<\/p>\n

Allende was dead. In his place, the people of Chile now faced brutal repression and human rights violations, book burnings, a powerful secret police, and more than 3,000 executions. Tens of thousands more were tortured and\/or disappeared. Shortly after the coup, U.S. economic and military aid once again began to flow into Chile.<\/p>\n

The man in charge of all this was General Augusto Pinochet, a man Dr. Kissinger could really get behind. \u201cIn the United States, as you know, we are sympathetic to what you are trying to do,\u201d Kissinger told the Chilean dictator in 1975. \u201cWe wish your government well.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy evaluation,\u201d he continued to Pinochet, \u201cis that you are the victim of all the left-wing groups around the world and that your greatest sin was that you overthrew a government that was going communist.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCut out the political science lectures\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Later that same year, when facing a roomful of Chilean diplomats concerned about the effect Pinochet\u2019s human rights violations might have on world opinion, Henry was in top form: \u201cWell, I read the briefing paper for this meeting and it was nothing but human rights. The State Department is made up of people who have a vocation for the ministry. Because there were not enough churches for them, they went into the Department of State.\u201d<\/p>\n

Was Kissinger really that concerned with the minor nationalization of industry proposed by Salvador Allende or were other forces at work here?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how the CIA saw it three days after Allende won the election: \u201cThe United States has no vital national interests within Chile. The world military balance of power would not be significantly altered by an Allende government. [But] an Allende victory would represent a definite psychological advantage for the Marxist idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven Kissinger, mad as he is, didn\u2019t believe that Chilean armies were going to descend on Rome,\u201d says Chomsky. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t going to be that kind of an influence. He was worried that successful economic development, where the economy produces benefits for the general population — not just profits for private corporations — would have a contagious effect. In those comments, Kissinger revealed the basic story of U.S. foreign policy for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n

Accordingly, in 1974, when the new U.S. ambassador to Chile, David Popper, complained about Chile\u2019s human rights violations, Dr. Kissinger promptly sent these orders: \u201cTell Popper to cut out the political science lectures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shift happens<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Land of the Free\u2122 will remain free\u2122 to follow this fundamental interventionist blueprint as long as its willingly distracted citizens are content to share ice bucket memes on social media rather than participating in the hard work of creating a more just society.<\/p>\n

Whether or not activists will ever mount a serious threat to U.S. hegemony and propaganda remains to be seen. One thing is certain, however: Without such organizing, action, and sacrifice, there will be many more wars and interventions and many more lies told to obscure the truth about them.<\/p>\n

#shifthappens<\/p>\n

______________________________<\/p>\n

Mickey Z. is the author of 12 books, most recently\u00a0Occupy this Book: Mickey Z. on Activism<\/a>. Until the laws are changed or the power runs out, he can be found on the Web here<\/a>. Anyone wishing to support his activist efforts can do so by\u00a0making a donation here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a9WorldNewsTrust.com — Share and re-post this story. Please include this copyright notice and\u00a0a link to World News Trust.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Go to Original \u2013 worldnewstrust.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sep. 11, 1973: \u201cI don\u2019t see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist because of the irresponsibility of its own people.\u201d \u2014 Henry Kissinger. Allende was dead. In his place, the people of Chile now faced brutal repression and human rights violations, book burnings, a powerful secret police, and more than 3,000 executions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[197],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-special-feature"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47142\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}