Well, here we are at the anniversary of another great American tragedy.
No, I'm not talking about the infamous 9/11 that will come to most people's minds. That one no doubt will have been more than adequately written and talked about today. No, I’m instead talking about of one of the many, tragically sad, viciously immoral incidents perpetrated by a shadow government against a sovereign nation and its citizens.
For today — 9/11/2023 — is the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Chilean coup.
This regime change coup, as so many others, was CIA-engineered and enabled; and it was targeted against the moderate socialist Salvador Allende, the democratically elected President of Chile from 1970 until his death during the coup.
Even before that coup, the CIA was actively meddling in Chilean electoral politics. Declassified documents show that from 1962 through 1964, the CIA spent a total of $2.6 million to finance the campaign of Eduardo Frei and another $3 million in anti-Allende propaganda "to scare voters away from Allende's FRAP coalition". The CIA considered its role in the victory of Frei a great success.
The 1973 coup not only took his life, but also that of thousands of other innocent people; and resulted in the brutal torture and/or rape of tens of thousands of others. It was followed by 17 years of one of the world’s most brutal and tyrannical military dictatorships, not to mention the infamous secret international kidnapping, torture, and assassination ring called Operation Condor, which included the national-security establishments of the U.S., Chile and other rightwing Latin American military dictatorships, that had begun in 1968.
Operation Condor was the US-initiated campaign of political repression and terrorism involving covert operations and CIA-backed coups (at least 7, including the one against Allende), as well as assassinations of leftist and socialist leaders in South America from 1968 to 1989.
Some 60,000 deaths, 10s of thousands 'disappeared', and 400,000 imprisoned. have been attributed to this operation.
In writing of this, I'm not dismissing the tragic loss of lives from the Sept.11, 2001 terror attack; nor its tragic aftermath of further erosion of the Constitution that continues to worsen, to this very day.
And I suppose it shouldn't be surprising to me that this earlier 9-11 has been so easily swept as dust into the memory hole of most Americans. For it was done supposedly in our name .... and certainly with our taxes. More importantly, as with the present day media's willful hiding of the facts of U.S. meddling in the Mideast, E. Europe, and elsewhere, it's not as if the CIA’s role in this, and in all the anti-democratic carnage in S. and Central America, was brought much to a broader public awareness. Only when it was safely in the distant past was any of this malfeasance- any accounting of these crimes- acknowledged publicly.
Perhaps if it were not so easily kept from memory, those who today turn a blind eye or actually cheer-lead U.S.-engineered regime-change coups (such as in Ukraine, 2014), might suddenly connect the dots to the long history of such 'interventions' and meddling that we've done in virtually every nation on the planet since the end of WWII. ~RH
Thanks for reminding us of the other 9/11. Back then it seemed like a passing event in a distant country. Much of the detail simply went unmentioned with some cover narratives to obscure the current reality. There was no Internet to potentially inform the American people of the reality. Today's US meddling is vulnerable to exposure via the Internet, so virtual mountains of lies, obfuscations and innuendo leveled against truth tellers are heaped upon the public mind to obscure, confuse and intimidate. With respect to the latest atrocity, the US provoked coup de tat and proxy war in Ukraine, these narrative tactics seem to be working quite well. Perhaps a decade or two down the line folks will understand what really happened to that hapless nation, but by then as with Chile it will be a bit too late.
Heartily agree about need for transparency & accountability. I went to Accra, Ghana in fall,1982, so missed the first CIA-financed coup against Rawlings PNDC regime - however, over next 2 years, lived through 4 CIA-financed coups. I know that because the third one was run by the former finance minister in the Leman government.; he was my next door neighbour & had had the same economics professors, I had at UNB, albeit a decade plus earlier.(the rest of my time in Ghana, I helped out his wife, he spent the remainder of my time there in jail).
Each of these coups were foiled by the PNDC regime, last was slaughtered on the beach in May, 1984. However, it was the 4th attempt which underlined the destructive aspect of these overthrows our high commission was a former stable, with thick exterior concrete walls; but we were right across the street from Ghana broadcasting - which is target number three in coup plotters planning; after seat of government; and police; one wants the telecoms before taking on the military. We were ending 22 years of participation in the Ghanian military College - a good cooperation, if you look at the past 4 decade of Canadian UN actions; numerous times in UN interventions we headed, the Deputy head was Ghanian, and contributed mightily to any success. A Brigadier General had been dispatched for the handover; we were at the airport to see him off when the 4th coup attempt started. We booted back to the High Commission, so we could let Lagos know the General would be late for the next stop on his tour. We were in the secure area, & while the General & the High Commissioner worked out the exchange with Lagos; & I was contacting staff on the secure radio system Ottawa had provided us, to ensure everyone was safe (once a week radio check). One (an old Africa hand, the HCs secretary, as usual, had her radio off - I went out to the front reception to call her on the phone. I just got through to when a howitzer shell landed 15-20 ft off the front door of the HC.
1/4 turn of a mortar firing mechanism & we would’ve all been dead. We got the general out later that afternoon when the airport reopened; And the following day with the High C Oh admin, I’ve only had one Africa and I wanna go back to commission secretary. She’s been sent home the call back because the opposition came to power ommissioners agreement and collaboration on some talking points; then went over to the American number two, who was also an old African hand. He understood immediately what I wanted as I made my points. - he took pen to hand and took detailed notes (would love to see that report❗️). Context is critical here, Americans had financed coup which overthrew Kwame Nkrumah back in 1964-5, with senior military complicity. They were always target in any coup as a result…. but Rawlings survived these 5 attempts 7 actually returned to compete under the Constitution in a presidential election - & won about four years later - he won the Presidency, twice. Its very much of note that Ghana today is listed as a full democracy on the US Freedom House list of democratic governance worldwide - higher than the US itself, with its history of voter suppression, discrimination, and a deliberate attempt by a former President to overthrow a legitimately elected government as confirmed by 61 court actions— still unaddressed by the courts 3 1/2 years later.. US sits on the list as a partial democracy today.
That’s one example of where the US needs to look at accountability; this was major cost for the Ghanaians. Similarly, first successful CIA coup attempt was in 1948 in Peru. There were three others there which brought back oligarchs & an elite minority to power, the last in 1968. Yet in December 2022, the indigenous President Pedro Castillo, - just elected President, US troops were in country & assisted oligrachs/elite to again overthrough a legitimately, elected indigenous President. Apparently, Canada was complicit in this as our ambassador also asked that US troops ensure the safety of mines. US troops were in the country from before Covid, and contributed directly to the problems Peru had with Covid - it has the highest COVID death rate in the world, currently sitting at 7,000/million. No surprise, since US has 11th worst record in the world with 3,730/million (i.e., 200 nations had better results😱) UK was 15 th worst, Canada was 74th worst in world at 1,600 deaths/million.
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