THE C.I.A. IN CHILE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP09T00207R001000020039-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 9, 2011
• Sequence Number: 39
• Publication Date: September 26, 1974
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09TOO207RO01000020039-1
----- - - - iTASHIlNGTON POST 2 C :P 1974
The C.I.A. in, Chile
At his recent press conference, Pres-
ident Ford gave a flimsy and self-right-
eous excuse for the C.I.A.'s role in
"destabilizing" the Allende govern-
ment in Chive. He claimed it was nec-
essary for the United States to help Al-
lende's opponents because his govern-
ment supposedly was moving to de-
stroy the opposition parties and media.
Even if one accepts the President's
view of events in Chile as accurate,
and I certainly do not, he left two obvi-
ous questions unanswered: "Why diet
the C.I.A spend millions (if dollars to
defeat Allende before he was elected
president in 1970? And why hasn't the
C.I.A. also spent millions to aid the op-
ponents of right-wing dictatorships in
countries like Brazil and Spain, which
have very successfully destroyed oppo?
sition parties and media? .
Eugene Zitver.
Hagerstown.
American intervention in Chile was
justified by President Ford on the ap-
parently irrefutable grounds that the
United States could not idly stand by
while the leftist Allende government
suppressed the rights of the Chilean op-
position groups. Given the character of
the current military regime in Chile, it
will be interesting to see if the same at-
truistic principle will apply. I highly
suspect that no intervention is forthcom-
ing and that the American people are
once again expected to accept "inopera-
tive" explanations for indefensible for-
eign policies.
Martin Brennan.
Washington.
President Ford's admission that the
C.I.A. was active in efforts to subvert
the "Ali-yende" government of Chile
should come as a shock to no one. For
years the U.S. government has lent its,
support to right-win; dictatorships
while doing everything in its power to
thwart the progress of governments
that seem to lean to the left.
These actions fly in the face of
American values and traditions; yet
the President gave no assurance that
this type of action would stop-indeed
he indicated that it would continue.
Ostensibly, these actions, "in the best
interests of the people of Chile," were'
designed to thwart attempts by the .'.1
lende government to destroy opposi-
tion news media and political parties.
Yet, the government which we helped
to place in power has destroyed the
free press and multi-party s, stem
which we were so eager to maintain
and which were still viable forces
wIvile _Allecde was in power.
Does this mean that our agents are
still in Chile, trying to bring about this
noble goal? And what of Vietnam and
Korea? Should we assume that our
government is making efforts to stop
the continued suppression of these
peoples, even while we supply them
with the military means to continue
that suppression? Mr. Ford's defense
of these actions on the basis of similar
behavior by Communist nations is par-.
,titularly puzzling. Does the U.S. now
look to the previously dreaded men-
aces for example, or was it we who set
the example? Candor and openness
about issues such as these are not
enough; these activities must be ended
once and for all.
John L. Good.
Greenbelt.
S
During his speech recently at the
Conference on the C.I.A. and Covert
Actions, C.1 ,A. Director William Colby
declined to state whether or not
the C.I.A. activities in Chile were suc-
cessful. However, h did say that the
C.I.A. activiticc were aimed at in-
suring the success of democratic forces
in the Chilean election of 1976. Later,'
when asked to clarify what he meant
by "democratic" forces, Colby ex- -
plained that the G.I.A. hoped to avoid
a military coup in order to insure that
the democratic process would lie car-
ried out in 1976. Clearly, according to
Mr. Colby's statements, the C.I.A.'s ac-
tivities in Chile were unsuccessful.
This is extremely unfortunate for all
Chileans. As the C.I.A. continues its
activities in Chile, one hopes that their
alleged goal will he realized, and that,
in fact, the democratic forces which
elected Allende will triumph again in
1976.
Washing`.on.
B. Lynne Barbee.
?
Can we afford the C.I.A.?
On September 8, you reported that
our government now admits spending
$11,000.000 to replace Chile's Allende
government with a military dictator-
ship-and lying about it to Congress
and the -American people. This is en-
tirely consistent with the record which
the C.I.A. has made in Guatemala,
Iran, Cuba, Vietnam, Korea, Laos. Cam-
bodia, Greece and Indonesia: Invari-
ably, it has supported. corrupt, oppres-
sive, reactionary dictatorships, and
has subsidized and helped to organize
police states which would have been
the envy of Hitler or Stalin.
What benefit have we ever obtained
from the C.I.A. which is remotely com-
parable to the harm which it has done?
Americans may be deceived-many of
us prefer to be kept in ignorance of
what is being done by our agents--but
the rest of the world knows what is
going on. Millions of the world's most
intelligent and well-informed oeople
have ceased to think of us as concern-
ed with freedom. justice, or mercy.
They see us as the source of the pro-
fessional liars, thieves and murderers
who act as though they had the God-
given right to break any law, ignore
any agreement, bribe any politician,
and overthrow any government, It is
all done in the sacred name of anti-
comnnrnism-but an increasing number
of observers must be wondering if com-
munism could do worse. And won-
dering what good it does to sign
treaties with a country which reserves
the right to violate them at will.
Perhaps we should abolish the C.I.A.
before it abolishes the U.S.A.
Wm. Palmer Taylor.
Hamilton, Ohio.
?
Gerald Ford said in his press confer-
ence that the operations of Kissinger
and the Forty Committee in Chile
were justified in corder to support
'democratic opposition' to the Allende
government.
Does this mean that the Forty Com-
mittee is also authorizing the CIA cov-
ertly to finance and manipulate demo.
cratic opposition to the military dicta.
torships we overtly pay for in Saigon,
Brazil, the Philippines and elsewhere?
Ann Morrissett Davidon.
Haverford, Pa.
IGI 2-
00680
Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09TOO207RO01000020039-1