The Pinochet File: A Declassified Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability

After September 11th 2001 the big question on the mind of American's was, `Why do they hate us?' Although the bloody military coup of Gen. Augusto Pinochet was over 30 years ago (ironically September 11th 1973) the lessons and ramifications still resound today. The main villain of the story is Nixon National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger but more so it's the belief that a purity of ideology trumps all other foreign relations concerns. Kissinger is quoted as saying "We [the United States] set the limits of diversity" and in Chile allowing a democratically elected Socialist to remain in power was unacceptable. The author writes, "This would be the first record of an American president [Nixon] ordering the overthrow of a democratically elected government".I am no fan of neo-conservativism but one aspect of the movement I can appreciate is the desire to merge foreign policy with morality. Whether this has actually occurred is a debate for another book. Kissinger took such an amoral approach to foreign policy with his `realpolitik' that it's no wonder so many people around the world despise the United States. The United States did everything it could, including imposing economic sanctions using the World Bank, financing propaganda and fostering discontent among the military in order to bring down popularly elected president Salvador Allende. The goal was to wreck the economy and create conditions for a right wing takeover. So desperate to destroy Allende were Kissinger and Nixon that the CIA formed a working relationship with Patria y Libertad, a self-proclaimed neo-fascist paramilitary group that engaged in acts of terrorism including bombings who modeled themselves after Hitler's Brownshirts. After the violent coup that cost the lives of thousands of Chileans the U.S. government supported the brutally repressive Pinochet regime by reopening the spigot of foreign money and even selling military hardware while Pinochet's supporters rounded up and executed leftists. Chile wasn't just supported by the U.S. it was favored to the point where it was receiving 80% of all Title I Food for Peace in Latin America and $30 million from AID in housing guarantees compared to $4 million for the rest of Central and South America. Chile became the fifth largest customer of U.S. military weaponry falling just behind Iran.There were at least as many people in government against what the United States was doing as for and the Republican leadership felt compelled to deliver endless and blatant lies to Congress in order to cover up their actions. This was a nasty, filthy piece of work that did incredible damage to the credibility of the United States and its place as a moral guidepost for emerging countries. So now Chile has come full circle with the election of Socialist Veronica Michelle Bachelet Jeria to the presidency. Venezuelian president Hugo Chavez has already learned that the United States still intends to set the limits of diversity with a U.S. backed coup attempt in 2002.This is such an important book and if more American's were aware of history we might be less inclined to automatically blame others and spend more time correcting our own moral failings. When American's remain ignorant they become confused by the anger and resentment of others particularly in South America and the Middle East because people in those regions remember American actions quite well. This is not a blame America book but it is a look at actions that no American should be proud of. Chile is but one example of an amoral U.S. foreign policy and the more American's become aware the more we can improve in the future.

Peter Kornbluh has organized a lucid narrative outlining the methods used by the USA to destabilize the Chilean government.1. The left-leaning Chilean president, Allende, is targeted for being against American hegemony and corporations.2. The CIA funds right-wing military assassins in Chile, and uses propaganda, lies, terror and economic methods to weaken Allende.3. The USA State Department cooperates with the CIA plan to topple Allende.4. Nixon and Kissinger rant privately against Chile as being another Cuba. Cuba had thrown out the corporations and the Mafia.5. Fearfully, not wanting another failed coup as in Cuba, Nixon-Kissinger and The CIA plot with right-wing opponents of Allende.6. Assassination is the quickest method to protect American interests, it is thought.7. Right-wing military chief Pinochet is picked as the new leader who will kill Allende.8. The aftermath of Allende's assassination is messy, but Pinochet takes charge.9. Pinochet shocks some CIA operatives with his bloody coup and continued use of torture and disappearances.10. Some Americans are assassinated and tortured.11. The USA is broached by Pinochet in order to assassinate former Chilean Letellier in Washington D.C.12. Years later, the movie MISSING shows the CIA and State Department as they try to keep their roles secret.13. Using this book as a guideline, we can see recently, in the USA, the right-wing in America using a similar plan of demonizing Obama, attacking Obama, promoting lies and terrorism to promote fear, and causing economic failures to bring about a coup atmosphere against Obama.14. So far, Obama is still in office, but the USA right-wing is still plotting.15. Will the USA right-wing instigate an assassination against Obama?16. Reading THE PINOCHET FILE will allow us to understand what was in Obama's past and what might be in Obama's future.

Kornbluh comes off as an authority on the subject of Pinochet and Chile/US relations during the 70s and 80s. The book is extensively backed up with references and scans of the actual declassified documents. Only criticism is that once in awhile the timeline jumps around a bit so you have to pay attention.

The Pinochet File by Peter Kornbluh is must reading for anyone interested in the relationship of the United States with Latin America! It is based on documents released from the National Security Archive. People ask why do these things happen in Latin America? This book shows that sometimes these things happen because the United States "White House", with the help of the C.I.A., has taken covert action to bring these things about. It forces the reader to ask himself serious questions about democracy and what national governments do covertly.

Really informative book about the Military coup and the involvement of the american government with the intention of removing President Allende from before he was even elected

mano mano che documenti ufficiali vengono desecretati, diventa evidente come lo STATO TERRORISTA per ECCELLENZA sono gli STATES dalle brigate e i nar italiani, passando per le dittature di mezzo mondo, sempre e solo collusioni con delinquentiKISSINGER attore principale come fare a biasimare i palestinesi e le popolazioni arabe che osteggiano questo stato?un dossier agghiacciante milioni di morti per il profitto di un solo uomo: KISSINGER! (oggi il nostro premier cerca di copiarlo)

The book came rapidly and in excellent condition. I haven't yet read it, as I am heavy into school as of yet, but as I expect to graduate soon, my time for reading personal interest books is close at hand. I would definitely purchase more books from this seller in the future. Solid packaging, perfect condition book, rapid arrival.

Especially for US readers, but not exclusively, this book is a significant contribution tounderstanding both the nature of a brutal military regime and the secret role of the US government in the overthrow of a democratically-elected government in the western hemisphere. A must read for academics and the general public

I can't believe this happened and in my lifetime too! Hitler didn't have much on this guy!!!

ótima leitura, recomendo forte. a verdadeira história do papel dos EUA no golpe do Chile. Outro detalhe, a operação Condor narrada sem paixões