Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06SANTIAGO2610
2006-12-21 18:46:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Santiago
Cable title:  

MEDIA REACTION - PINOCHET AND THE COLD WAR

Tags:  OPRC KMDR KPAO PHUM CI 
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VZCZCXYZ0024
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSG #2610 3551846
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211846Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0590
UNCLAS SANTIAGO 002610 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR IIP/G/WHA, INR/R/MR, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA STATE
FORL/WHA, DRL, S/P

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO PHUM CI
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION - PINOCHET AND THE COLD WAR


UNCLAS SANTIAGO 002610

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR IIP/G/WHA, INR/R/MR, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA STATE
FORL/WHA, DRL, S/P

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO PHUM CI
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION - PINOCHET AND THE COLD WAR



1. On March 21, conservative, influential newspaper-of-record "El
Mercurio" (circ. 129,000) carried an op-ed by international
commentator Karin Ebensperger entitled, "Pinochet and the Super
Powers." Quote:


2. "For more than 30 years we Chileans have not forgiven ourselves,
accusing each other of allowing Marxists to reach power in 1970...or
for the 1973 military coup. But we were victims of the Cold War and
are not guilty.... The political differences that we had back then
would never have reached the extremes they did...if Chile had not
been dragged into the Cold War.... We were involuntary participants
in the Cold War.... Chile was in the U.S. influence zone...when
Salvador Allende took office 1970.... It was the first time that
Marxists attained power, but not via the use of arms, and that is
why Moscow made Allende a symbol....


3. "The United States was also responsible for the extreme tension
that Chile suffered from 1970 to 1973. Its tactic was...to install
regimes that obeyed Washington's orders and yielded to its political
and economic interests. The frustration of the United States was
that it was unable to manipulate the military regime.... As
Allende...was a victim of the...Soviet expectations in the region,
Pinochet was the victim of U.S. rage because the unpredictable
general had no regard for Washington's interests in Latin America.
The Soviets disavowed Allende by trying to use him for their global
expansion goals and the Americans disavowed the military regime
because it did not yield to their interests.... Chile suffered a
sad experience and paid the consequences of being unable to escape
the interest of the powers that led the world to the madness of an
ideological war and a nuclear threat. Chile and Chileans were
victims.... Let us give each other a brotherly embrace and respect
our legitimate differences."

KELLY