COMMENTS ON COUP AND PLANS OF MIL GOVERNMENT

Created: 9/21/1973

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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WITH .GENERAL GUSTAVO LEIGH, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE AIR FORCE, AND SEVERAL OTHER UNNAMED MILITARY OFFICERS HHO HERE INVOLVED IN THE COUP AND ARE NOW IN THE GOVERNMENT. BASED ON HIS-

WITH THESE OFFICERS.

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ias TtWAYS OPPOSED Tct

THE GOVERNMENT OF PRESIDENT SALVADOR ALLENDE AND HAS BEEN '

^ART^^TTTaRLY "HARD LINE" IN HIS ATTITUDE.)

2. THE OPCANIZERS OF THE COUP MOVED INTO HIGH GEAR IN THEIR

PLANNING KITH THE DEPARTURE FROM THE. GOVERNMENT OF GENERAL CARLOS

PRATS. THEY BELIEVED THAT PRATS COULD BE NEUTRALIZED, AND IT

INDICATED TO THEM THE GREATER POSSIBILITY OF COMPLETE UNITY AMONG

THE SERVICESOVE AGAINST THE PRESIDENT.

. 5. WHEN ALLENDE MET ABOUT EARLY SEPTEMBER WITH THE AIR FORCE

GENERALS, HEOMMON AND DISCIPLINED FRONT. THE PRESIDENT

HAD DISMISSED GENERAL CESAR RUIZ AS COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE

AIR FORCE AND AS MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORXS AND TRANSPORTATION; HE

THEN OFFERED BOTH POSITIONS TO LEIGH. LEIGH SAID HE WAS NOT A

MARXIST, WOULD NOT HAVE HIS FAMILY NAME SULLIED BY >ARTICIPATION IN

A MARXIST GOVERNMENT, AND REFUSED BOTH OFFERS. ALLENDE THEN TURNED

TO THE NEXT .SENIOR GENERAL, WHO MADE VIRTUALLY THE SAME SPEECH.

ALLENDE COMMENTED THAT THE GENERALS HAD APPARENTLY COME PREPARED AS

A GROUP. ALLENDE THEN ASKED LEIGH IF HE WOULD ACCEPT ONLY THE

POSITION OF COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. BEFORE HE COULD REPLY, ANOTHER

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general nudged leigh, who then asked for time to think over the offer. at that point, allende realized that he has dealingew situation among the military.

the military leaders did not want allende's death. ti.ey had arrangedlane to be readied to take him out of the country. elicopter was sent to the palace with intermediaries who were to determine allende's wishes; snipers on nearby rooftops riddled the helicopter with bullets and it had to turn back. allende then committed suicide.

eduardo "coco" , thief of internal intelligence, was killed during the coup. among his papers, authorities discovered an inventory of soviet-origin weapons that were brought into chile about six months aco through cuban diplomatic channels. paredes had cooperated in passing these weapons through chilean customs. these here the weapons that were found in the palace. J omment: actually, paredes was head of the department ofn"marche was involved in the attempt toumber of parcels that arrived in santiacouban aircraft past customs illegally. the parcels WERE widely suspected of containing ARMS.

ALLENDE CLAIMED THEY HERE GIFTS OF ART OBJECTS FROM FIDEL CASTRO PAREDES WAS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN EXECUTED DURING THE INITIAL HOURS OF THE COUP AFTER HE*KILLED SEVERAL CARABINERO OFFICERS.)

THE PREVAILING MOOD AMONG THE CHILEAN MILITARY IS TO USE THE CURRENT OPPORTUNITY TO STAMP OUT ALL VESTIGES OF COMMUNISM IN CHILE FOR GOOD. SEVERE REPRESSION IS PLANNED. THE MILITARY IS ROUNDINC UP LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE, INCLUDING STUDENTS AND LEFTISTS OF ALL DESCRIPTIONS, AND INTERNING THEM. THE MILITARY HAS ORDERED AN END TQ ALL SNIPER ACTIVITIES AND OTHER VIOLENCE, AND IT IS CONSIDERING KILLING SO LEFTISTS FOR EVERY SNIPER WHO IS STILL OPERATING AFTER ABOUT IS DAYS.

TUDENTS WERE KILLED IN THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY WHEN THEY REFUSED TO SURRENDER.

HERE HAVE BEEN CRUELTY AND PROVOCATIONS BY ARMEDTHE POPULAR UNITY. IN ONE INCIDENTORKINGTHEY KILLED SIK POLICEMEN AND WOUNDED TWO MORE. WHENARRIVED TO ASSIST THE WOUNDED MEN, THE SLUM DWELLERSENTER, KILLED THE DOCTOR AND AN ORDERLY, ANDTHE OTHER TWO

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Original document.

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