SUBJECT: Report on CIA Chilean Task Force Activities, 15 September to 3 November 1970

1. General

a. On 15 September 1970, CIA was directed to try to prevent Marxist Salvador Allende's assent to the Chilean presidency on 3 November. This effort was to be independent of concurrent endeavors being undertaken through, or with the knowledge of, the 40 Committee, Department of State, and Ambassador Korry.

b. Briefly, the situation at that time was the following:

-- Allende had attained a plurality of only some 40,000 in the Chilean popular vote for president. Jorge Alessandri, a conservative and the runner-up, would face Allende in a Congressional run-off on 24 October. The run-off winner would be invested as president on 3 November.

-- Given the dismal prospects of a political formula being worked out to prevent Allende's designation as president by Congress, remaining alternatives centered around overcoming the apolitical, constitutional-oriented inertia of the Chilean military.

-- U.S. Government intentions were highly suspect, particularly in Allende and certain government sectors. Suspicions extended to all Americans in Chile for whatever declared purpose. In addition, the Chilean military were being monitored quite closely by the Allende forces for warning signals of any interventionist proclivities.

2. Special Organization

a. A Chilean Task Force was assembled and functioning three days after CIA was assigned the mission. It was headed by [several words deleted] and highly-qualified CIA [several words deleted] recalled from their [several words deleted]

b. [1 line deleted] It consisted of four CIA officers with the appearance, language, and experience to sustain the fiction of various foreign nationalities. They were recalled from the overseas posts to Washington, briefed, and inserted individually into Chile [1 line deleted] nationals. In Santiago, their only U.S. contact was a CIA officer who had resided in Santiago [1 line deleted] established contact with Chilean intermediaries or principals interested in promoting a military coup.

c. By a special (and unique) arrangement requested by CIA, the U.S. Army Attache in Santiago was placed under operational direction of the CIA Chief of Station there. His assistance and Chilean military contacts were invaluable in this program.

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c. At the same time, recognizing the fallibilities of Frei, CIA focused on provoking a military coup. This undertaking was segregated from that of the Frei re-election gambit with the intention that it be pursued independently of Frei if necessary, but with his acquiescence if possible. [4 lines deleted]

4. Propaganda Campaign

a. The propaganda campaign was tailored to generating concern about Chile's future in terms which would condition the thinking and actions of the three key elements in the Chilean political equation:

b. After the 4 September popular vote, the world press had tended to treat the prospect of witnessing the first freely-elected Marxist head of state take office as a curious aberration of democracy rather than a politically significant event. Press interest and coverage was relatively light until the Allende forces fortuitously provided an attractive issue which could be exploited. By 15 September, it became apparent that Allende was conducting a rather blatant campaign to intimidate the Chilean information media through threats of assassination and violence, takeovers by so-called worker organizations, and ultimatums to the management of newspapers and radio stations. Allende's purpose was to smother any opposition to this election by Congress and to take advantage of that

-- Cables of support/protest from leading newspapers throughout Latin America to "El Mercurio".

-- A protest statement from the International Press Association [3 lines deleted] "Freedom of the press in Chile is being strangled by Communist and Marxist forces and their allies.")

-- World press coverage of the International Press Association protest and on the details of the

-- A program of journalists -- actual agents and otherwise -- travelling to Chile for on-the-scene reporting. (By 28 September, CIA had in place in, or enroute to, Chile 15 journalist agents from 10 different countries. This cadre was supplemented by 8 more journalists from 5 countries under the direction of high level agents who were, for the part, in managerial capacities in the media field.)

As a result of the ensuing furore, Allende -- sensitive to world opinion and attempting to project the image of a moderate, non-dogmatic socialist -- decided to become more circumspect. By 25 September, heavy-handed intimidation of the press had virtually ceased.

c. Allende's show of strength had made its point however; the Chilean press, including "El Mercurio", never did regain its resiliency and remained thoroughly muted from thereon out. Lacking the usual forums for spontaneous generation and replay of

-- an underground press dependent upon direct mail distribution;

-- placement of individual news items through agents against the resistance of a cowed management;

-- financing of a new, albeit small, newspaper;

-- subsidy of an anti-Allende political group and its radio programs, political advertisements, and political rallies; and

-- direct mailing of foreign news articles to President Frei, Mrs. Frei, selected military leaders, and the Chilean domestic press.

This effort did not, and could not, replace a Chilean press, fully operative and free of restraint. Virtually alone, it did keep the voice of public opposition alive inside Chile for coup purposes during the final weeks of this period.

d. The magnitude of the propaganda campaign mounted during this six week period in the Latin American and European media --

e. Special intelligence and "inside" briefings were given to U.S. journalists in deference to the international influence of the U.S. media. Particularly noteworthy in this connection was the Time cover story which owed a great deal to written materials and briefings provided by CIA. The Time correspondent in Chile who was providing much of the background material for the story apparently accepted Allende's protestations of moderation and constitutionality at face value. CIA briefings in Washington

5. Political Action

a. The political action program had only one purpose: to induce President Frei to prevent Allende's election by the Congress on 24 October and, failing that, to support -- by benevolent neutrality at the least and conspiratorial benediction at the most -- a military coup which would prevent Allende from taking office on 3 November. Realistically, the task was one of attempting to recast Frei, as a political personality, in a role demanding decisiveness and "machismo" to a degree that, thus far, had eluded him. Pressures from those whose opinion and/or approval he valued -- in combination with adequate propaganda orchestrations -- represented the only hope of converting Frei.

-- Allende as president would be an unparalleled disaster for Chile (Frei agreed).

-- Frei had both the power and obligation to prevent this.

-- [5 lines deleted]

-- [3 lines deleted]

-- In the event Frei's re-election gambit succeeded, the U.S. Government would be prepared to provide substantial support for Frei's presidential campaign.

c. In Europe and Latin America, prominent and influential members of the Christian Democratic movement as well as the Catholic Church were prompted to visit Frei or send personal messages to him urging that he save Chile. Some of these endeavors were the following:

-- [8 lines deleted]

-- [5 lines deleted]

-- [3 lines deleted]

-- [3 lines deleted]

-- [several words deleted] of the Italian Christian Democratic Party -- which had good fraternal relations with Frei and his party -- refused to intervene. (He said it was a hopeless situation and he saw no point in risking his reputation in a lost cause.)

Collateral efforts were made to influence Frei or those close to Frei, such as:

-- Influential lay Catholics sent messages to or visited the Vatican.

-- [several words deleted] through a series of lay and clerical pressures from other countries, was dissuaded from ceding an Allende victory prior to his Congressional election actually taking place.

-- Telegrams were sent Mrs. Frei from women's groups in other Latin American countries.

-- Intelligence was surfaced indicating that, once in power, the Communists intended to denigrate Frei as the first step in the dissolution of his party.

d. In spite of everything, Frei never asserted himself. Indeed, he failed to attend or to influence otherwise the 3-4 October Congress of his party at which time it was decided by a substantial margin to make a deal with Allende. With that decision, the Frei re-election gambit died and constitutional alternatives had been exhausted. Subsequently, Frei did manage to confide to several top-ranking military officers that he would not oppose a coup, with a guarded implication he might even welcome one. Yet, when a coup opportunity and situation presented itself upon the assassination of Army Commander in Chief Schneider, Frei moved quickly away from it.

6. Military Coup

a. After early October -- absent any evidence that Frei was responding, politically speaking, to artificial respiration -- a

-- the tradition of military respect for the Constitution;

-- the public and private stance of General Schneider, Commander in Chief of the Army, who advocated strict adherence to the Constitution;

-- fear of the reaction of non-commissioned officers who tended to harbor pro-Allende sympathies; and,

-- a strong propensity to accept Allende blandishments to the effect that the military had little to fear from him.

Although individual officers among the top leadership of the military and Carabineros were pre-disposed to take action, they felt the Army was central to a successful coup, and, as long as General Schneider remained the head of the Army, the Army could not be counted upon. General Schneider's attitude could only be changed through the personal intervention and forceful advocacy of a coup by President Frei: something, it became obvious, the latter was most unlikely to bring himself to do.