CIA ROLE IN CHILE REVEALED

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP09T00207R001000020129-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 9, 2011
• Sequence Number: 129
• Publication Date: September 8, 1974
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09T00207RO01000020129-1
T9ASHI16GTUN YUb'1
CIA Role" 8 SEP 1974
Harrington's account of the! - ? After Allende's election has a have result already of the aavenues II
Colby testimony was based on the Forty committee author- The first public glimpse perusals of the April 22' public mpse of
for an additional $5 million
~
In clw"e- i~ transcript with special permi -i ~~ the extent of CIA involvement
sion of House,_Armed Services for more destabilization ef- I
f s during the period from in the 1970 Chilean elections
Committee Chairman F. Ed lto 1973." was provided in confidential'
ward Hebert (D-La.) and Rep,; corporate documents of the In
liled' evea Lucien N. Nedzi (D-Mich.),- ? Some $1.5 million more tepnational Telephone and
chairman of the intelligence was spent in the 1973 Chilean Telegraph Corp. disclosed In
subcommittee, municipal by-elections when 1972 by columnist Jack Ander-
In his letter to Morgan, Har? Allende's Popular Unity Party son,
Anti-Allende rington said "the information
contained in the Colby testi- gained in the percentage of
Funding Put mony convinced me that it is' national support aver the 19701
n of critical importance for the election. "Some of these funds
At $11 Million Congress and the American were used to support an un-
people to learn the full truth named but influential anti.Al-i
By Laurence Stern of American activities in lende newspaper," according!
W hinrton Post staff water Chile. to Harrington's account of!
Central I n t o 11 i g e n c e "I wish to share this infor Colby's testimony.
mation with you, in the hope l ? During the summer of
Agency Director William E that you will feel the same
C o l b y acknowledged in sense of conviction that I ex- 1973, when the Allende adm{n-
secret testimony that the perienced upon learning the istration was plagued by Ml-
United States targeted some full details of significant U.S. raling inflation, strikes and
activities in the affairs of an- growing civil unrest, the Forty
X1 I. million in covert action other country without any, Committee in August ap-
funds against the late prior consultation of even the,
committee charged with over- proved $1 million "for further
Chilean President Salvador seeing such operations." ! political destabilization activi-
Allende, it was learned This is the pattern of clan- ties," the CIA director was
yesterday. destine U.S. operations against! reported to have told- the sub-
Athe leader of a coali- I committee. Colby said that a
Colby told the House Armed; Allende, 1$,50,000 request for CIA sup-
Services Special Subcommit Hon of Chilean leftist parties, truck.
tee on Intelligence that the' which emerged from Colby's j port of orrators' the a crippling tstrike t truck.
clandestine funds were author- testimony to the House sub 1 !down.
ized by the "Forty Commit- committee, as recounted in
tee," the National Security the Harrington letter: The $1 million program au-
Council's covert action policy- ? A total of $3 million In thorized in August was called
toff, the Colby transcript said,
making arm, in Allende's 1964 CIA funds was poured into the,
and 1970 campaigns for the Christian Democratic Party in when the military coup presidency as well as to 1964 to support the successful, cud... In the aftermath of
"destabilize" his government candidacy of its nominee, !the coup. however, funds that
and bring about its downfall Eduardo Frei, who was being 1 had been committed were
after 1970. opposed by Allende. spent."
The testimony came to light-, "Funding was provided to These expenditures paid for
in a confidential letter from Individuals, political parties the purchase of a radio station,
Rep. Michael J. Harrington (D- and media outlets in Chile, 'for $25,000 and the provision
Mass.) to House Foreign Af- through channels in other' of $9,000 to finance a trip by
fairs Committee Chairman countries in both Latin Amer- spokesmen for the new junta
Thomas E. Morgan (D-Pa.). 'ica and Europe," Harrington; !government to other Latin;
Harrington appealed to Mor- related. "Mr. Colby's descrip- ! American capitals to reassure
,gar, and o. trer senior commit- tion, of these operations was them about the military take-!
.tee chairmen in the House and direct, though not to the point over.
Senate for further congres- of Identifying actual contacts CIA activities in Chile,i
sional investigations of the and conduits." !Harrington wrote, "were view
CIA's role in the Sept. 11, *"In 1969 some $500,000 was !ed as a prototype, or labor
J973, military coup in which authorized by the Forty Com atory experiment, to test the
Allende died and his govern- mittee to "fund individuals techniques of heavy: financial
ment was toppled. ' who could be nurtured to keep investment in efforts to dis-I
Harrington acknowledged in the anti-Allende forces active credit and bring down a gov-h
a telephone interview from and intact." ernment."
Salem. Mass., yesterday hiss ? During the 1970 election, Harrington said he con-
authorship of the letter to which Allende eventually won,' ! tacted Senate Foreign Rela-
tIor^an but declined rn corn $350,000 was authorized "to tions Committee Chairman J.
ment on its specific contents ;bribe the Chilean Congress W. Fulbright (D-Ark.), Rep.
or make available a copy. which at that time was faced Dante B. Fascell, (D-Fla.)
Colby had no comment on! with deciding a runoff election I chairman of the House For
the Massachusetts Democrat's' between Allende and the op- eign Affairs Subcommittee on
account of Colby's testimony -position candidate." Colby inter-American Affairs, and
last April 22 other than to say. went on to say that the plan, other colleagues in hopes of
~tha` it was given in executive despite the initial approval, pursuing "the facts of our in?~0~ ! 5
s;,ssi~tn and was not to be dis vnlvement in the Chilean situ-
"later evaluated an un- I
Afton."
cln,~ad publicly. He has on rev was workable," Harrington wrote.
'ral nrra=ions denied that the . ? ? An additional 5500,000
tha scotemher, i97 was "I turn to you as a last re-
had any operating role in given during the 1970 election sort," he wrote the House For.
th
again' denials to opposition party person- eign Affairs Committee Chaim
_~Itenc'e. These denals m!
were reiteraod by a CIA nel." spai an red Moforganth, the "having
likelihood de-
ofl
.pn esman yesterday. anything productive occurring!
Approved For Release 2011/08/09: CIA-RDP09T00207RO01000020129-1