MEMOS BARE ITT TRY FOR CHILE COUP

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP09T00207R001000030099-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 16, 2011
• Sequence Number: 99
• Publication Date: March 21, 1972
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/17: CIA-RDP09T00207R001000030099-4
The Washington Merry-Go-Round
that would block Allende military
b
B
Memos Bare ITT Try
For
Chile Coup
Bw lark Ander
o
s
n
Secret documents which es-
caped shredding by Interna.
tional Telephone and Tele.
graph show that the company,
at the highest levels, maneu.
vered to stop the 1970 election
of leftist Chilean President
Salvador Allende.
The papers reveal that ITT
dealt regularly With the Cen.
tral Intelligence Agency and,
at one point, considered trig.
gering a military coup to head
off Allende's election.
These documents portray
ITT as a virtual corporate na-
tionin itself with vast interna.
tional holdings, access to
Washington's highest officials,
its own intelligence apparatus
and even its own classification
system.
The papers bear a variety of
security labels, including
"Confidential," "System Confi-
dential," and "Personal and
Confidential." The originals,
presumably, were shredded
along with the "many sacks"
of documents that ITT has
now admitted destroying to
keep them out of our hands.
Nevertheless, we have ob.
tained copies.
They show that ITT officials
were in close touch with Wil-
liam V. Broe, who was then
director of the Latin Ameri
can division of the CIA's
Cl
were andestine Services. They
ate economic Chaos in t Chile,
hoping this would cause the
Chilean army to pull a coup
y applying eco-
from coming to wup
g power. nomic pressure is spelled out
ITT-CIA Ties in a confidential telex, dated
ITT Director John MeCone,
himself a former CIA head,
played a role in the bizarre
plot. He received a confiden.
tial report on Oct. 9, 1970,
from 'William Merriam, vice
president in charge of ITT's
Washington office.
"Today I had lunch with our
contact at the McLean agency
(CIA), and I summarize for
you the results of our conver
sation," wrote Merriam %^ t.
suu very, very pessimistic
about defeating Allende when
the congressional vote takes
place on Oct. 24.
"Approaches continue to be
made to select members of the
Armed Forces in an attempt
to have them lead some sort of
uprising -- no success to
date ...
"Practically no progress has
been made in trying to get
American business to Cooper-
ate in some way so as to bring
on economic chaos. GM and
THE WASHINGTON POST Tuesday, March 21,1977
uenL Harold S. Geneen from
one of his vice Presidents, E.
J. Gerrity. Here Is Gerrity's
description of the plot:
"1. Banks should not renew
credit or should delay in doing
so.
"2. Companies should drag.
their feet in sending money,
making deliveries, in shipping
spare parts, etc.
"3- Savings and loan compa.
i
L
es there areAn trouble. if
pressure were applied
they
Ford, for example, say that
they have too much inventory
on hand in Chile to take any
chances and that they keep
hoping that everything will
work out all right.
"Also, the Bank of America
had agreed to close its doors
in Santiago but each day
keeps postponing the inevita.
ble. According to my source,
must continue to keen the
pressure on business."
The plot to -bring about a
,
would have to shut their
doors, thereby creating pre&
sure.
"4 We should withdraw all
technical help and should hot
Promise SAY technical an in the-future. Companies
in a position to do so should
close their doors.
"5. A list of companies was
provided, and it was suggested
that we approach them as indi-
cated. I was told that of all
the companies involved, ours
alone had been responsive and
understood the problem. The
visitor (the CIA's
William eEroe)t added that
money was not a problem. He
indicated that certain steps
were being taken but that he
was looking for additional
help aimed at Inducing eco-
nomic collapse."
Next day, Gerrity ant a
memo to ITP's Washington of-
fice telling of advice from an
anti-Allende source in Chile to
"keep cool, don't rock the
boat, we are fix ?
Tess.,,
"This is in direr Oat 4
what Broe recoglp~~,t ?
memo ^s"
later to discuss , ms's (C
..;'
President Harold &v:oft
reaction to my tele* In
detail. He agrees with we that
Brae's suggestibpp are not
workable. Howevelr, he sug-
gests that we,be !cry discreet .
in handling Broe,"
We will publish further de-
tails about this bizarre " CIA-
ITT conspiracy in a future col-
umn.
Footnote: A CIA spokesman
would make no comment, re-
fused even to owledge
Br
UY this oe'e Identity Whid to ver-other Inside
Soources. Atttthis tnB, ITT
hasn't responded to our ques.
tions.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/17: CIA-RDP09T00207R001000030099-4