BIO: AUGUSTO PINOCHET

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 00201630
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: March 16, 2022
• Document Release Date: October 12, 2016
• Case Number: F-2016-02447
• Publication Date: November 1, 1974

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November 1974
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Augusto PINOCHET Ugarte
Supreme Chief of the
Nation; President, I
Ruling Junta; Commander
in Chief of the Army
In June 1974 Maj.
Gen. Augusta Pinochet
(pronounced peenohCHET),
who has been Commander
in Chief of the Army
since August 1973 and
President of the Junta
since September of that
year, became Supreme
Chief of the Nation,I
a position that gives
; him expanded executive
. powers. He had previously OM)
served since January 1972
as chief of staff of
the army. An intelligent, disciplined and pro-
fessionally competent infantry officer and mili-
tary geographer who is known for his toughness,
he is dedicated to the national reconstruction of
Chileandwilltolerateno.opposition to that end.
. .
;
The establishment of the position of Supreme
. Chief of. the Nation was promoted by Pinochet among
others as a meansI of consolidating and improving
I4e decisionmaking powers Of the executive over
I the cumbersome, inter-service structure. He did
not, however, get as much Authority as he sought,
and the junta still retains considerable powers
of its own.,,Respected by the other junta members,
Pinochet has a harmonious working relationship with
!,them, andiallEdecisions continue to be made unan-
imously. The general was selected to head the
1 government because he represents the military's
l'oldest institution, ,not because he possesses any
, leadership qualities superior to those of the -
l'other junta members. Pinochet will apparently
! retain the executive functions indefinitely.
Pinochet was a late
participant'in plotting the overthrow of President
(1970-73) Salvador Allende,Iand some lower ranking
army officers view him as having been indecisive
in opposing the former President. In subsequent
' interviews u d public statements, however, he has
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Augusto PINOCHET Ugarte
sought to reserve for himself the major responsi-
bility for the planning and execution of the coup.
He has claimed that he initiated the coup plans in
April 1972 and that he was the only one who knew
all the details when the actual overthrow took
place.
President of the Junta
Periodically exhorting the people to work
together for the goal of national reconstruction,
Pinochet has said, "The sacrifice will be total...
Everyone will pay the tab ,and everyone will help
get us out of the chaos." Like his predecessor,
he frequently travels within the country to meet
people and explain the government's policies, much
like a grass roots campaigner.
In response to queries on how long the govern-
ment's recovery program will take, Pinochet has been
equivocal. He told a group of copper miners in
January 1974 they must "get it out of their heads
that there will be elections in four or five more
years." In a February public appearance Pinochet
stated that the state of seige and security measures
would remain in effect indefinitely and that "It is
possible that before the end of the armed forces
government political activities will be reinstated,
but in no way will it happen before five years."
Described prior to the coup as singularly
apolitical, Pinochet has never been involved in
partisan politics. He has come down hard on politi-
cians of all persuasions, blaming them for the eco-
nomic and political problems that necessitated the
overthrow of Allende. He has been particularly
concerned with the Marxist influence in Chile and
has promoted the government's attempts to eliminate
all vestiges of that philosophy from the country.
Despite on and off frictions between the govern-
ment and the recessed Christian Democratic Party,
the general favors maintaining contact with the
party to elicit its views on the government's
domestic policies. He has also indicated an
interest in creating a national civic movement of
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Augusto PINOCHET Ugarte
youth and women's organizations and small business-
men's guilds to support the government.
Pinochet has been sensitive to charges from
abroad that the government repeatedly violates
human rights, particularly those of prisoners.
Acknowledging that there was a problem in this
area in the initial months after the coup, he has
since claimed that measures have been taken to
rectify the situation. In an August 1974 inter-
view he stated that there would be no more execu-
tions and that some military men had been punished
, for maltreatment and torture of prisoners. He
insists, however, that stringent internal security
measures are necessary to prevent a resurgence of
extremist activity and that self-censorship of the
press will be relaxed only "when the situation is
normal." Conscious of Chile's need for a better
image abroad, the general is said to have authorized
the expenditure of up to one million dollars to
have a;US advertising agency improve its tarnished
image.,
A Peruvian Threat?
Pinochet is among those military officers who
. have been alarmed at the rather significant
acquisitions of modern arms by the government of
Peru. Those officers fear that Peru may use
weapons to retake territory ceded to Chile after
the War of the Pacific (1879-1883). Pinochet was
cool to Peruvian President Juan Velasco's call for
an arms limitation agreement, noting that the
threat from the north necessitated the preparation
of an adequate Chilean defense. Pinochet has been
vigorously searching for sources of armaments,
requesting commitments from the United States 1.1
particular. He has also tried to elicit support;
for Chile's position from other Latin American
countries, and while in Brazil for the March 1974
inauguration of President Zrnesto Geisel, he
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Augusto PINOCHET Ugarte
Pinochet also ordered a study prepared for
distribution to friendly Latin American Heads
of State to dispel the notion that Chilean appre-
hensions of Peruvian intentions lacked substance.
Since that time the President has taken note of
the lessening of tensions between his country and
Peru, but he continues to uneerscore the dangers
involved and the need to increase overall mili-
tary strength. The general plans to attend the
150th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of
Ayacucho in Peru in December 1974.
Military Student and Instructor
Augusto Pinochet Ugarte was born into a middle
class family on 25 November 1915 in Valparaiso.
He attended the University of Chile for 2 years,
specializing in judicial and social science, before
entering the Chilean Military Academy. He was
unable to meet the physical requirements for admis-
sion to the academy for 2 successive years, but
the reason is not a matter of current record.
Upon his graduation from the academy in 1936,
Pinochet was commissioned a second lieutenant. He
subsequently worked his way steadily through the
ranks, generally in infantry assignments. .During
1949-51 he was a student at the Command and General
Staff Course of the Army War College. Important
posts he has held in receat years include those of:
. commander, 7th Infantry Regiment, 1961-63; chief
of staff, 2d Army Division, 1968; commander, 6th
Army Division, 1967-71; and commander, Santiago
Garrison, March 1971-January 1972.
A well-known military geographer, Pinochet has
been an instructor at the Chilean Army War College
(1942-46, 1954) and at the Ecuadorean Army War Col-
lege in Quito (1956-59). From 1964 to 1968 he
sserved as deputy commandant of the Chilean Army
War College. He is a member of the Geographic
Society of Chile and has written three geography
books, at least one of which is used as a secondary
school textbook.
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Augusto PINOCHET Ugarte
Pinochet has visited the United States three
times. He was a member of a Chilean military
mission in 1956, toured this country and the
Panama Canal Zone in 1965 and 1968, and returned
to the Canal Zone in 1972.
, Personal Data
Quiet, mild-mannered and businesslike, Pinochet
is hard-working and dedicated. He nevertheless
enjoys attending parties; he prefers to drink Scotch
or pisco sours. Pinochet smokes cigarettes. He is
interested in sports, including fencing, boxing
and horseback riding, and avidly practices gymnastic
exercises every morning. He also enjoys discussing
world military problems. He speaks some French
and English.
In 1943 Pinochet married Lucia Hiriart Rodriguez,
the daughter of a former Senator and Minister of the
Interior. Mrs. Pinochet, who has lived most of her
life in Santiago, was born in Antofagasta. She
has a fondness for archeology and together with
her husband has explored many ruins. Mrs. Pinochet
has been involved in various charity projects.
She insists, however, that her primary concern is
her home and family. The Pinochets have three
daughters and two sons and six grandchildren.
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