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Officials Had Plans To Block Allende

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The Associated Press

Published: September 11, 2008

WASHINGTON - Senior officials in the Nixon administration discussed a desire to stop the newly elected government of leftist Chilean President Salvador Allende from taking power in 1970, according to declassified transcripts made public Wednesday.

In one exchange, President Nixon's former secretary of state, William Rogers, cautioned about secret U.S. efforts to prevent Allende from taking power after the administration had stressed the importance of democratic elections.

In another conversation, national security adviser Henry Kissinger told then-CIA Director Richard Helms that "we will not let Chile go down the drain." "I am with you," Helms replied.

In a subsequent conversation about Allende, Rogers agreed with Kissinger that "we ought, as you say, to cold-bloodedly decide what to do and then do it."

Rogers warned that it should be done "discreetly so that it doesn't backfire."

Three years later and nine weeks before a military coup toppled Allende, Nixon blamed Helms and former U.S. Ambassador Edward Korry for failing to block Allende's inauguration.

"They screwed it up," Nixon told Kissinger, saying later, "I think that Chilean guy may have some problems."

Kissinger responded: "Oh, he has massive problems. He has definitely massive problems."

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