U.S. Aids Chilean Dictatorship
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By Carol Epstein
Thanks to life that has given me so much
It has given me laughter and it has given me tears Thus I distinguish joy from grief
The two elements that make up my song And your song that is my song.
-From "Gracias A La Vida” written and sung by Chilean musician Violetta Parra
The name of Violetta Parra is well known among Chilean people. Born in 1918 as the daughter of a schoolteacher and a peasant, Violetta Parra absorbed the music of Chile's peasantry and began collecting traditional songs of the high Andes. As she learned to play music, she also wrote her own songs, bringing to them an uncompromising sense of truth-be it political, social, or emotional. Both the beauty of her music and her sensitivity to the folk tradition evoked
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a response among those younger musicians who were to become founders of the New Chilean Song Movement. This search for music reflected a concern for the history of the Chilean people. It also offered an alternative to the banal popular music of the time.
The late 1950's and early 1960's was a period of frustration and change in Chile. The conservative government of President Allesandri could not solve the country's social and economic problems. A liberal, Christian Democratic government led by Eduardo Frei, however, brought new hope in the form of a land reform program and similar policies. Yet the economy did not improve. Landless peasants moved into the cities and lived in the callampas-slums on the periphery of Santiago and other metropolitan centers. While unemployment among white collar workers and professionals rose, a demand for educational reform by their daughters and sons in the universities added another dimension to the discontent and suffering. Both the failure of liberal solutions and a sense of higher expectations led the Chilean people to look to the parties of the left.
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Such were some of the reasons that made possible in 1970 the democratic election of Salvador Allende. Under the principles of socialism, Allende's government was committed to the right of all Chileans to employment, adequate food, housing, and medical care. Since that time it has been documented that on June 27, 1970, Henry Kissinger approved expenditures of millions of dollars for clandestine CIA action in Chile aimed at preventing the election and inauguration of Allende. On September 11, 1973; Salvador Allende was assassinated and the government was brutally overthrown by General Augusto Pinochet and his military junta. The U.S. Senate has documented that the military coup was engineered and financed by both the U.S. Government (with Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger as complicit
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leaders) and multinational corporations such as ITT and Kennecott Copper.
The Pinochet regime immediately implemented repressive measures: tens of thousands of Chileans were killed; 100,000 arrested; thousands made to "disappear"; and a half million (in a country of 11 million) went into exile. And the young musicians mentioned at the beginning of this article? Within two years of the coup, all the founders of the New Chilean Song Movement were dead or in exile.
Under intense international pressure, the U.S. in 1976 joined with other countries in a denunciation of the Pinochet regime. Congress voted to eliminate military aid to Chile. The U.S. accepted a small number of Chilean political refugees, some of whom came to Cleveland. But rarely swayed by a concern for ethics, the U.S. banks and corporations began to reinvest in Chile, increasing by 500 percent the amount of private loans available to the repressive dictatorship.
In 1979 the U.S. voted in favor of a U.N. resolution condemning Chile for violation of human rights,
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The resolution specifically outlined many practicès, some of which include:
-"...ill-treatment and torture, arrest and detention for political reasons, denial to Chileans of the right to return and live in their country, prohibition of political parties by infringement of freedom of expression and the lack of effective legal remedies...
-"...the recent dissolution of labor organizations, arrest and persecution of labor leaders and trade union members and infringements of acquired labor rights...
"...the lack of progress in clarifying the fate of missing and disappeared persons in spite of appeals by the General Assembly, the Commission on Human Rights, the Secretary-General, private institutions and citizens of Chile."
In spite of the official position taken by the U.S., our government in effect still endorses the junta's policies by allowing U.S. bank loans to reach $1 billion and U.S. corporations to increase their in-
vestments.
In return for the generosity of U.S. banks and corporations, in 1976 the Chilean government sent secret agents here to carry out the terrorist bombing of a car in Washington, D.C. The incident resulted in the deaths of Chilean exile Orlando Letelier and an American, citizen, Ronni Moffitt., The Pinochet regime has refused to extradite the government officials who have been indicted in Washington, or to see to it that they stand trial in Chile. Meanwhile the Carter administration allows U.S. banks and corporations to continue their lifeline support of the Chilean economy.
But the Chilean people continue to oppose the junta in many ways-by the use of hunger strikes, demonstrations, lawsuits, and efforts to organize unions. Many church and union leaders have taken the risks of speaking out. With the help of an international Chilean solidarity movement coordinated in
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Rome, the Chilean people in exile are fighting to win back the rights they had before the coup. While political resistance within Chile grows, we in the U.S. can promote the return of democracy by pressuring for economic isolation of the Pinochet junta from the international community. The Chile Task Force in Cleveland asks both individuals and organizations to pressure local banks and corporations to cease business transactions with Chile, organize boycotts of Chilean products (e.g., fruit, fish, wine), and influence government policy toward Chile.
The Chile Task Force also has written materials and posters, as well as speakers willing to address your organization, union, or church. A tax-deductible contribution can help the group cover expenses for their campaign. For further information, write to: Chile Task Force, 4100 Franklin, Cleveland, Ohio 44113, or call 281-2600.
References for this article include: Chile 1973 to 1979: 6 Years of Dictatorship, a brochure printed by the Chile Task Force in Cleveland, Homage to Pablo Neruda: Inti-Illimani in Concert, program notes for a concert held in New York City on April 25, 1980, and Chile Vencera! An Anthology of Chilean New Song 1962-1973, a double record album distributed by Rounder Records.
The National Chile Center is the national office for the U.S. Chile Solidarity Movement. The National Chile Center coordinates activities for a coalition of local Chile Solidarity Committees, church groups, trade unionists, and community organizations working for the restoration of democracy in Chile.
In such capacity, the National Chile Center is also the official liaison office in the United States with Chile Democratico in Rome, the coordinating center for the international solidarity movement. 7 East 15th Street, Suite 408, New York 10003.
The Chile Committee for Human Rights is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, non-partisan educational organization working for the restoration of human rights in Chile. It publishes a newsletter, collects information on the violation of human rights in Chile,
Look at what our local corporations had to say about financial investment in Chile:
"This country is unique in the world in the wide possibilities that it offers for the development of our activities."
-Diamond Shamrock, 1978
"We believe that the present government has instituted changes which have resulted in remarkable economic progress."
-National City Bank, 1979
and sponsors cultural programs reflecting Chilean national culture. 1901 "Q" Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20009.
Chile Democratico, the organization of Chileans living in the United States who oppose the Pinochet dictatorship, acts as a liaison with the United Nations, and disseminates information to the press. 777 United Nations Plaza, New York 10017.