translated from Spanish: Trying to rewrite history: the Frei Montalva case

the former President Frei Ruiz-Tagle, in a com presence to a morning television program of the day Sunday, 7 April, spread broadly, devoting much of his participation (with the apparent impotence and discomfort of interviewers) to refer to the case of the death of his father, the former President Frei Montalva and judicial derivations of it, in a case that has been open a couple of decades.
No effort to minimize the possible occurrence of punishable acts in the death of the former President, let’s a little history of our country and the role played in it. Mr Frei Montalva acceded to the Presidency in 1964, i.e. 55 years ago, after the first election campaign in Chile where it was used, piecework, what we know today as “terror campaign”. It received 56% of the votes, with the support of the right. Was use and abuse (more abuse) of pictures of Soviet tanks entering Prague, priests allegedly facing the wall in Cuba, etcetera, implying that this would be the fate of Chile if Salvador Allende, won on his third foray into a presidential .
The great legacy of the Government of Mr Frei Montalva was, without doubt, the agrarian reform initiated then, partially reverse in subsequent military Government and deepened in the brief period of the Government of the Unidad Popular. It also held the “chilenization” of copper, shy predecessor of the later nationalization, materialized in the Allende government.
During his administration occurred the episode of desert lagoon, where the role and the attitude of the Chilean Government, weak (as it has been the trend of different Chilean Governments to Argentina), resulted in a breakthrough from the Argentine gendarmerie on that territory. Then, in another Christian Democrat Government (the Aylwin) is lost the arbitration. Also a strongly etched in the national memory event occurred in his Government: the massacre of Pampa Yrigoin, in March 1969, where eleven people were killed by the police, being Minister of the Interior don Edmundo Pérez Zujovic.
On the role of the former President Frei Montalva in the period of 60 days from the election of Allende and his assumption, there are background (situation report of the CIA on October 2, 1970) that Frei Montalva held meetings with military to evaluate imp Edir ratification of Allende by the Congress. The presence of General Schneider as Commander in Chief, would have been the main obstacle to go beyond. For young people who did not receive civic education and also knew a history of Chile version ligth, I tell them that that Commander-in-Chief was killed in that same period. The CIA report says that Mr Frei Montalva is opposed to any attempt to disrupt democracy. Only says that “not met the necessary courage”. a report of the agent of the CIA, David Atlee Phillips, points out “the Chilean General constitutionalists are waiting for orders from Frei to carry out a coup d’Etat”.
Already assumed Allende, Christian democracy assessed even joining the Government. Edmundo Pérez Zujovic raised: “enter the Government and control it from inside”. The idea did not prosper. Among other reasons because Frei Montalva said. “the allendista regime will not reach last year”. The same position (not work nor much less integrate) was shared by Patricio Aylwin and other DC politicians.
In April 1972, on the occasion of the 3rd World Conference of UNCTAD in Santiago, the DC was played a strong letter against Allende’s Government, to promote a March and an act opponent, whose unique speaker was Patricio Aylwin. It was an Act clearly aimed to prepare the international community for what would come.
On the occasion of the Preparatory Office of the coup, the “tanquetazo” of July 29, 1973, Frei Montalva attributed it to a maneuver of the Government. Something like a self-coup (?).
There is no evidence that Frei Montalva has effectively participated in the meetings with military prior to the coup, but became its civil justifying main. There are, for consistency, the interview with ABC and the famous letter to the leader DC Italian Mariano Rumor.
Surely, the anecdote that presents it waiting for the presidential sash that the military would provide him in the afternoon of 11 September and subsequent days, at home is just that: a story. But very significant of their role prior to the coup.
So, in summary, I think that the role of opponent of Mr Frei Montalva to the military Government has been clearly amplified. When he has contributed with all kinds of actions – by action or omission – to favor the occurrence of a fact so burdensome as a coup d’etat, cannot be claim then ignorance about its consequences. Justice will establish the precise cause of his death, but it would be highly damaging to the history and civic transparency these causes, in case of being criminals, used to whiten the role that the former President took in the materialization of the coup and their further justification. The facts are there.

Poured in this op-ed content is the sole responsibility of its author, and not refl Eja necessarily the editorial line nor the counter position.

Original source in Spanish

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