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Following calls for transparency from progressive lawmakers including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Greg Casar, the State Department has declassified records around the events leading up to the violent coup in 1973.

by Jake Johnson, In These Times

The U.S. State Department has declassified a pair of documents related to events leading up to the 1973 coup in Chile, a violent assault on democracy covertly backed by the Central Intelligence Agency.

The two documents were made public late last week following renewed calls for transparency by U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), and other progressive lawmakers who visited Chile earlier this month as part of a broader Latin America trip. The Chilean government and international human rights groups have also been calling for the declassification of documents containing details about the U.S.-backed coup for years.

salvador allende on the campaign trail

The newly declassified files are daily briefs President Richard Nixon received on September 11, 1973—the day of the overthrow of Salvador Allende — and three days prior to the coup.

“A number of reports have been received… indicating the possibility of an early military coup,” reads Nixon’s daily brief for September 8, 1973. ​“Navy men plotting to overthrow the government now claim army and air force support.”

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Militarism and Foreign Policy