Chile Orders Exhumation to Settle How President Allende Died

[Peter Lemkin]

It was a group of American Special Forces in Chilean Uniforms and Chilean's trained at the School of the Americas who done it.....Kissinger should have to perform the autopsy!

Chile Orders Exhumation to Settle How President Allende Died
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: April 15, 2011

SANTIAGO, Chile (Agence France-Presse) Decades after President Salvador Allende died in a 1973 coup, Chile is preparing to exhume his body to determine once and for all whether he took his own life or was murdered by Gen. Augusto Pinochet's forces.

Judge Mario Carroza on Friday ordered the disinterment after receiving a request from Mr. Allende's relatives, and the action should take place in the second half of May, according to a spokesman for the judiciary.

Mr. Allende's death during the bloody military coup that brought General Pinochet to power in September 1973 had been ruled a suicide, although that has long been questioned by some politicians and human rights groups. Mr. Allende's family has been leaning toward the theory that he killed himself.

"It's not that the family has changed their minds, or that we have doubts that we didn't have before, but we support a criminal investigation that has never happened," Isabel Allende, the late president's daughter and a Socialist member of Parliament, told CNN-Chile. "We think it is extremely important for the country and the world that we legally establish the causes and circumstances of his death, which occurred under extreme violence."

The exhumation is a logical extension of an investigation, announced by a Chilean prosecutor in January, into the death of Mr. Allende as well as 725 other human rights complaints against General Pinochet's military dictatorship from 1973 to 1990.

But the family nevertheless made a symbolic formal request for the exhumation, Ms. Allende said this week.

Once Mr. Allende's remains are removed from his marble tomb in Santiago, a new autopsy will be performed by experts at the Legal Medical Service.

Mr. Allende was a Marxist [NB - MSM/CIA spin here!!! He was a democratic socialist and nationalist!] who was narrowly elected in 1970. At the time, conservatives in Chile and the United States were concerned about his attempts to pave a Chilean path toward socialism, including the nationalization of American mining interests, and feared that he would usher in a pro-Soviet Communist government.

The circumstances surrounding Mr. Allende's death, at 65, have been a point of contention for decades. An autopsy was performed at the Santiago Military Hospital hours after his death on Sept. 11, 1973, at La Moneda, the presidential palace, which was under aerial bombardment and a ground assault at the time.

A doctor testified that Mr. Allende had committed suicide by shooting himself in the chin, apparently with an AK-47 assault rifle presented by Fidel Castro, then the Cuban president.

The death was never the subject of a criminal investigation.

A respected medical examiner, Luis Ravanal, fed doubts about Mr. Allende's death in a 2008 report in which he asserted, on the basis of the 1973 autopsy, that Mr. Allende's injuries were not consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot.

Ms. Allende said the family was never able to see her father's body. It was transported by helicopter to Viña del Mar, 75 miles from Santiago on the Chilean coast, where he was first laid to rest in the presence of his wife, Hortensia Bussi, and his three daughters.

"They did not let my mother open the coffin," Ms. Allende said.

[Magda Hassan]

The original autopsy report is here on this forum. Some other pathologists did a review of it and found he was murdered. Two gun shot wounds, same weapon, first one fatal. The government of Chile is also looking in to the death, also murder, of former President Frei senior. I am quite amazed that this government is looking into either of these murders since there are still so many involved in them in this government and in positions of power in Chile.

[Peter Lemkin]

The original autopsy report is here on this forum. Some other pathologists did a review of it and found he was murdered. Two gun shot wounds, same weapon, first one fatal. The government of Chile is also looking in to the death, also murder, of former President Frei senior. I am quite amazed that this government is looking into either of these murders since there are still so many involved in them in this government and in positions of power in Chile.

I forget now where I saw it [and where it is on this computer], but there was both some released documents and a Spanish-speaking American Special Forces person who said he was there in Casa Moneda and saw the murder.....

Two shots, first deadly....the usual cover-up nonsense.....One of the mysterious deaths in the JFK case had his ankles bound and his hands bound behind him, yet was shot by a rifle twice in the front of this head...it was declared a suicide.

[Peter Lemkin]

The Death of Salvador Allende: Murder or Suicide?

by Brian McAfee

Global Research, June 14, 2011

The body of former Chilean President Salvador Allende was exhumed in May in an attempt to determine whether the democratically elected Socialist president was murdered by the Chilean military in the initial stages of the coup or whether he committed suicide as General Augusto Pinochet claimed on that day, September 11, 1973.

The sixty-five year old president had been in office for three years. An official investigation has also been opened in the death of world renown Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who died on September 23, 1973. His death, the junta reported, was from prostate cancer, but the newly released military files indicate he too may have been murdered by the Pinochet regime. Neruda was sixty-nine at the time of his death. Neruda's driver has said that he (Neruda) had been poisoned by Pinochet's henchmen.

Judge Mario Carroza ordered investigations into both deaths. While most appear to support the investigations, some say they will "open up old wounds." While Pinochet continues to have supporters in the Chilean right, most Chileans want to see the truth, and perhaps justice.

\The wanton nature of Pinochet's regime and their foreign backers, particularly U.S. President Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, have always called into question the true nature of the oft self-proclaimed "greatest democracy in the World" and its foreign policy. Even prior to Salvador Allende's election to the presidency in 1970, the U.S. government was at work interfering with Chile's internal affairs and sovereignty. For example, Nixon and Kissinger had funneled several million dollars to candidates opposing Allende before the election and continued funding opposition figures after the election.

Allende's first act as president was to make sure that all school children had milk. In part, this policy was enacted because he, as a medical doctor, saw developmental deficiencies in many poor children. Therefore, he concluded that the inclusion of milk in their diet would greatly improve their health and well-being.

At the same time, Allende and his Popular Unity Party allies were prevalent among the copper miners, union people in general and shantytown dwellers. Accordingly, the political right, rich and foreign corporate interests, particularly Kennecott Copper, Anaconda and ITT, were all set in opposition to Allende. This was especially the case since he aimed to nationalized most major corporations in the belief that the revenue from a nation's resources should be directed towards the common good, social development and poverty alleviation rather then to enrich the already wealthy elites and foreign corporations.

So it is understandable that Nixon and Kissinger were very active in attempting to manipulate Chile's internal affairs immediately after Salvador Allende's election. Indeed, the first act in relation was the assassination of General Rene Schneider on October 22, 1970. (People should not forget that the first 9/11 type of event is considered by many researchers to have taken place in 1973 and was an act of state terrorism against the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende in Chile.) The assassination of Rene Schneider, who was sympathetic to Chilean democracy, opened the door for Pinochet to, then, lead the military.

"60 Minutes" aired an episode outlining the Schneider story just a few days before the second (the US) 9/11 occurred. The timing perhaps was appropriate.

Throughout the Allende presidency as he was implementing programs to achieve the realization of his social and domestic policies, the U.S. was running constant interference with Chile's trade relations and international banking relations. Therefore, the reality with Chile is that we were never allowed to see what a free, socialist Chile would have looked like because of the constant interference and ultimately violent U.S. led opposition to a democratically elected, socialist president.

(It is easy to imagine the reasons that a successful socialist-leaning country would pose a serious threat to the USA in relation to its prevalent economic models, political system and connected ideological underpinning. In relation, the destruction or marginalization of such a country, in tandem with propaganda about socialism, is an acceptable and longstanding US policy whether involving Salvador Allende, Venezuela's Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías or any number of other leaders who would cut into maximum earnings by US favored corporations in order to serve their own countries' people. Under the circumstances, perhaps US citizens can learn a lesson about their own present economic conditions.)

So after the coup with the US's darling Pinochet in power, Kennecott and Anaconda were free to extract Chile's mineral wealth with no concern for the society, justice, nor ecological considerations. Instead, profits and other sorts of self-serving gains were the main concerns, just as they are today vis-à-vis the US government's cozy relationship with big business at the expense of average people in their own and other nations.

All considered, Chile's current willingness to take an honest look at her history is commendable, as the pursuit of truth and justice are sorely needed when such grievous wrongs have existed for so many countrymen in the fairly recent past. (The most common number of civilians killed by Pinochet's regime is "over 3,200." It's apparent that the number is way more then 3,200, but its hard to find a more specific sum since much of the slaughter was undertaken in a clandestine manner.) Moreover, Chile's example in such an honest self-examination could eventually be emulated by many other governments, including West Papua's in Indonesia.

A close but almost totally ignored parallel to Chile's resource wealth and corrupt history is West Papua, Indonesia. West Papua is one of the most resource rich places on Earth with large amounts of gold and copper. Despite the tremendous resource wealth, most of the people residing there live in extreme poverty. Further, West Papua was taken over by Indonesia during the time of the Suharto dictatorship, and with (of course) the blessing of the US government.

Such a blessing is understandable in light of the fact that the primary beneficiary of wealth extracted to date has been the U.S. based mining company Freeport. Indeed, U.S. corporate interests continue to reap the resource wealth across the world while demonstrating little or no concern for the populations or environment in those places that are making them rich. So Freeport is hardly the exception to the rule in its partnership with the brutal Indonesian military, involved in many human rights abuses, serving as Freeport's main security force.

West Papua is and has been for over forty years under occupation by the Indonesian military, that is in turn supported by the U.S. with arms and periodic training arrangements paid for by the US taxpayers. As we wait to find out the truth concerning Salvador Allende and Pablo Neruda, we should bear in mind that their history is simply one component in our struggle for truth and justice -- a longstanding, ongoing and never ending process that must never be abandoned.

[Dawn Meredith]

Oh please. He was assassinated. Long ago I read an interview with someone who was there. His wife perhaps? It has been too long so memory is hazy. The palace was overrun and people were killed. Including Allende.
I suppose the car bomb in DC was suicide too (Ronni Moffett- sp?- and companion).

Dawn

[Carsten Wiethoff]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/07/...ss&emc=rss

British ballistics expert David Prayer said Allende died of two shots fired from an assault rifle that was held between his legs and under his chin and was set to fire automatically. The bullets blew out the top of his head and killed him instantly.

This was the second autopsy performed on Allende's cadaver. The first was done secretly and in irregular fashion by the military that night, before the body was quickly buried in a relative's crypt. Allende was eventually reburied with honors in Santiago, and his daughter Isabel, now a senator, had refused for years to allow another autopsy.
Now, however, she said it is a relief to know that science supports what the family has always believed.
"President Allende, on Sept. 11, 1973, faced with the extreme circumstances that he was living through, took the decision to end his life, rather than be humiliated," Allende said.

[Magda Hassan]

Don't know how it can be suicide with 2 bullets from a rifle....unless some one was there to help with the second round.

[Keith Millea]

Now, however, she said it is a relief to know that science supports what the family has always believed.
"President Allende, on Sept. 11, 1973, faced with the extreme circumstances that he was living through, took the decision to end his life, rather than be humiliated," Allende said.

In all honesty,this is a self serving statement.Any person of honor,when faced with this predicament(certain death),while being in possession of a weapon,would naturally choose to shoot it out in a "blaze of glory",rather than blow your own head off.But,I wasn't there.

Magda,
If indeed Allende did put an assault weapon,set to automatic,between his knees and pulled the trigger,I would expect more than one round fired.

[Magda Hassan]

Do we know it was automatic or set to automatic?

[Keith Millea]

Do we know it was automatic or set to automatic?

Yes,that's a great question Magda,and one I'm certainly not able to answer.I'm also thinking that I was pretty harsh earlier,and want to take back my little rant.He deserves better.......... hutup: