Chile Coup Comes to Light

What would've happened if someone in say 1974 found solid proof that the USA helped a coup of Chile? Add in the economists that drew up plans for it, like Milton Friedman. What impact would this have had? This truth is published in something like the Times. Would it make national news? Would it turn into another Watergate? Or would it be deflected by anti-communists?
 
What would've happened if someone in say 1974 found solid proof that the USA helped a coup of Chile? Add in the economists that drew up plans for it, like Milton Friedman. What impact would this have had? This truth is published in something like the Times. Would it make national news? Would it turn into another Watergate? Or would it be deflected by anti-communists?

But, the US didn't participate in it.

Are you asking what would have happen if the Americans had helped the coup?

If so, it would probably be considered an attempt to remove evil dictators and would be seen positively at the time. Later on, people would start blaming Nixon for Pinochet.
 
There is not solid proof it directly participated for or against, but is highly likely. There is this operation planned though.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_FUBELT

Basically, how big of a scandal could Chile have turned into? Could the numerous abuses there made public shortly after US endorsement of Pitochet embarress the US government? I'm now seeing sadly nowhere near the level of Watergate.
 
Not much would change. Right-wingers would say that Allende was a dirty commie who got what he deserved, while left-wingers would say just the opposite and denounce Pinochet as a fascist. So business as usual.
 
But, the US didn't participate in it.

Depends on what you mean by 'didn't participate' I suppose.


If so, it would probably be considered an attempt to remove evil dictators

Except, of course, that Allende was not a dictator but was in fact a democratically elected official and head of government, in a state which had a democratic parliamentary style constitutional government which had been in place for literally decades. Really, that's no more sensible than calling Lyndon Johnson or John Kennedy an evil dictator.


and would be seen positively at the time.

I dunno about that. This, after all, was in the late era of the Vietnam War, and one of the key blunders there had been the mucking about with the overthrow of Diem. That whole 'regime change as we see fit' had fallen into a lot of disfavour.


Later on, people would start blaming Nixon for Pinochet.

Yeah, once the word was creeping out about people being thrown out of helicopters, women raped by dogs, and American citizens being blown up on the streets of Washington DC, there'd probably be a bit more blowback.
 
Sadly, I think it undervalues Pinochet to simply dismiss him as a fascist. There was so much more to his career and works.
 
Except, of course, that Allende was not a dictator but was in fact a democratically elected official and head of government, in a state which had a democratic parliamentary style constitutional government which had been in place for literally decades. Really, that's no more sensible than calling Lyndon Johnson or John Kennedy an evil dictator.

Well, he was a Marxist, and sadly, to many Americans in the Cold War, Marxist = Communist = Dictator.
 
Perhaps, however with this timing, it could be much bigger, and may forcefully change US policy during the Cold War. Namely, US citizens will become much more suspicious of US foreign activities(which could have interesting long term effects to say the least.)
 
Thank you. In the meantime, what other long term repercussions could this have? Could questions about Iran raised lead to the public learning about the Iran Coup in the 1950s?
 
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Besides that, this is occurring in the same year as Watergate(1974 when story gets published). What repercussions will occur?
 
The evidence about US involvement in the coup would be completely overshadowed by Watergate and wouldn't really get that much press IMO.
 
It would have added to the list of abuses uncovered by the 1975/76 Church committee and probably stronger legislation than that which ensued.
 
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