Comprehensive recounting of the crimes of Augusto Pinochet, military dictator of Chile from 1973 through 1990, and the United States' role in his regime. Kornbluh presents a damning mixture of declassified documents and analysis, demonstrating American meddling in Chilean elections dating back at le ...more
In this astonishingly well-written and comprehensive book, one may find, in part, THE answer. Why did the "CIA obstruct" the declassification of various intelligence documents prior to release by the NARA. I don't know probably because the USG forty committee was attempting to "foster a military cou ...more
I can't recommend this enough. It's a detailed account of US history in Chilean, and really, an account of what is happening right now.
The US involvement in undermining democracy and taking lives all in the name of politics and economics is still happening. The US/Chilean history isn't unique. And t ...more
"The Pinochet File" is hands down one of the best historical investigations ever published. There are few, if any, books I have read that constitute such a powerful and relevant indictment of political atrocity.
It's not without flaws. Anyone who says the writing is gripping either hasn't read most o ...more
“CIA pursued a basic three-step plan: (1) identify, contact, and collect intelligence on coup-minded officers; (2) inform them that the U.S. was committed to “full support in coup” short of sending the marines; and (3) foster the creation of “a coup climate by propaganda, disinformation and terroris ...more
I lived in Chile for two years as a missionary for the LDS church. On multiple occasions, I would hear Chileans whispering around me, “CIA, look they are CIA”. I thought this was a joke at first, until my companion informed me that it wasn’t a joke to them. That many Chileans were wary of Americans ...more
While I knew that the US worked to bring down Chilean president Allende in the early 1970s (he'd committed the unpardonable crime of getting elected while socialist) and supported the Pinochet dictatorship that followed, the details still make horrifying reading. Despite Pinochet's brutal repression ...more
The book is extremely comprehensive. That’s great in terms of high quality information and a clear picture, but it also means there are some times where it feels tedious. Overall the author does a great job of selecting the right amount of information to give. This is a very important read for US hi ...more
A window to the consequences of a US foreign policy that installed a Nationalist Dictator in Chile and the pain and suffering caused to thousands of Chilean citizens. A cover up of Kissinger’s failures. Parallels to US politics currently inaction over the past few years is truly scary. ...more
This comprehensive, controversial and enlightening volume from Peter Kornbluh unveils one of history's greatest obstructions of democracy, perpetrated by an organization supposedly renowned for its democratic ideals--the United States government. The hundreds of declassified and redacted CIA, DoD, F ...more
Kornbluh exposes the US role in the Chilean coup that places Pinochet in power. Mostly focuses on the primary source documents, which are inconveniently all located at the end of the chapter. His analysis mostly deals with high-ranking US officials and only briefly discusses the scene on the ground ...more