Cold War Dictators, Part 1: Chile's Pinochet

For some reason, I have always considered Augusto Pinochet to be a Dictator Lite. Perhaps it's the grandfatherly way he carried himself in the late 80s and 1990s. Maybe it's his Breton-Basque roots. Or it's his impeccably tailored and pressed civilian suits and military uniforms. He just did not look like a bad guy.

Et tu, Pinochet? (Pinochet next to his boss, and soon-to-be victim, Allende)

On September 11, 1973, with the help of the CIA, Pinochet toppled the democratically elected Marxist government of Salvador Allende, extinguishing the left's greatest hope for a labor/peasant utopia in South America. In the months and years before the coup, the CIA pumped millions of dollars to destabilize the Chilean economy and discredit the Allende government. It succeeded. And with Pinochet, the CIA found a perfect helmsman to lead Chile in its fight against the Reds.

Chilean Pimp

Though Pinochet and the CIA shared common goals, Pinochet was no stooge. He led Chile his way. He was selfish, stern, and methodical. Thousands died and tens of thousands were tortured in his crusade to bring order and prosperity to his homeland.

Chilean Strongman

Prussian Precision

Because of his loyalty to the army and his outwardly frugal appearance, many of his supporters believed that Pinochet was disciplined and honest. Though he may have been disciplined, the recent Riggs Bank scandal revealed that Augusto accumulated and hid tens of millions of dollars in overseas accounts. Honest he was not.

During his twilight years, Pinochet, inadvertently or purposefully, changed his persona from stern ruler to frail and jolly grandfather. He was often seen in England on holiday in expensive but casual suits and sports coats. For many non-Chileans who were not well-versed in Pinochet's past crimes, he seemed like a softy who couldn't even hurt a fly.

Forgive me father, for I have sinned.

But the law eventually caught up to Pinochet, kind of. In the last years of his life, Pinochet was in legal limbo in England, Spain, and finally, in Chile. Supposed health conditions kept him from being tried. He died at a ripe old age of natural causes, with hundreds of charges but no convictions. Too bad.

CKY