Powell Regrets 1973 U.S. Actions in Chile

Looks like the US is confessing to something… then you get further in the article and realize, that’s only Powell.

Powell Regrets 1973 U.S. Actions in Chile](Yahoo News: Latest and Breaking News, Headlines, Live Updates, and More)

When a student asked Secretary of State Colin Powell about the 1973 military coup in Chile, the retired general turned diplomat made no secret of his deep misgivings about the U.S. role in that upheaval.

“It is not a part of American history that we’re proud of,” Powell said, quickly adding that reforms instituted since then make it unlikely that the policies of that Cold War era will be repeated.

The matter might have ended there had not Washington operative William D. Rogers taken notice of Powell’s televised comment. Rogers served under Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in 1975-76 as the department’s top official on Latin America and maintains a professional relationship with Kissinger.

In a highly unusual move, the State Department issued a statement that put distance between the department and its top official. The statement asserted that the U.S. government “did not instigate the coup that ended Allende’s government in 1973.”

Rogers was concerned that Powell’s comment was reinforcing what he called “the legend” that the Chile coup was a creation of a Kissinger-led cabal working in league with Chilean military officers opposed to Allende. He called the department legal office to point out that there was a pending law suit against the government and Powell’s comment was not helpful.

“I also called Kissinger,” said Rogers. “I talked to him about it. I wouldn’t say he was upset. … I told Henry I think this is bad stuff. It doesn’t help the U.S. legal position.”

Rightly or wrongly, Kissinger has been linked to the coup that brought Gen. Augusto Pinochet’s military government to power.

Rogers said the Chilean military acted not because the United States urged it to do so, “but because they believed that had the Allende regime continued much longer, Chilean liberties would be irretrievably lost.” continued…]

*"It is not a part of American history that we're proud of," Powell said
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Good, that should shame those American's who defend the US actions in Chile in 1973, and make them see how right people were in criticising the shameful actions of Kissinger and co.

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Malik73: *
Good, that should shame those American's who defend the US actions in Chile in 1973, and make them see how right people were in criticising the shameful actions of Kissinger and co.
[/QUOTE]
Read on, Malik.. the good sense didn't rub off. They tried disowning his statement because they are currently facing an $11M suit on this very topic...

hmm.. $11M? That's 9 cruise missles right? Didn't we just blow 800+ of those in Iraq? What's another $11M for some people whose lives were affected by our poor judgement?? Apparently too much.

Ex-Secret Police Chief Sentenced in Chile](Yahoo News: Latest and Breaking News, Headlines, Live Updates, and More)
Tue Apr 15, 10:17 PM ET

The head of the secret police during Gen. Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison in connection with the disappearance of a political prisoner.

Sentenced along with former Gen. Manuel Contreras where five of his subordinates to prison terms ranging from five to 15 years. All defendants said they would appeal.

The convictions stem from the disappearance of Carlos Sandoval, a dissident who vanished at the hands of the feared security service during Pinochet’s 1973- 1990 rule. More than 3,000 people were killed or disappeared during that period.

The secret police have been accused of the most serious human rights violations, including widespread torture and the executions and forced disappearance.

It was Manuel Contreras’s second conviction for dictatorship-era crimes. In 2001, he completed a seven-year term for playing a role in the 1976 bomb assassination in Washington of Orlando Letelier, a prominent foe of Pinochet.

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by spoon: *
Read on, Malik.. the good sense didn't rub off. They tried disowning his statement because they are currently facing an $11M suit on this very topic...

hmm.. $11M? That's 9 cruise missles right? Didn't we just blow 800+ of those in Iraq? What's another $11M for some people whose lives were affected by our poor judgement?? Apparently too much.
[/QUOTE]

Somehow I knew such American displays of "regret" were to good to be true. A great shame not just for Chile but for America, because these sort of fake apologies will only strengthen people's views towards the US government.