The year 1970 was a fateful year for Chile, a South American country.
Salvador Allende, who won the presidential election, became the first leader to come to power through elections in Latin America without the support of the United States.
Allende's political identity raised the possibility of Chile, like Cuba, falling under the influence of the Soviet Union.
The new government in Chile, which is the world's largest copper producer, quickly nationalized U.S.-owned enterprises.
Allende also hosted Cuban leader Fidel Castro in a grand manner at the presidential palace.
These steps greatly unsettled the Washington administration, and pro-U.S. military personnel in the Chilean Army also took action.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) launched an operation called "Two Paths."
The aim of these operations was to overthrow Salvador Allende.
On September 11, 1973, warplanes bombed democracy in Chile. The junta led by Augusto Pinochet surrounded and shelled the presidential palace.
The rule of Dictator Pinochet, which cast a nightmare over the country, lasted a full 17 years.
During this period, the people of Chile suffered greatly, concentration camps were established, and thousands of people lost their lives.
The Chilean government demanded the release of documents related to this coup from the United States last month.
In response to this request, the U.S. State Department declassified part of the intelligence report related to the coup.
According to the documents, American intelligence informed President Nixon three days before the coup that a coup would take place. On the day of the coup, it was understood that the Chilean army was discussing plans to initiate military actions against Allende.
In a statement made by the U.S. National Security Archive in 2022, it was stated that three years before the coup, Nixon ordered a military coup to "save Chile" by preventing Allende from taking office.
Even after half a century since the coup, Chile, which has not been able to erase the traces of the Pinochet regime, is still searching for the disappeared dissidents from that period.
