Chile in the U.S. Imagination: National and North Carolina Press Coverage of The Chilean Military Coup of September 11, 1973

Abstract

The Chilean coup of September 11, 1973, drastically changed the course of Chilean history, resulting in the imposition of the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet and the overthrow of a long-standing democracy which would not reemerge until 1990. In the years prior to the coup, the United States had been engaged in covert action to prevent the installation and then undermine the presidency of Salvador Allende, a socialist. The United States feared that his election would be detrimental to American security interests and inspire the fall of other regimes in the Western hemisphere to Communism. Beyond the domestic upheaval, the significance of these events largely pertains to the Cold War and American interventionism. The Cold War and American strategy of containment of communism across the globe were driving forces behind U.S. covert action in Chile attempting to prevent Allende from coming to power and undermine his administration. How did the U.S. press cover the coup and its aftermath? Did the U.S. government justify its actions as an effort to contain the spread of communism? Was the press supportive of covert action and support of Pinochet? In what way, if at all, did the U.S. public respond? Little has been done to show how the U.S. government presented its involvement to the public, how the U.S. media reported U.S. involvement in Chile, or how the public reacted. To this end, this study examines American press coverage in 1973 and 1974 of the coup, the Pinochet regime, and U.S. covert action in Chile. It is an analysis of how newspaper press coverage reflected and shaped public opinion of American foreign policy to such an extent that notable reform occurred. The central argument is that coverage from 1973 and 1974 generated condemnation for the coup and added to public mistrust of the federal government, helping to spur Congressional investigations and reform of the U.S. Intelligence Community.