René Schneider
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
General René Schneider Chereau (1913-1970) was the Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army at the time of the 1970 Chilean presidential election, when he was assassinated during a botched kidnapping attempt. His murder virtually assured Salvador Allende's election by the Chilean Congress two days later. He also coined the doctrine of military political prescindency that became known as the Schneider Doctrine.
Contents |
[edit] Background
He was born in Concepción, on December 31, 1913. He joined the army in 1929, and after a brilliant career, was named Commander-in-Chief on October 27, 1969, by President Eduardo Frei Montalva.
In 1970, the prospect of Salvador Allende winning the Chilean presidency was highly controversial, particularly within the Chilean military, because of his Marxist ideology. Schneider had expressed firm opposition to the idea of preventing Allende's inauguration by means of a coup d'état; as a constitutionalist, he wished to preserve the military's apolitical history.
[edit] Assassination
After the 1970 Chilean presidential election, a plot to kidnap the General Schneider was developed. "Neutralizing" General Schneider became a key prerequisite for a military coup; he opposed any intervention by the armed forces to block Salvador Allende's constitutional election. The CIA supplied a group of Chilean officers led by General Camilo Valenzuela with "sterile" weapons for the operation which was to be blamed on Allende supporters and prompt a military takeover[1].
[edit] First and Second Attempts
On the evening of October 19, 1970, a second group of coup-plotters loyal to General Roberto Viaux, equipped with tear gas grenades attempted to grab General Schneider as he left an official dinner. The attempt failed because he left in a private car and not the expected official vehicle. The failure produced an extremely significant cable from CIA headquarters in Washington to the local station, asking for urgent action because "Headquarters must respond during morning 20 October to queries from high levels." Payments of $50,000 each to General Viaux and his chief associate were then authorised on the condition that they made another attempt. On the evening of October 20, they did. But again there was only failure to report.
[edit] Final Attempt
On October 22, 1970, the coup-plotters again attempted to kidnap Schneider. His official car was ambushed at a street intersection in the capital city of Santiago. General Schneider drew a gun to defend himself, and was shot point-blank several times. He was rushed to a military hospital, but the wounds proved fatal and he died three days later, on October 25.
The attempt to kidnap him was due to the fact that Schneider was the army Commander-in-Chief and considered a constitutionalist, which in practical terms meant that he would not support a coup. This incident and his death provoked national outrage, and caused the citizens and the military to rally behind the just-elected Allende, who was ratified by the Chilean Congress on October 24. It also helped to ensure an orderly transfer of power to Allende.
Military courts in Chile found that Schneider's death was caused by two military groups, one led by General Roberto Viaux and the other by General Camilo Valenzuela. Viaux and Valenzuela were eventually convicted of charges of conspiring to cause a coup, and Viaux also was convicted of kidnapping. The lawsuit asserted that the CIA had aided both groups, but the charges were never satifactorily proved, with the expection of the tens of thousands of dollars and also machine guns given to them by the CIA.
On October 26, 1970, President Eduardo Frei Montalva, named General Carlos Prats as Commander-in-Chief to replace General Schneider. Ironically this happened at the same time that $35,000 were given by the CIA to the kidnappers as "humanitarian" assistance.
[edit] American involvement
A CIA group was set up in Langley, Virginia, with the express purpose of running a "two track" policy for Chile: one the ostensible diplomatic one and the other - unknown to the State Department or the US ambassador to Chile, Edward Korry - a strategy of destabilisation, kidnap and assassination, designed to provoke a military coup. On October 15, 1970, Kissinger was told of an extremist right-wing officer named General Roberto Viaux, who had ties to Patria y Libertad (Fatherland and Liberty, a quasi-fascist group intent on defying the election results) and who was willing to accept the secret US commission to remove General Schneider. Kissinger's Track Two group authorised the supply of machine guns as well as tear gas grenades to Viaux's associates.
The CIA in Santiago kept contact with two groups inside the military and provided guns and money for kidnapping Schneider, but the fact that he was killed during the operation effectively put an end to any further direct attempts for the time being. It is unclear whether the U.S. State Department sanctioned CIA assistance to Viaux, as declassified documents show that National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger and President Richard Nixon had expressed intentions to withhold support over concerns that the coup would fail a week before it actually took place.
In the October 15 memo, Kissinger and Karamessines developed last-minute second thoughts about Viaux, who as late as October 13 had been given $20,000 in cash from the CIA station and promised a life insurance policy of $250,000. This offer was authorised directly from the White House. However, with only days to go before Allende was inaugurated, and with Nixon repeating that "it was absolutely essential that the election of Mr Allende to the Presidency be thwarted", the pressure on the plotters became intense. As a direct consequence, especially after the warm words of encouragement he had been given, General Viaux felt himself under some obligation to deliver also, and to disprove those who had doubted him.[2]
[edit] Legal suits
On September 10, 2001, General Schneider's family filed a suit against former U.S. National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, accusing him of collaborating with Viaux in arranging for Schneider's murder[3]. While declassified documents show that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, displeased with the Socialist victory, had explored the idea of supporting Viaux in a coup attempt, they also show that the agency decided on tracking down other members of the Chilean military, deciding that a Viaux coup would fail. On October 15, 1970, Kissinger had told President Richard Nixon that he had "turned off" plans to support Viaux, explaining that "Nothing could be worse than an abortive coup." [4]
[edit] Additional information
[edit] See also
- 1970 Chilean presidential election
- Schneider Doctrine
- U.S. intervention in Chile
- Salvador Allende
- Carlos Prats
- Project FUBELT
[edit] References
- ^ CIA, Cable Transmissions on Coup Plotting, October 18, 1970
- ^ Why has he got away with it? - Edited extract from The Trial Of Henry Kissinger, by Christopher Hitchens, in the Guardian
- ^ Why the law wants a word with Kissinger - Sidney Magazine 2002
- ^ Kissinger and Chile - Frontpage Magazine
[edit] External links
- Official biography (Spanish)
- Charles Judson Harwood Jr., The murder of René Schneider
- First Coup Attempt
- Freedom of Information Page
- Christian C. Gustafson, Reexamining the Record: CIA Machinations in Chile in 1970
| Preceded by: Sergio Castillo |
Army Commander-in-chief 1969-1970 |
Succeeded by: Carlos Prats |
