Project FUBELT

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Main article: United States intervention in Chile

Project FUBELT (also known as Track II) is the code name for the secret Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operations that were to prevent Salvador Allende rise to power before his confirmation, and promote a military coup in Chile.

The highlights of Project FUBELT are cited in declassified U.S. government documents released by the National Security Archive on September 11, 1998, 25 years after the coup, as well as in papers uncovered by a 1975 congressional inquiry.

CIA memoranda and reports on Project FUBELT include meetings between United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and CIA officials, CIA cables to its Santiago station, and summaries of secret action in 1970 — detailing decisions and operations to undermine the election of Salvador Allende in September 1970 and promote a military coup.

Revelations from declassified documents

Among the revelations in the formerly secret documents were the following:

Handwritten notes, taken by CIA director Richard Helms, record the orders of President Richard Nixon, to foster a coup in Chile^[1]
In the first meeting between Helms and high agency officials on the secret operations codenamed "FUBELT", a special task force under the supervision of CIA Deputy Director for Plans, Thomas Karamessines, is established, headed by veteran agent David Atlee Phillips. The memorandum notes that the CIA must prepare an action plan for National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger within 48 hours.^[2]
Henry Kissinger, Thomas Karamessines and Alexander Haig (military assistant to Henry Kissinger), in a meeting on October 15, 1970, discuss promoting a coup in Chile, known as "Track II" of covert operations. Kissinger orders the CIA to "continue keeping the pressure on every Allende weak spot in sight.^[3]
In a secret cable, Thomas Karamessines conveyed Kissinger's orders to CIA station chief in Santiago, Henry Hecksher: "It is firm and continuing policy that Allende be overthrown by a coup."^[4]
The CIA ran a series of secret operations intended to push President Eduardo Frei Montalva to support "a military coup which would prevent Allende from taking office on 3 November."^[5]
After Salvador Allende's election, the United States considered trying to get Chile expelled from the Organization of American States.^[6]
Embassy officers and the State Department Policy Planning office called for the cutting off of economic and military assistance to Pinochet's government on human rights grounds, but were overruled by the Ambassador and officials of The Pentagon and Treasury Department.^[7]

Notes

References

Chile and the United States: Declassified Documents Relating to the Military Coup, September 11, 1973 by Peter Kornbluh, National Security Archive.
National Security Archive Documents: Chile and the United States: Declassified Documents relating to the Military Coup, 1970-1976

v t e 1973 Chilean coup d'état

Background	United States intervention in Chile Schneider Doctrine 1970 election Project FUBELT Presidency of Salvador Allende Carlos Prats Alejandrina Cox incident Carlos Altamirano

Events	Tanquetazo 1973 Chilean coup d'état

Participants	Salvador Allende Augusto Pinochet José Toribio Merino Gustavo Leigh

Aftermath	Government Junta of Chile Miguel Enriquez Operation Condor Prats assassination Leighton case Letelier assassination Chile under Pinochet Chicago Boys Indictment and arrest of Pinochet

Controversies	Death of Salvador Allende Criticisms of Salvador Allende Human rights violations under Pinochet

v t e United States intervention in Latin America

Policy	Monroe Doctrine (1823) Platt Amendment (1901–1904) Roosevelt Corollary/Big Stick ideology (1904) Good Neighbor policy (1933) Dollar Diplomacy

Wars	Mexican–American War (1846-1848) Spanish–American War (1898) Border War (1910–19) United States involvement in the Mexican Revolution (1916–19)

Overt actions and occupations	Paraguay expedition (1858) Separation of Panama from Colombia (1903) (Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty) Occupations of Honduras Occupation of Nicaragua (1912–33) Occupation of Veracruz (1914) Occupation of Haiti (1915–34) Occupation of the Dominican Republic (1916–24) Occupation of the Dominican Republic (1965–66) Invasion of Grenada (1983) Invasion of Panama (1989)

Covert actions	1954 Guatemalan coup d'état Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961) Operation MONGOOSE Project FUBELT 1973 Chilean coup d'état Iran–Contra affair

Disputed claims	2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt 2004 Haitian rebellion

Other	Cuban missile crisis (1962) ATF gunwalking scandal

Foreign policy of the United States Latin America–United States relations

Coordinates: 38°57′06″N 77°08′48″W / 38.95167°N 77.14667°W / 38.95167; -77.14667

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