>Actually, Allende committed suicide, right?
He pulled the trigger, one supposes. But I've read over the various versions of this, and I'll give Tomas Moulian, Chilean sociologist, the final word, from his book Chile Actual: Anamotia de un Mito (Chile Today: Anatomy of a Myth). He writes (my translation):
The suicide was the formalization of an execution already consummated. This was so both in real and symbolic terms.
In the real sense, because the militarily unnecessary bombing of the Moneda [presidential palace] represented the will to finish off Allende or revealed how little importance his life represented for the conspirators. Aerial bombardment of the Palace of Government expressed a desire for a tabula rasa, to create a new State over the ruins of the old....
[And] in the symbolic sense because when Allende killed himself in fact he was already dead. Dead by the bombs hurled at him. Dead because he knew he had reason on his side, but was unable to impose it.... Dead, because of the pain of betrayal by the one in whose hands he had placed the life of the State and his own.
Note: "because of the pain of betrayal..." because Allende gave Pinochet his job as head of the armed forces, convinced he'd be loyal.
And thanks for the citation in the NYT. To the rest of you all: I don't have time to puruse the US press just now, but if you all see or grab good articles on the Pinochet stuff, please send it my way off list.
Thanks!
Tom
Tom Kruse / Casilla 5812 / Cochabamba, Bolivia Tel/Fax: (591-4) 248242 Email: tkruse at albatros.cnb.net