Topline
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) publicly called for the government to declassify documents that could shine a light on the U.S. government’s involvement in the 1973 coup that overthrew President Salvador Allende in 1973 on Thursday during a visit to the South American nation.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (D-NY), center left, shakes hands with Mayor Iraci Hassler, … [+] in Santiago, Chile, Thursday. Ocasio-Cortez is part of a US delegation who traveled to the South American country to learn about efforts to defend its democracy ahead of the 50th anniversary of the military coup led by Gen. Augusto Pinochet. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Key Facts
Releasing these documents “could present an opportunity for a new phase in our relationship between the United States and Chile” Ocasio-Cortez said in Spanish in an Instagram video.
She also said she hopes the U.S. “can foster a new era of relations with Chile through transparent information exchange.”
Ocasio-Cortez was part of a group of lawmakers, which also includes Reps. Joaquín Castro (D-Texas), Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Greg Casar (D-Texas) and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), that visited Chile to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1973 coup, according to the Associated Press.
Forbes has reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment.
Key Background
In 1973, a military coup d’état overthrew Allende, who was the first socialist leader to be democratically elected president in South America. The U.S., under the Richard Nixon Administration, launched an economic and diplomatic pressure campaign towards Allende’s administration in an attempt to discourage it from adopting socialist policies. On September 11, 1973, a military group led by a general named Augusto Pinochet overthrew Allende, leading the country into 17 years of a military dictatorship under Pinochet. Immediately after the coup, there were suspicions of U.S. involvement. Small drips of limited declassified materials and investigations have suggested the U.S. played a stronger role than previously known.
Tangent
The trip is part of a larger trip to South American countries run by left-leaning governments. The delegation previously visited Brazil, where Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won election to the presidency in October, and they will visit Colombia, which is run by the Liberal Party under President Gustavo Petro, next. The trip is sponsored by the Center for Economics and Policy Research, according to El País.
Further Reading
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez calls on US to declassify documents on Chile’s 1973 coup (The Associated Press)
