A Spoiling Operation: The 1970 Chilean Presidential Election, January 1–September 4, 1970
25. Telegram From the Embassy in Chile to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL CHILE. Confidential. Repeated to Asunción, Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Caracas, La Paz, Lima, Guatemala City, Managua, Mexico City, Montevideo, Panama City, Quito, Rio de Janeiro, Santo Domingo, Tegucigalpa, and San José.
26. Telegram From the Embassy in Chile to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL CHILE. Confidential. Repeated to Asunción, Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Caracas, La Paz, Lima, Guatemala City, Managua, Mexico City, Montevideo, Panama City, Quito, Rio de Janeiro, Santo Domingo, Tegucigalpa, and San José. Part I of the telegram is Document 25.
27. Telegram From the Embassy in Chile to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL CHILE. Confidential; Limdis.
28. Memorandum for the Record
Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Job 79–01440A, File AA–7, WH Division 1970. Secret. Drafted in DDP/WH on January 30. A March 19 memorandum of this meeting, prepared from notes by James Gardner (INR), is in the Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, INR/IL Historical Files, Documents on Chile to the Department of Justice.
29. Memorandum for the 40 Committee
Source: National Security Council, Intelligence Files, Subject Files, Chile, 1970. Secret; Eyes Only. A notation in an unknown hand at the bottom of the first page reads, “On 25 March 1970 the 40 Committee approved this proposal as stated, including the funding level.”
30. Memorandum by Viron P. Vaky of the National Security Council Staff
Source: National Security Council, Nixon Intelligence Files, Subject Files, Chile, 1970. Secret; Eyes Only. Although the memorandum bears no addressee, it was most likely written for Kissinger in preparation for the 40 Committee meeting scheduled for March 25.
31. Memorandum for the Record
Source: National Security Council, Nixon Intelligence Files, Subject Files, Chile, 1970. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Chapin on March 30. Copies were sent to Mitchell, Packard, Johnson, and Helms.
32. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Chile–ITT–CIA 1963–1977, Lot 81D121, Documents Requested by the Department of Justice, 1970–1977. Secret; Limited Distribution. Drafted by Stedman. Copies were sent to the Secretary, Richardson, Johnson, Samuels, Meyer, and Ambassador Korry. No meeting time appears on the memorandum.
33. Telegram From the Embassy in Chile to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 14 CHILE. Secret; Exdisl.
34. Memorandum From Director of Central Intelligence Helms to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Security Council, Nixon Intelligence Files, Subject Files, Chile, 1970. Secret.
35. Backchannel Message From the Ambassador to Chile (Korry) to the 40 Committee
Source: National Security Council, Nixon Intelligence Files, Subject Files, Chile, 1970. Secret.
36. Backchannel Message From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Crimmins) to the Ambassador to Chile (Korry)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 128, Country Files, Latin America, Chile Wrap-Up and Post Mortem. Secret; Immediate; Sensitive. According to an October 9 CIA memorandum summarizing policy decisions related to the covert action involvement in the Chilean election, this message was sent following a June 19 meeting between representatives of the Department of State and the CIA. At the meeting, Crimmins raised the following objections to the expanded program proposed in Document 35: “(a) he doubted the need for this activity; (b) he was disturbed at the pro-Alessandri cast it took; (c) the risk was greatly heightened by the magnitude of the funds; (d) he was concerned by the vagueness of the arrangements; and (e) about the risk, he noted that what the U.S. Government was trying to avoid might be avoided by natural causes, and, furthermore, an Allende victory may not be the end of the world.” (National Archives, RG 59, Chile–ITT–CIA 1963–1977, Lot 81D121, Chile–CIA 1970) No memorandum of conversation of this meeting has been found.
37. Backchannel Message From the Ambassador to Chile (Korry) to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Crimmins)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 128, Country Files, Latin America, Chile Wrap-Up and Post Mortem. Secret. This message is a response to Document 36.
38. Memorandum for the 40 Committee
Source: National Security Council, Intelligence Files, Subject Files, Chile, 1970. Secret; Eyes Only. A notation at the bottom of the first page reads: “Conditional approval given by 40 Committee on 27 June 1970. No further action to be taken without 40 Committee approval.”
39. Memorandum From Viron P. Vaky of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Security Council, Nixon Intelligence Files, Subject Files, Chile, 1970. Secret; Sensitive. Sent for action.
40. Memorandum From Viron P. Vaky of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Security Council, Nixon Intelligence Files, Subject Files, Chile, 1970. Secret; Sensitive. Sent for information.
41. Memorandum for the Record
Source: National Security Council, Nixon Intelligence Files, Subject Files, Chile, 1970. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Jessup on June 29. Copies were sent to Mitchell, Packard, Johnson, and Helms.
42. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Chile
Source: Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, INR/IL Historical Files, Chile Chronology 1970. Secret; Roger Channel. Drafted by Crimmins; approved by Coerr. A stamped notation on the first page reads: “Special Handling.”
43. Telegram From the Embassy in Chile to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, INR/IL Historical Files, Chile Chronology 1970. Secret; Immediate; Roger Channel. A stamped notation on the first page reads: “Special Handling.”
44. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Chile
Source: Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, INR/IL Historical Files, Chile Chronology 1970. Secret; Roger Channel. Drafted by Crimmins; approved by Coerr. A stamped notation on the first page reads: “Special Handling.”
45. Memorandum From Viron P. Vaky of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 774, Country Files, Latin America, Chile, Vol. II. Secret. Sent for information. Printed from an uninitialed copy.
46. National Security Study Memorandum 97
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–047, Senior Review Group, Chile (97). Secret; Exdisl.
47. National Intelligence Estimate
Source: Central Intelligence Agency, National Intelligence Council, Job 79R01012A, NIE 94–70. Secret; Controlled Dissem. According to the covering sheet, the CIA and the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State and Defense and the National Security Agency participated in the preparation of the estimate. All members of the U.S. Intelligence Board concurred in the estimate except the Atomic Energy Commission and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, on the grounds that the subject was outside their jurisdiction. The NIE is published in full as Document 11 in Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, vol. E–16, Documents on Chile, 1969–1973.
48. Telegram From the Embassy in Chile to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, INR/IL Historical Files, Chile Chronology 1970. Secret; Priority; Roger Channel. A stamped notation on the first page reads: “Special Handling.”
49. Memorandum for the Record
Source: National Security Council, Nixon Intelligence Files, Subject Files, Chile, 1970. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted on August 10.
50. Backchannel Message From the Ambassador to Chile (Korry) to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Crimmins)
Source: Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, INR/IL Historical Files, Chile Chronology 1970. Secret.
51. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Chile
Source: Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, INR/IL Historical Files, Chile Chronology 1970. Secret; Priority; Roger Channel. Drafted by Crimmins; approved by Gardner. A stamped notation on the first page reads: “Special Handling.”
52. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Meyer) to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson)
Source: Department of State, S/S–NSSM Files, Lot 80D212, NSSM 97. Secret; Sensitive. Drafted by Girdler; cleared in ARA/AP.
53. Minutes of a Meeting of the Special Review Group
Source: National Security Council, Nixon Intelligence Files, Subject Files, Chile, 1970. Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room. An attached August 20 note to Kissinger indicates that the latest poll results based on a survey conducted [text not declassified] in early August 1970, were as follows:
| Unadjusted | Adjusted | |
| Alessandri | 38.58 | 41.49 |
| Allende | 28.16 | 30.06 |
| Tomic | 26.93 | 28.75 |
| Abstention (Undecided) | 6.33 | |
| Total | 100.00 | 100.30 |
54. Memorandum From Viron P. Vaky of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Security Council, Nixon Intelligence Files, Subject Files, Chile, 1970. Secret; Sensitive. Sent for information. Kissinger wrote, “make memo to Pres. recommending contacting the cut out,” in the upper right-hand corner. Vaky explained his reason for not following this instruction in Document 57. In a covering note to Kissinger on another copy of this memorandum, Winston Lord wrote, “Note last paragraph where Vaky says meeting may be necessary before Sept. 4 because of State opposition. Vaky knows scheduling difficulties + will try to avoid meeting.” (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 774, Country Files, Latin America, Chile, Vol. II)