Wait! wait! wait!!! Reagan was going to offer Pinochet asylum in the US???

[malaise]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/11/augusto-pinochet-asylum-united-states-ronald-reagan
<snip>

The government of Ronald Reagan was so worried that leftwing opposition to General Augusto Pinochet might erupt into open civil war that in 1986 the US government considered offering political asylum to the Chilean dictator.

As the US began to understand the depth and passion of the opposition, fears of civil war forced Reagan officials to look for alternatives including, as one document stated, "An honorable departure for President [Pinochet], who would be received as a guest of our [US] government."

The documents, unearthed by Chilean journalist Loreto Daza at the US national archives and records administration in Maryland, detail high-level Reagan administration debates on policy options to ease Pinochet out of power.

"One of the possibilities was to offer him [Pinochet] asylum. It was an offer to travel to the United States and leave power," said Daza, who is also the head of the journalism faculty at the Universidad del Desarollo in Santiago.

"An asset like Pinochet becomes a liability when he is no longer seen as capable of stopping the forces of the left and creating a stable economic climate," said Kornbluh. "Reagan admired Pinochet and wanted to go to Chile to personally thank him for 'saving Chile' and tell him [Pinochet] that 'it was time to go'," Kornbluh said, citing declassified White House records. "But George Shultz [then secretary of state] said absolutely not. Pinochet had too much blood on his hands."
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Today is the anniversary of the Chilean 9/11.

[enough]

1. Very interesting, here's the link:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/11/augusto-pinochet-asylum-united-states-ronald-reagan

[malaise]

2. Thanks

[Louisiana1976]

3. I'll bet Reagan wished he could run the US the way Pinochet ran Chile.

[malaise]

7. Bushco tried

for sure

[2banon]

4. I'm surprised that Schultz disapproved.

that fucking blood thirsty buzzard himself.

well, I do love to read bits of stuff that's been declassified out of the dustbin of our sordid history. However I'd trade it for the secrets of foreign policy making today. I think. nah, i want both.

thanks for this..

[malaise]

5. Later Thatcher that scumbag protected him from the Spanish judge

Spain was going to throw his ass in prison.
To think that war criminal Kissinger has crawled out of his cave again.

[2banon]

8. that I do remember, and yes, please some one explain to me why that bastard is still alive

and trotted out in the media and foreign policy panels and involved in ME diplomatic negotiations.

fuck, i'm tired of this shit.

[malaise]

9. We're all tired of

this shit - the lies, the slaughter and the pretense of decency when all we do is loot, plunder and kill anyone in our path. Sick does not describe this malaise.

[2banon]

14. I'm so grateful that there are more of us than sometimes it seems..

Situation is depressing, and i'm projecting my feelings of despair, I want to be sure and express appreciation for what you do and thank you for posting!

you know I just read a couple of posts in another thread - get this - those of us who are passionately opposed to the military intervention in Iraq and Syria - well we must have an agenda.. cuz all we do is talk doom and gloom and we don't care about the 2016 elections.

[spanone]

6. K&r...

[malaise]

11. Hi there

Here's their hero -Damn ReTHUGs are scumbags.

[spanone]

13. they loved him after he sold arms to fucking IRAN. the very ones holding our hostages.

they are aliens to me.

[hootinholler]

10. Why not?

I mean Kissinger installed him.

I do have to wonder if Bush the elder was pushing that direction or if Ronnie thunked it up all by hizzelf.

[malaise]

12. I'd take bets that Bush the elder was involved

They are all scum

[Art_from_Ark]

15. Ronnie loved right-wing dictators

He was all bummed out when Samoza was deposed in Nicaragua, and when Marcos was kicked out of the Philippines.

[TheVisitor]

16. I'm digging the comments

posted on this link that you shared more than anything

Thanks for sharing

[malaise]

17. Yes

Great comments

[mrdmk]

18. K & R for remembrance