Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger leaves a dark legacy in Latin America due to support for the dictatorships of the Southern Cone and the so-called Condor Plan, as well as support for the coup against Salvador Allende in Chile in 1973.

Documents declassified by the United States, as well as references from Latin American politicians and historians, provide insight into Kissinger’s defining role in promotion of dictatorial regimes in the region and even in plans against left-wing movements that have led to human rights violations.

The former President of Uruguay, Julio Maria Sanguinetti (1985-1990 and 1995-2000), said this Thursday: EFE What Kissinger was a “rare case” of a pragmatic chancellor. being “a great theorist and historian”.

“He gave the United States a policy with light and shadow, but some of the first were very relevant, e.g. leave Vietnam and open relations with China“, he noted.

This year, while Kissinger celebrated his centenary in May, Chileans prepared to remember in September 50th anniversary of the military coup against Salvador Allende.

In Chile he is remembered for his controversial phrase: “I don’t understand why we should wait and let the country become communist.” because of the irresponsibility of his people“what he said before the socialist Allende became president.

According to documents declassified in the United States about the government of Richard Nixon after Allende’s victory in November 1970, Kissinger sent a memorandum in which he gave a detailed analysis of the situation in Chile and described it as “one of the most serious problems ever faced on this continent.”

Years later Kissinger In 1976, he met with then-dictator Augusto Pinochet. in Santiago de Chile, where he thanked him for his “great service to the West in overthrowing Allende.”

According to declassified materials, Kissinger also influenced the so-called Condor Plan.an operation allegedly coordinated by the United States to persecute opponents of the Southern Cone dictatorships (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay) between 1970 and 1980.

In Argentina, Kissinger is the key to understanding the US role in the 1976 coup. and a military dictatorship that lasted until 1983, according to historian Leandro Morgenfeld in an investigation by the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (Conicet) and in a chapter on the South American country he wrote for the book Only the Good Die. young,” about the American figure.

The former US Secretary of State led a policy of “duplicity” by publicly declaring his concerns about human rights violations while… state terrorism supported by private individuals in Argentinagiving this diplomatic and political coverage in the US State Department.

During two meetings between Kissinger and then-Argentine Foreign Minister Cesar Augusto Guzzetti in June and September 1976. He declared his support for the regime’s dirty war.

The first meeting took place in Chile, two days after the Kissinger-Pinochet meeting, where the then US Secretary of State praised Guzzetti for Argentina’s fight against subversion and terrorism.

You might be interested > Kissinger, his relationship with Pinochet, Echeverria and China: Esquivel

“We understand that you are going through a difficult period. This is a curious moment when political, criminal and terrorist activities They tend to merge without clear separation.. We understand that you must establish power,” Kissinger told Guzzetti.

In 1978, when criticism of human rights violations has increased In Argentina, Kissinger attended the World Cup organized in this South American country.

The American joined dictator Jorge Videla to visit the players’ dressing room after controversial home win over Peru. Argentina won their first title.

For Morgenfeld, Kissinger’s presence with Videla at the World Championships was a “loud signal of support” that was “unequivocally” aimed at resist pressure then-Under Secretary of State for Human Rights Patricia Derian.

It was about football that Sanguinetti recalled that Kissinger was a passionate fan of the sport. and that he once told him that football was “a very significant cultural expression” of the character of people.

Kissinger and his relationship with Mexico

Control Kissinger agreed with the Mexican government. Gustavo Díaz Ordaz (1964–1970) and Luis Echeverría (1970–1976), leaders accused of repressing dissidents with the help of the army and paramilitary groups.

According to documents declassified by the National Security Archives Association and other documents leaked to WikiLeaks, Kissinger expressed his admiration for Mexico’s one-party system, i.e. the then hegemony of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

Documentation show close relationship with Echeverria, with whom he met several times at the Los Pinos presidential residence in Mexico City.

On the other hand, although left-wing organizations accused him of involvement in the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre, in which state forces killed hundreds of students in Mexico City, documents show that Kissinger expressed concern since the use of American-made security equipment may increase anti-American sentiment in the country.

You might be interested > IOC fires Henry Kissinger: “an old friend of the Olympic movement” | Tweet

As for Cuba, Kissinger initially advocated for improved relations between both countries.However, after the so-called Operation Carlota, the Cuban military intervention in the clashes for the independence of Angola and the subsequent civil war, the American was relentless, as he was with regard to left-wing politicians and groups in the region.

The most famous diplomat of the twentieth century, who He died this Wednesday at the age of 100. in Connecticut (USA), he remained an active political adviser until the end and often expressed his opinions on current events, such as the war in Ukraine or artificial intelligence. (EFE)