Part 1:
THE BATTLE OF CHILE
The struggle of
an unarmed people
a Patricio Guzmán Film
In memory of
Jorge Müller Silva
Part One: THE INSURRECTION
OF THE BOURGEOISIE
Six months before the bombing
of the La Moneda palace...
...the Chilean people are
voting to renew Parliament.
The political forces are
divided in two blocks.
On one side, the center right
opposition...
...made up by the Christian
Democrat and National parties.
On the other,
the left wing parties...
...grouped together
in Popular Unity...
...and supporting
Salvador Allende.
The left, united,
will never be defeated!
Synch!
The left, united,
will never be defeated!
Cut!
Clapper!
Sir, who do you think will win
the elections on Sunday?
Well, I'm apolitical.
Ma'am, who do you think
will win?
The opposition has to win.
- The opposition? - Yes.
- By what percentage?
- I've got no idea.
Frei! Jarpa! Labbé!
All three are rubbish!
Frei! Jarpa! Labbé!
All three are rubbish!
Who will you be voting for
in the elections?
For Volodia Teitelboim
and Eliana Aranibar.
How do you see the future?
We'll continue to progress
but we must Keep fighting...
...much more
than we have done.
What can I say about Frei?
When he was in government...
...I lived in a shack
that was falling down.
It was damp all the time...
...and my four children
had bronchopneumonia.
I asked everywhere for help
and nobody listened to me.
But now, wherever I go,
I'm seen to...
...and thanks to Allende,
I've got a lovely house.
I don't have many comforts,
but we don't go hungry.
I'm retired.
I'm retired.
No government has ever done
what this government has.
- Who's going to win?
- Popular Unity...
...because the workers
have to decide Chile's fate.
What do you think
of the Christian Democracy?
I think that the Christian
Democracy is a party...
...which has always defended
the interests of its class...
...but never the interests
of the working class.
Thank you. Over there, Flaco.
Film the drinks seller.
Excuse me, comrade.
Comrade, who's going to win
on Sunday?
- I couldn't say.
- You couldn't say? - No, sir.
- I've got no idea. - Do you
read the papers? - Not a lot.
- Who'll win on Sunday?
- We will, the PU.
- We've got the majority.
- We'll get %.
Popular Unity is going to win
by an overwhelming amount.
It's the workers' government,
the people's government.
The people have seen
the benefits...
...that socialism brings
for all the citizens.
Thank you, comrade.
Cut!
Sir, what percentage
do you give to Popular Unity?
The truth is...
...Popular Unity
is going to win...
...because we started out
in with %...
...and at the present time,
with all that we've seen...
...and the people who are with
comrade Salvador Allende...
...we're guaranteed
to get % and more.
% and more.
Good afternoon, ladies.
Who will you vote for?
I'm voting for
Volodia Teitelboim...
...and Eliana Aranibar.
What percentage do you give
Popular Unity?
Over %.
- And the food shortage?
- I don't think there is one.
I haven't lost
an ounce of weight!
Recording!
Sir, what do you think
about the elections?
Popular Unity are going
to get less than %.
How do you see the future?
Whatever happens, we'll still
have lots of problems.
Sir, what do you think
about the elections?
- Leave me alone.
- Thank you.
What do you think
about the elections?
The opposition will win,
especially the National Party.
And the future?
Chile has to rise up
with freedom and democracy.
Sir, what do you think about
the elections on Sunday?
I think it's a plebiscite...
...and on Sunday
Chile is going to decide...
...if it wants Marxism
or freedom.
How do you view the future,
after the elections?
The only solution is
a change of government.
- Do you believe in elections?
- Yes, of course.
Sir, what do you think about
the elections on Sunday?
I think that the Popular Front
is going to get a hammering...
...and it's going
to be wiped out.
- Do you believe in elections?
- Yes, absolutely.
What percentages for Popular
Unity and the National Party?
% and %.
- How do you see the future?
- The future?
Chile's always had
a promising future.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
Ma'am, what's your position
as regards the elections?
Jarpa and Alessandri.
- What's your preference?
- The National Party.
Do you believe in elections
or in other methods?
I think there has to be
a firm line.
There must never be any question
of playing with the people.
How do you view the future,
after the elections?
We have to work hard
to rebuild Chile.
- Sir, who will you be voting for?
- For Jarpa.
And who'll win
the elections?
The opposition will, easily.
- And with what percentage?
- % at least.
And what will happen
in Chile then?
The government will have
to respect the majority.
Do you believe in elections
or in other methods?
- Elections.
- Thank you.
They should impeach
the President!
- What? - They should impeach him
and throw him out on May !
He's destroyed the country,
ruined it...
...and this is a corrupt,
degenerate government!
Degenerate, corrupt, filthy!
All those dirty communists
should get out of Chile!
On May , thank God,
we'll have...
...the cleanest, finest
government we've ever had!
Democracy will win...
...and we'll get rid of those
rotten Marxist communists!
Who do you prefer
among the opposition?
Candidates? Jarpa
and Gustavo Alessandri.
And what percentage?
My ideal would be %...
...but really I think
it'll be around %.
Power to the workers!
Comrade, what's your opinion
about the elections?
I say Popular Unity will win.
And to hell with
the "mummies" on the right!
We'll win with Popular Unity.
Here and everywhere else.
The "mummies"
can drop dead!
Power to the workers!
What do you think
about the elections?
We have to fight to get
a big majority.
We who can see things
very clearly...
...realize that the only way
to get power...
...given that we've got
the government...
...is by winning the Chamber
of Deputies and the Senate.
What it really means is
getting a bit more power...
...more power for the class.
But, even so...
...it isn't the definitive
solution.
We believe that one election
more or less...
...won't solve the problem
and avoid the civil w*r.
The civil w*r is
inevitable and fundamental.
And it's going to happen,
because at present...
...the classes are becoming
more and more polarized.
On one side, the bourgeoisie,
on the other, the proletariat.
That confrontation
will come.
Forward without compromise!
As usual, the armed forces
guarantee order...
...during the elections.
The opposition votes,
confident of victory.
With a two thirds majority
in Parliament...
...it could remove President
Allende by impeaching him.
For that, they need more
than % of the votes.
For Popular Unity,
this is the first ballot...
...with all the opposition forces
since the presidential victory in .
It's also a chance to measure
their electoral strength...
...after two years
of an economic boycott...
...imposed by Washington,
and internal opposition.
On Sunday, March
at : a.m., voting has started.
Good afternoon, ma'am.
We're doing interviews
for Channel .
We'd like to know your views
and who you think will win.
- We're sorry to bother you.
- No, it's no bother.
I like Baltra.
I voted for him.
- Baltra?
- Yes.
What do you think
the percentages will be?
- Do you want to come in?
- Yes, if we may.
Sir, we're doing interviews
for Channel .
Could you tell us how you
think the percentages will be?
- I don't know, I don't vote.
- You don't?
- You've got no preference?
- None.
You said you voted for Baltra.
At what time?
It's Channel .
No, I voted for Jarpa.
- You voted for Jarpa?
- Yes.
- At what time did you vote?
- At : am.
- In what commune?
- The National Stadium.
What do you think
of the elections today?
I think it's great...
...and I think that democracy
is going to win.
What do you think will happen
in the future in Chile?
Everything will be sorted out
and we'll rebuild Chile.
Do you think the President
should be removed or not?
I couldn't say, but all this
has to be sorted out.
What did you think of Jarpa's
meeting here two days ago?
Fantastic!
I saw it from here.
Did it really catch
your attention?
Of course! The crowds
and the enthusiasm...
...and all very orderly.
Well, I thought it was great,
and we're going to win!
And what about the alliance
with Christian Democracy?
I think it's splendid,
really good.
You feel happy
about that alliance?
Yes, I do, because I think
it'll fix everything.
Thank you very much.
At : p.m., the first
results start to come in.
The Interior Minister,
General Carlos Prats...
...ensures the maximum
guarantees of honesty...
...for all the sectors.
Nevertheless, before
the count is finished...
...some media are announcing
a victory for the opposition.
They don't say that over %
of the votes are for the left.
The opposition, who never
doubted their victory...
...celebrate the supposed end
of Popular Unity.
What do you think
of the elections?
We're winning!
We've got over %!
What do you think
of the elections?
Fantastic! But we were
bound to win!
Sir, what do you...
Great! I'm Argentinean and I'm
delighted that Frei has won!
It's terrific! Chile needs
a few more Freis.
Over here!
Come on, Flaco, move it!
- How do you feel about it?
- It's a great victory!
It's a fantastic success!
We're delighted!
How do you see the future?
A plebiscite, and we'll win
the elections.
Allende will have to leave
Chile immediately.
- Would you impeach him?
- Yes, of course.
Anyway, so long!
What do you think
about today's elections?
It's a triumph for democracy
and Chile will always be free!
- What will happen now?
- God forbid anything does.
All we ask is that Chile
is always free!
Are you in favor
of impeaching Allende?
- Yes, sir.
- Yes.
You don't think that could
cause a civil w*r?
- It doesn't matter.
- We've got the majority.
What do you think
of the election?
We finally b*at
those bastards!
What do you think
of the election?
Very good, magnificent.
I'd just like to say that
it's really wonderful.
The PU ended up
in the garbage...
...to put it politely!
- Who was your favorite?
- Frei.
I am Alfonso
Carrasco Cerda...
...president of the Bank of
Chile retirement club.
I believe that
we have defended...
...democracy and freedom
in Chile.
Would you like to
say anything else?
Yes!
Greetings to all the people...
...who have helped
to free our country.
After midnight,
the final results...
...spread confusion
among the opposition.
The dreamed-of number of votes
evaporates in disaster.
Against all predictions...
...Popular Unity doesn't only
not lose electoral support...
...it increases it.
Rejecting the calculations, one sector
of the opposition talks of fraud...
...and sends its troublemakers
onto the street.
A few days later, the Election
Examination Tribunal...
...controlled by the opposition
is obliged to confirm the official results.
The opposition parties are very far
from the / they'd dreamed of...
...in order to remove
Salvador Allende.
Popular Unity increase
to . % of the votes...
...and increase their numbers
in Parliament.
They obtain
unprecedented support...
...after two and a half years
in office.
For the opposition...
...the swearing-in
of the new deputies...
...marks the end of
the electoral phase.
Honorable deputies...
...do you swear or promise...
...to protect the
Constitution of the State...
...and defend, in the exercise
of your duties...
...its true interests?
Yes, we do.
I hereby declare you
incorporated.
The aims of the present
session being completed...
...it is now adjourned.
From now on, the White House
and the Chilean opposition...
...realize that the mechanisms...
...of representative democracy
are of no use to them.
The votes won by
the Government coalition...
...show that the desire
for social change...
...has not decreased, despite
the millions of dollars...
...invested by the
North American government.
After March, the strategy of
the democratic opposition...
...will be, paradoxically,
that of the coup d'état.
HOARDING
AND THE BLACK MARKET
Thanks to a complaint
lodged by a neighbor...
...it was discovered that here
in Copiap Street...
...the following stocks
were being hoarded.
tons of sugar,
boxes of toilet rolls...
... boxes of detergent,
boxes of Nescafé...
... boxes of condensed milk,
boxes of salmon...
...large amounts of rice.
This will be sold to the
neighbors in this sector...
...a large number of whom
are gathered here.
I'd say this sale will last
for approximately three days.
The Government strengthens...
...the Councils for
Provisions and Prices.
In theory, these are
local organizations...
...to supervise
food distribution...
...and report any
speculating by shopkeepers.
When the Councils discover
any hoarding...
...the Government
intervenes...
...and the products
are put on sale.
In the warehouse belonging
to Mrs. Moreno Díaz...
...the following goods
were found.
packets of tea...
... boxes of " "...
... boxes of baby food.
All of it had been eaten
by mice.
I bought detergent and two
little packets of tea...
...because I didn't have
any more money with me.
I couldn't buy any more.
Well, I've got ten children...
...and I have to waste
the whole morning looking...
We have to put an end
to the black market.
We have to close the shops
and jail the owners.
We have to do that
to scare those people...
...so they stop speculating.
I think there are
lots of provisions.
Look at how often we've seen
in the newspapers here...
...about all the tons of sugar,
all that stuff that's hoarded.
In March, there are ,
COPPs in all of Chile.
In some cases, they introduce
ration cards...
...in order to improve
distribution...
What's the card?
Can we see it?
It's my ration card.
I've got rations.
I've got stock cubes
marked down.
No, cubes,
when they arrive.
If more come,
they give you more.
It's all rationed.
Coffee, milk, everything.
Can you get by on that?
Yes, we can get by.
And if we don't...
...then we try to buy
other things instead.
Will we collect the
the vegetables you bought?
The main aims
of the opposition...
...are to disrupt
food supplies...
...exhaust the reserve stocks
and sabotage harvests...
...so as to increase the
scarcity of basic necessities.
Is there any oil?
I don't know
if there's any today...
...but I got oil
three days ago.
Would you like
to say anything...
...to other comrades?
We're making a documentary.
I'll put up with everything
that happens so that...
...at least my children
can have a better future.
I approve of this government.
- Would you like to say more?
- No, that's all, thank you.
PARLIAMENTARY BOYCOTT
For the opposition,
the example of the COPPs...
...is getting dangerous.
Congress begins an indictment
against Orlando Millas...
...the minister who
promoted the COPPs.
The opposition is using its
simple majority in Congress...
...to discredit
the government.
Here are all the documents
which record the accusations.
In this case, to comply with
the regulation procedures...
...the opposition appoints
one of its deputies...
...to interrogate a neighbor,
a member of the COPPS.
What do they actually do?
How does this organization
COPP work?
As I think I already said...
...COPP is an organization...
...of people, residents,
workers, housewives...
...who join together and,
by a group decision...
...are given the authority...
...to control, or rather
to oversee...
...if there are sufficient
provisions or not...
...in their neighborhood.
That's what I'm trying
to get you to explain to me.
- Yes.
- You understand?
I'm just trying to guide you.
That doesn't mean...
...that I'm trying to get you
to say something.
I like to be very honest
in my dealings.
If I can just explain,
I think that the function...
...of this organization
COPP...
...is to fulfill the role of ensuring...
...that people receive
sufficient provisions...
...for all the family groups
living in the neighborhood.
Although the opposition
fails to prove anything...
...the accusation
is maintained.
The procedure will be repeated
with other top officials.
The ministers either give in
or are expelled.
Through the accusations...
...the opposition provokes
a conflict of powers...
...between Parliament and
the President of the Republic.
In all the cases,
a representative of the left...
...will demonstrate the legal
fragility of the accusations.
Consequently...
...the Minister of State
is only responsible...
...for his actions to the
President of the Republic.
And he cannot be subordinated,
as regards...
...the appropriateness
of his actions...
...to the view of
the majority in Congress.
That political judgment
is only granted...
...to the President
of the Republic.
In the specific case
of Mr. Millas...
...Minister of the Economy,
who is being indicted here...
the process of indictment cannot
be used to pass judgment...
...on the provisions policy
promoted by the minister...
...on his price control policy...
...or on the way in which
he is guiding...
...the work of production,
provisioning...
...and general distribution
of the Chilean economy.
Therefore...
...not only is
this indictment...
...invalid, ineffective
and illegal...
...it is an indictment...
...which adulterates,
disregards and violates...
...the area which
the Constitution...
...grants to the President...
...as regards his essential
prerogatives and authority.
Days later,
in the Chamber of Deputies...
...the vote is held on
expelling Minister Millas.
In a period of three months,
the opposition remove...
...two of Allende's intendants
and seven of his ministers.
That is, one high ranking
Popular Unity official...
...every ten days.
And they refuse
to let us use...
...the laws which they had
in their hands...
...and used
against the people.
But then...
...when we do it to defend
the legitimate government...
...and the progress
of the workers...
...an attitude of resistance
appears in those sectors...
...which have all
the guarantees...
...of the reality being
experienced by our country.
And this is a government...
...which isn't socialist.
It is a popular,
democratic...
...national, revolutionary
government...
...which must carry out
a program...
...to open, as broadly
and as quickly as possible...
...the path to socialism...
...and the transformation
of our society.
LEGALITY OR ILLEGALITY
GOVERNMENT MUST RESPECT
COURT DECISION
Shortly after, the opposition
begins an indictment...
...against all the ministers
in the government.
This means the dismissal
of ministers at one time.
However, popular pressure...
...forces one sector of the
opposition to pull back...
...and the maneuver fails.
It's the right who've always
been interfering...
...trying to get us to bring
down the government.
But that'll never happen.
The workers elected
this government...
...and it will continue...
...and we'll defend it
with our lives if necessary.
If they want us on the street,
we'll be there...
...and if we have to fight,
we'll fight, as workers...
...in defense of our
workers' democracy.
On April ...
...the government decides
to expropriate legally...
...another industries which
are boycotting production.
In reply, Congress presents
a constitutional reform...
...which invalidates
almost all expropriations already made.
The Christian Democracy
and the National Party...
...say that the Head of State
has no right of veto in this.
He has to promulgate
the reform...
...and hand back the factories
without argument.
This means that Congress,
by simple majority...
...wants to deprive Salvador
Allende of an authority...
...which other Chilean
leaders had.
Those men on the right
are getting huge salaries...
...and all they're doing
is wrecking the country.
Wrecking the country and
getting well paid to do it!
And we got a big surprise...
...when we saw that
our factory, our workplace...
...had been completely
dismantled...
...because those gentlemen...
...had stolen
all the machinery.
We don't want to have anything
to do with the bosses.
They've been dragging their
feet for a long time...
...to such an extent...
...that the companies
ended up being expropriated.
It's been proved that
the industrialists here...
...had started an open boycott
on production.
And we're against that.
I want this to be sorted out.
The government should
expropriate the industry...
...because we can't work
with the bosses.
What did they call
this factory?
They called it "the jail"...
...because of
the feudal mentality...
...that our bosses had.
And fellow workers
in other industries...
...called it "the Santa Elena jail"
because of the pressure.
On May , Eduardo Frei...
...Christian Democrat
and ex-President of Chile...
...is elected
Head of the Senate.
One of his main tasks...
...will be to aggravate
the conflict of powers.
If Allende rejects
the reform...
...and doesn't return
the industries...
...he'll be accused of
overstepping the constitution.
If he accepts,
Parliament will then have...
...effective control
of the State.
Allende considers this
position to be illegal...
...and appeals to
the Constitutional Tribunal.
We understand...
...that at this moment
what is fundamental...
...is to reinforce
government policy...
...and conquer
the instruments...
...ensuring that there is
institutional permeability...
...so that the opposition
understands...
...that they can't deny what
is vital to a government...
...to be able
to defend Chile...
...in the face of
an economic reality...
...which is the result,
not of errors made by us...
...without denying
the ones we've made...
...but of international
and national factors...
...which weigh heavy...
...especially when
a government, like ours...
...is confronted
with imperialism...
...and with a landowning,
banking and feudal oligarchy.
Those deputies who reject the
proposal, raise their hands.
Parliament will now seek...
...a definitive blockade
of the government.
In the months of April,
May and June...
...Congress declares
a boycott...
...on any initiative
by Popular Unity.
Result of the voting.
In favor, votes.
Against, .
The Executive's proposal
is rejected.
The law to punish economic
crimes is rejected.
The law to create a Ministry
for the Family is rejected.
The law on readjustments
and salaries for workers...
...is deferred, and then
got out of the way.
The law on workers'
participation in factories...
...is rejected.
The law to create a Maritime
Ministry is rejected.
The law to set up self-
managing firms is rejected.
In the course
of several months...
...another projected laws
lose their financing.
Nationalism!
Present!
Nationalism!
Forward!
- National Front!
- Homeland and Freedom!
This is a shock squadron...
...from the fascist group,
"Homeland and Freedom".
- Chile!
- One!
- Chile!
- Great!
- Chile!
- Free!
Forward Chile!
- National Front!
- Homeland and Freedom!
Institutional conflict alone...
...is not enough to justify
a coup détat.
It is also necessary
to provoke v*olence...
...and social chaos.
That is the main aim
of this organization.
"Homeland and Freedom"
constitutes a tiny part...
...of the right-wing
mass movement...
...but its fascist ideology is found
in some opposition parties...
...and the armed forces.
Its leaders and ideologists
include former employees...
...of the U.S. information
services in Chile.
Its patrons are the big
employers' associations...
...the National Agriculture Society
and Manufacturing Development.
But their biggest helper...
...is the North American
State Department.
In , some ex-officials
of that Department...
...reveal that at that time...
...the CIA had first-class
agents in Chile...
...many of them instructors
for "Homeland and Freedom".
STUDENT DISTURBANCES
In April, the opposition
find a pretext...
...for continuing
the social agitation.
The Government has presented
a bill on Education Reform...
...to democratize the old
educational structure.
Feeling itself threatened...
...the opposition mobilizes
its troublemakers.
For the first time in Chile,
a large number of students...
...let themselves be used by
the more privileged classes.
The opposition parties,
professionals...
...and retailers'
associations...
...support the street
disturbances.
We won't be on the defensive
anymore.
We won't be the puppets...
...of reaction anymore.
Because from here on,
comrades...
...we have to make
the questions into reality.
And we have to tackle
conflictive problems.
And we have to att*ck
whoever gets in our way.
And we're not going
on the streets...
...to fight with
right-wing Kids.
The police and the soldiers
can see to them...
...and put them
out of action.
We have to see
how to confront the State.
It's a bourgeois State
which we have to overthrow.
Yesterday we saw
various groups...
...making demands
for different things...
...and using...
...class comrades,
the Chilean reaction...
...in what were really
subversive situations.
In other words,
what comrades think...
...about the distribution
situation...
...about the law
on agrarian reform...
...about the nationalization
of monopolies.
Those are fundamental
questions...
...which we, as workers,
should consider...
...and which we wish to
resolve with a plebiscite...
...and not be dragged along
by the reactionaries...
...with effective mobilization
of the workers.
We can't accept this
escalation day after day.
We've been observing
this situation...
...and we said in October...
...that they were going
to prepare another one.
They're repeating themselves,
they don't even have...
...the initiative to change
what they did in October.
And we, the workers,
must go out now...
...and stop these people
for once and for all...
...and demand a plebiscite
on fundamental issues.
How are we going to resolve
the transport problem?
Every time they have
to att*ck the government...
...they bring transport
to a standstill, don't they?
Because they control
the drivers.
Most of the drivers
have no class awareness.
They aren't in any union.
All they worry about
is their percentage...
...how much they'll earn.
They don't go
to union meetings.
So there aren't many unions
doing well in transport.
Even the ones doing well
are doing badly.
Given the thr*at...
...of a national commercial
stoppage next week...
...there should be
immediate nationalization...
...of distribution
monopolies.
Given the thr*at of a boycott
on production and economy...
...the government must issue
an expropriation order...
...against those companies
which form part of the group of ...
...still not in the hands
of the workers.
The working class should be
integrated immediately...
...into the planning
of the economy.
There is no doubt
that at this moment...
...the resolutions must...
...deal with the problems
in the transport section.
We, the workers in the
Public Works Department...
...have, at this moment, got
everyone ready to march...
...and parade past Congress.
Any objections to that?
- To Parliament!
- To Parliament!
We ask our comrades in the
Public Works Department...
...if they can obtain means
of transport, trucks, vans...
...in order to transport
groups of workers...
...who will be leaving
the factories.
There are trucks and buses,
comrade.
The left, united,
will never be defeated!
On April ,
the Trades Union Council...
...calls a mass meeting
in support of the government.
They try, by means of
the workers' presence...
...to prevent the streets
of Santiago...
...from being taken
by opposition agitators.
Power to the workers!
We want popular power!
The left, united,
will never be defeated!
People! Consciousness! Arms!
We want popular power!
Demonstrators passing
the offices...
...of the Christian
Democrat Party...
...are suddenly att*cked.
sh*ts fired from the windows
k*ll one worker...
...and seriously injure
another six.
The people who provoked us
are responsible for this.
- And the dead and wounded?
- Who are they? Where are they?
One person was sh*t dead and
six wounded. We saw it all.
Are we supposed to let people
come and walk over us?
Who protected us?
You're justifying that death.
And you're speaking in the
Christian Democrat offices!
You can't push me around in the
Christian Democrat offices!
Senator, why did you hit
a journalist?
Fascists!
Where did they fire from?
At what time?
That isn't clear.
It's being investigated.
Anyway...
...it's the magistrate
who's in charge here.
In this case...
...the police and everything
to do with public order...
...is subject to the
magistrate and the court.
That's what the code on
penal procedure says.
The influence
of the violent groups...
...is obvious in the Christian
Democrat Party.
Senator Juan Hamilton,
from the party's conservative wing...
...refuses to make
a statement.
- A moment's silence, comrades!
- Everyone keep calm!
Everyone move back a bit,
please, move back!
We're all right here!
- Comrade José Ricardo Ahumada!
- Present!
- Comrade José Ricardo Ahumada!
- Present!
- With your example...
- We shall overcome!
Please, comrades, don't push!
Don't push!
Popular Unity against
the criminal "mummies"!
Comrade José
Ricardo Ahumada!
Present!
- Who k*lled him?
- The "mummies".
, people turn up
on April ...
...to say farewell
to the dead worker.
Reckoning that conditions
still aren't right...
...the opposition ends this
period of street disorder.
The attempts to punish
those responsible...
...for Ahumada's death
are unsuccessful.
Justice acts with
obvious slowness.
The Supreme Court...
...ensures that the sentence
is never enforced.
OFFENSIVE BY
THE EMPLOYERS' ORGANIZATIONS
Once again, our organization
is gathered together...
...summoned by
the national leaders...
...to study price increases...
...and establish our new tariffs.
Our first speaker...
...is the president of Chile's
National Confederation...
...of Taxis and Buses,
Ernesto Cisterna Solís.
- An eye for an eye!
- A tooth for a tooth!
I think that this assembly
should say to the minister...
...that we are tired of seeing
such ineffectiveness...
...and such inability
in solving our problems.
During the three years
of Popular Unity...
...the American Institute
for Free Trade Unionism...
...financed indirectly by the CIA...
...directs its work towards
the Chilean organizations.
In April, managers...
...mainly from
the transport sector...
...receive training
in the United States.
We mustn't confuse
awareness with patience.
We don't want politics...
...with the tariffs
or with the organization...
...but we need to survive.
We have to defend
our interests...
...and to do that
we must fight as one man...
...with our
National Board of Owners...
...and go out on the street...
...in such away
that they see us...
...and feel the strength
of our organization...
...with bravery, with fervor...
...but above all else...
...as Chileans,
and with dignity.
We can't keep on patching
and mending...
...and wearing ourselves out.
The vehicles have got old...
...and the bent backs
of many of the owners...
...have grown old too!
Generations of them!
It's a matter of putting food
on the table...
...of surviving,
of holding out...
...of being able to save
this sector...
...because with that
we are saving...
...the jobs of millions
of people...
...who have faith
and confidence...
...in this working man...
...in this ill-treated
transporter.
He's the person
who's building Chile!
He's the revolutionary!
Who can deny that
the moment has come...
...for the entire Chilean
transport sector...
...without distinction...
...fighting on
a single platform...
...to propose this
national stoppage!
In May, one third of
collective transport...
...is immobilized by
a lack of spare parts...
...from North America.
In , importations
from the United States...
...drop to % of the total.
To protest against
this state of affairs...
...but also to aggravate it...
...the owners of private buses
call an indefinite strike.
During the conflict, the state company,
with only vehicles...
...has to do the work normally done
by Santiago's , private buses.
To help ease the effects
of the strike...
...workers bring factory
trucks onto the streets.
What do you think
of the strike?
We all have to fight
so that...
...the government can have confidence
thanks to the workers.
We must fight the strike.
- How do we do that?
- By staying united.
- How far did you walk?
- About blocks, with my two Kids.
- What do you say?
- I think that this is the moment...
...when the people
have to demonstrate...
...the capacity for struggle
which they have developed...
...in the course of
this whole process.
And it doesn't matter...
...what kind of sacrifice
we have to make...
...as long as we can keep
working and producing.
Anyone else want to speak?
The "mummies" are waging
this campaign against us.
We're living on
very poor wages...
...but the workers must have
faith in this...
...and be aware.
What do you say?
I'm a student...
...and I think they're trying
to paralyze the country...
...by any means they can.
In case of a possible total
transport stoppage...
...the left-wing carriers
join together...
...and create the Patriotic
Recovery Movement.
Because of their support
of President Allende...
...they are att*cked
for being blacklegs.
I will respond to the loyalty
of the people...
...with the loyalty
of a militant socialist...
...and as president
of Chile...
...I will resolutely
carry through...
...the program
of Popular Unity.
We need better
and greater control...
...in the distribution
of produce.
Listen carefully.
This is for those
who believe...
...that I hesitate at times.
We must strengthen...
...popular power...
...centers for mothers,
neighborhood groups...
...the Councils for
Provisions and Prices...
...the community
commandos.
They must be strengthened!
The industrial belts
must be strengthened...
...not as parallel forces
to the government...
...but as popular forces...
...united with the forces
of your government...
...the popular government.
On May , retired officers
of the high command...
...send a public letter
to President Allende...
...stating that
the armed forces...
...will consider themselves
autonomous...
...should the government
violate the constitution.
Shortly before, the high
command had spoken out...
...against the proposed
educational reforms.
On that occasion, Rear Admiral
Ismael Huerta declared...
..."We cannot accept
that future soldiers...
...arrive at the barracks
converted into Marxists."
Since , more than
, officers...
...have been on training
courses in the U.S...
...and in the
Panama Canal area.
Over the two and a half years
of Allende's government...
...the Pentagon
has given them...
... million dollars
in m*llitary aid.
That is, more than a third...
...of all the aid received
in the last years.
COPPER STRIKE
For the first time...
...the opposition wins over
a sector of the proletariat.
In the "El Teniente" mine...
...a group of workers go on
strike for economic reasons.
Traditionally well paid...
...the copper miners are the
aristocracy of Chile's workers.
For the opposition...
...the aim of the conflict
is to paralyze the mine.
% of Chile's earnings
are produced here.
Fellow workers, as well as
Channel television...
...we have French Television
with us.
Comrades, hold up
your employment cards.
Let's show them that
we're all workers here.
"El Teniente", united,
will never be defeated!
First, let's solve
the problems...
...of the " El Teniente"
workers...
...and then,
if there's money left...
...we can solve the other
problems in the the country.
But the people we represent
come first...
...then the rest
of the country.
That's all, thank you.
We want a solution!
We requested permission
from the union leaders...
...to use this stage.
As workers for
Popular Unity...
...we disagree...
...with the methods
you're using.
We have said at all times...
...that above
all other things...
...the most important
is workers' unity.
We defend it here...
...and within the party
alliance of Popular Unity.
You will be wondering
why we're here.
We support a return
to work. ..
...but not in factions.
Comrades...
We support a return to work...
Comrades...
Comrades...
We can't accept...
...that you continue to use
the policy of division.
No politics here!
No politics here!
Strike!
Strike!
That same day,
and at the same time...
...more than half
of the , miners...
...continue working.
Most of them work overtime...
...to ensure that the basic
work in the mine is done.
Caletones has a staff
of almost , workers...
...between office staff
and laborers.
And today, we've got
workers working.
So the industrial part
is almost normal.
And that means that tomorrow,
or Monday...
...there will be
total normality.
What should be
pointed out here...
...is that there is a sector
which is fighting against a wall.
Their thesis is completely
out of all jurisdiction.
Even history shows
that the workers here...
...fought tirelessly
against the Yankee...
...until we took the industry
from him, nationalized it...
...and now it's Chile's.
It belongs to the Chileans,
not to any individual.
But it's our responsibility
to run it.
The workers are assuming
an almost total awareness.
It is only those in opposition
who insist on believing...
...that there are
left-wing bosses here.
No, there aren't.
The Christian Democracy...
...has got trade union
representation here...
...and a representative
on the Board of Directors.
So we're asking the left-wing media,
especially Channel ...
...who have given very little
importance...
...to those still working...
...to come and see
for themselves...
...so that they'll stop lying.
You've started very well,
for a simple reason.
You've all come here to film,
and that's important.
But the press, Channel ,
"El Mercurio"...
...all those papers, are
just looking at Rancagua city.
They think that's "El Teniente",
and that's bad.
Those of us who are working
at present...
...need this situation
to be sorted out...
...not for the personal
benefit of the workers...
...but for the benefit
of all Chileans.
You can take any worker here
and ask him.
Ask any of them.
Do you think you're dividing
the "El Teniente" workers?
No, none of us want
to divide them.
It's the enemy
who's dividing us.
- The enemy?
- The right.
They want us to fight
among ourselves.
The other day,
the strike leader said...
...that if blood had to flow,
blood would flow.
They want confrontation.
We have never, at any moment,
wanted to divide the workers.
The fact of the matter is,
I'm now...
...and I've spent a long time,
years, in the mines.
I've seen all the governments
we had before...
...and they all acted
very harshly...
...with the working classes.
As that comrade said, I think
this government has been soft.
It's soft because
it's a workers' government.
But if we'd had a government
of another tendency...
...at this moment a few of us
would be dead...
...and there wouldn't be many
left-wing comrades here.
They'd all be right-wing.
We received threats,
they blocked the roads...
...we couldn't get down
the other day...
...but we turned up for work.
We came down on foot,
went cross-country...
...but at least we managed
to keep working.
There were even comrades
who worked three shifts...
...because you have to keep
the mine going.
We had agreed to keep on
working...
...because there are
certain machines...
...which can't be
allowed to stop.
This job's got
a lot of responsibility.
We've got a lot of comrades...
...who still don't know
why they're stopped.
They don't know.
That's a fact.
They're fighting
with the police...
...because some guy
sets himself up as leader...
...and he puts on
a show for them...
...and they follow him
like he was Christ.
I think we have to make our
fellow workers more aware...
...and that's what our leaders
have to start doing now.
That's the reason
behind everything.
How can you prepare people?
Well, just by doing
what we're doing now...
...acting as we are
in this stoppage.
I think I'm behaving well.
I'm responsible for what I do.
I'm independent, I don't have
any political party.
My interest is in working
for the progress of Chile...
...not for my pocket.
I'm aware that if I have
a good wage...
...then it's only fair
that other workers...
...should have
a good wage too.
Today, over workers
have turned up.
On the : - : shift,
we had over .
It's getting back to normal.
The number of workers
turning up at their job...
...goes up to % on May .
The mine's trains are working
day and night.
Strike!
Strike!
The strikers, encouraged
by the opposition...
...reject two settlement
proposals...
...and demand a doubling
of salary readjustments.
Why are you striking?
We're demanding the %
that the company owes us.
How many days has it been?
It's been days now.
What's going to happen?
It'll have to be settled
today or tomorrow.
Is this to do with unions
or with politics?
It's never had anything to do
with politics.
There's never been
a politician...
...or a minister or a deputy
involved in this.
We're just workers
defending our rights.
And I think we have to win...
...because we elected
our President...
...so that he'd defend
workers' rights...
...not so that he'd come
and criticize us...
...when we ask for something.
- You support the President?
- Yes, I do.
The strike is damaging
the government.
Of course
it's damaging it...
...but I think that in all
these days of striking...
...they should at least
have settled the strike.
Into the square!
The strike leaders
need to have victims...
...so they can accuse the
government of repression.
For that reason,
the police get orders...
...to act with
the greatest caution.
As the police retreat
despite the stone throwing...
...there is confusion.
While some want to continue
the fight...
...others think it better...
...to seize the mining
company's offices.
Let's seize the company!
I spoke to the governor
because I don't want any death.
- Who represents the workers?
- We do!
The leaders are over there!
And I also...
I also requested...
I also requested, comrades...
...that with the same
responsibility...
...as that of the
"El Teniente" workers...
...we are asking
the police forces here...
...that they should maintain
the same composure.
I asked them
that they should maintain...
...the same composure,
comrades.
And now...
...I want...
I want to say here
this morning...
...that in the meeting...
...which we had with the
President of the Republic...
...on the th...
I spoke to them...
...as an older brother or
a comrade would have done...
...and I told them clearly
how serious it was...
...to stop the production
of copper now...
...when we need
more earnings...
...when we don't have
the financing we need...
...when we may not
be able to fulfill...
...some essential
commitments.
At this moment...
...especially when
the price of copper...
...has reached
a satisfactory level...
...at this precise moment,
"El Teniente" is paralyzed...
...just when it had achieved
an extraordinary output.
I spoke to them like
a comrade...
...with tenderness, with
respect, with affection.
Nevertheless...
...economic criteria
were stronger...
...and so "El Teniente"
is at a standstill...
...and that means the loss
of millions of dollars...
...for the country.
There could have been
a solution...
...that certainly
would have cost less...
...than a day's production.
But that would have set
a fatal precedent.
A readjustment on top of
a readjustment.
Today, I ask them from here
to understand...
...that being a copper worker
in this country...
...is a privilege...
...from a patriotic and
revolutionary point of view.
They are the workers
who must preserve...
...the essence
of our country.
We depend on copper...
...to be able to buy spare
parts, raw materials...
...inputs, foodstuffs
and medicines.
I ask them from here,
as revolutionary comrades...
...to reconsider
their attitude.
We will propose solutions
which will mean more income...
...on the basis of producing
more copper...
...and greater productivity.
I uphold our revolutionary
awareness...
...and I tell them that I have
faith in the Chilean worker...
...who cannot forget
imperialist aggression...
...and internal conspiracy!
The copper worker
and the agricultural worker...
...have to unite to defend
the future of Chile...
...threatened from without
and hounded from within!
In the "Chuquicamata"
mine...
...on May ,
the workers reject...
...a stoppage in solidarity
with "El Teniente".
The same happens in
the "El Salvador" mine.
The opposition fail
in their attempt...
...to spread the strike
to other copper mines.
On June , the strikers send
a commission to Santiago.
Congress, which
had justified...
...oppression of workers
in other times...
...opens its gardens to give
the miners money and supplies.
Parliament issues a statement,
which has no legal basis...
...saying the miners are right.
And meanwhile, donations
continue to arrive.
For the wealthy sector...
...helping the striking miners
has become an obligation.
I am firmly convinced...
...that this conflict...
...will have international
repercussions...
...because here...
...what is at stake...
...is the firmness
of the workers...
...in defending
their conquests.
And on the other side...
...is the position of
the Supreme Government...
...which, until this moment,
had turned a deaf ear...
...to solving this problem.
And the only culprits...
...of the prolongation
of these days of strike...
...have got names.
It is a product
of the incapacity...
...of the ministers responsible
for mining and labor...
...and of the copper
bureaucrats.
For the first time...
...a labor leader is received
in the Catholic University.
When % of the miners
at "El Teniente"...
...and % of the clerical
staff are back at work...
...the leader Guillermo Medina
comes to receive the support..
...of the children
of the well-to-do.
Workers and students,
forward together!
Down with
incompetent government!
The Catholic University
students...
...become the main agitators
of the stoppage.
While the strike eases
in "El Teniente"...
...the opposition politicize
the conflict.
In Santiago, the organization
"Feminine Power"...
...starts to gather funds
for the miners' wives.
A large section
of the middle class...
...consciously
or unconsciously...
...starts to join
the ranks of fascism.
- Nationalists!
- Present!
- Nationalists!
- Forward!
- National Front!
- Homeland and Freedom!
- Chile!
- One!
- Chile!
- Great!
- Chile!
- Free!
Forward Chile!
At the same time, in the
mining city of Rancagua...
...shopkeepers, professionals
and carriers...
...call a stoppage in
solidarity with the strikers.
On June ,
the opposition...
...occupy the city's radio
station by force.
As Rancagua is too small...
...to cause any stir in the
now lessening conflict...
...they decide to move
to the capital.
On June , , strikers
arrive at the head office...
...of the Christian Democrat
Party in Santiago.
They make up approximately
% of the mine employees.
Christian Democrat Youth!
The opposition calls out
its troublemakers.
The government responds
with a police presence...
...and the mobilization
of its militants.
Workers collaborate with
the police to impose order.
The agitators provoke
the police.
The left-wing workers
dismantle the barricades.
Come on, we have to clean up
the streets, comrades!
How long are those "mummies"
going to f*ck us up?
At midday, the Popular Unity
supporters...
...gather in front of
the La Moneda palace.
We support the popular
government!
The street battle will go on
until night.
VIOLENT CITY
Allende, Allende,
the people will defend you!
I'm here because I've got
class consciousness.
I'm here with
my class comrades...
...defending the workers'
government...
...to the death,
if necessary.
Let's create popular power!
I've been here
since : a.m...
...firstly because
of my convictions.
I'm the father of children.
I Know this government's fight
isn't for me.
I don't have many days of
struggle and sacrifice left.
It's for my children.
What we're defending
is constitutional power.
We're against fascism.
We support
the popular government.
We think that what's going on
now is a just struggle.
We're here to defend
the position of all workers.
We don't want that, because
of a privileged group...
...like the "El Teniente"
miners...
...this government
should have problems.
We'll defend this
government's position...
...to the last consequences.
Comrade, why are you here?
I'm Chilean, and I have to
defend Allende's government.
It's the people's government.
We can't put up
with fascism anymore.
It has to be stopped now,
for once and for all.
It's what the people want.
Wherever you go,
people want the same.
We've had enough
of those idlers...
...getting paid for nothing
in Congress!
That's the opinion
of all the workers...
...of all the people
in the villages.
And we have to be tough
on speculators!
They have to approve
the law on economic crimes...
...so we can jail the thieves
and hoarders!
Do you want to say
anything else?
I've said enough.
- Popular Unity!
- We shall overcome!
The next day, the last
strikers are loitering...
...outside the Christian
Democrat offices.
Many are returning
to Rancagua tonight.
A symbolic group...
...goes to
the Catholic University.
In "El Teniente", % of the
staff have gone back to work.
On June ,
the Trades Union Council...
...organizes a demonstration
of force against fascism.
Let's create popular power!
"PU", and no compromise!
Popular Unity against
the criminal "mummies"!
Let's create
a popular militia!
Forward with "PU"!
Power to the workers!
If you don't jump,
you're a "mummy"!
Via the "Voice of the
Homeland" transmitters...
...we have the first worker
of the nation...
...the President
of the Republic...
...comrade Salvador Allende.
While half a million
demonstrators...
...gather in the center
of Santiago...
...nearby, watched
by the police...
...the last strikers watch
the event...
...from the roof of
the Catholic University.
I maintain...
...that never...
...in our history...
...was there an event...
...of the magnitude
and content of this one.
One has had to innovate
in all methods...
...to be able...
...to have even
approximately...
...a dimension...
...of the extraordinary...
...spirited and enormous
multitude...
...which is filling
the streets...
...Moneda, Agustinas...
...Amunategui, Ahumada,
Morandé...
...Huérfanos, Teatinos...
...most of the Alameda...
...and the column which
set out from Tajamar...
...has still not been
able to arrive...
...likewise the column
from Vicua Mackenna.
Never in the history
of Chile...
...were the people more
combative and more present!
We can feel history here!
We are reinforcing...
...our right to build...
...a future of justice
and freedom...
...to make our way
towards socialism!
A week later,
the copper strike is over.
On June ...
...the miners occupying
the Catholic University...
...withdraw in small groups.
In all, the conflict has
lasted days...
...and has cost the state
millions of dollars.
With this strike over...
...Allende's adversaries have
tried almost everything...
...to topple his government.
They have one last resort.
The next day, June ,
at : a.m...
...the Number Two armored regiment
att*cks the La Moneda palace...
...with tanks and several
transport vehicles.
At : , Parliament,
the Judicial Power...
...and the opposition parties
are silent.
The rest of the armed forces
do not back up the action.
A little later,
Leonardo Henricksen...
...an Argentinean cameraman,
films his last sh*t.
He doesn't just record
his own death.
He also records, two months
before the final coup...
...the true face of a sector
of the Chilean army.
Watch out!
Watch out! Over there!
END OF PART ONE
Battle of Chile: The Insurrection of the Bourgeoisie (1975)
Moderator: Maskath3
Re: Battle of Chile: The Insurrection of the Bourgeoisie (1975)
Part 2:
THE BATTLE OF CHILE
The struggle of
an unarmed people
Part Two
THE COUP D'ETAT
a Patricio Guzmán Film
In memory of
Jorge Müller Silva
Santiago de Chile,
June , .
Unable to remove President
Allende constitutionally...
...the U.S. government
and the Chilean opposition...
...opt for the strategy
of a coup.
After its defeat in the
presidential elections...
...in March, ...
...the opposition sets the wheels
firmly in motion for a planned uprising.
On June ,
at . a.m.,...
...a single regiment att*cks the
government palace with tanks.
Shortly after,...
...an Argentinean journalist
films his own death.
He also records, two months
before the final coup,...
...the true face of a sector
of the Chilean army.
For an hour,...
...the tanks exchange fire
with the presidential guard...
...who are inside
the La Moneda Palace.
people die during
these first moments.
Parliament,
the Judicial Power,...
...and the opposition parties
are silent.
However, the rebel troops
don't receive support...
...from the rest
of the armed forces.
Perhaps thinking that
conditions are not yet right...
...for a successful rising...
...the other officers
don't join in this action.
Meanwhile, loyal troops begin
the first counter-att*ck...
...to break the siege.
Watch out! Over there!
Don't sh**t, bastards!
At : , more loyal soldiers
are mobilized...
...towards the city center.
Advancing on the Panamerican
road into the capital...
...are a*tillery regiment
troop transporters...
...from the city
of San Felipe.
The civilian population
must stay calm.
After a brief confrontation,...
...the rebel tanks
begin to withdraw.
The Commander-in-Chief
of the Army,...
...Gen. Carlos Prats, directs
the operations personally.
At : a.m., with fighting
still going on,...
...the President
of the Republic...
...goes into the palace.
Just then, another column
of loyal soldiers arrives,...
...headed by the Minister
of Defense, José Tohá.
Young Communists of Chile!
Long live
the workers' president!
Fight and create
popular power!
Fight and create
popular power!
The situation is
being controlled,...
...but some troops
have not yet surrendered.
Even as they withdraw,
the tanks are still f*ring.
José Tohá,
Minister of Defense...
...tries to instill calm in
the face of possible danger.
He is assisted in this task
by Gen. Pickering.
Minister, if we don't control
these people,...
...there'll be a m*ssacre.
Help me, please.
Get out of here, please!
Move away!
If you don't move,
someone might get k*lled.
Generals Pickering, Sepúlveda
and Prats lead the officers...
...most determined
to suppress the rising.
Other commanders, however,
merely wait expectantly.
Such is the case
with Augusto Pinochet,...
...later Head of
the m*llitary Government,...
...who now joins in
with the loyal forces.
At : , Gen. Carlos Prats
assures the Minister of Defense...
...that the rebels
have surrendered,...
...and shows the positions
of his own troops.
On the south side of La Moneda
is the Warrant Officers School
...and on the north side
is the Buin Regiment.
But Gen. Prats
will think it essential...
...to declare a State of Emergency
to control the situation.
We must request a State
of Emergency at once.
We can't control
the situation otherwise.
Allende, Allende,
the people will defend you!
At noon, with the defeat
of the rising confirmed,...
...the Christian Democrats...
...say that they support
the constitutional regime.
The other opposition group,
the National Party, refuses to comment.
The leaders of the fascist
group "Homeland and Freedom"...
...take refuge in the
Ecuadorian embassy...
...revealing themselves as
the authors of the putsch.
Use a heavy hand!
At : p.m., the presidential
flag is lowered...
...by the guard who defended
the palace.
For two hours, this company,
led by Lieut. Perez,...
...refused to hand over
the seat of government.
Along with Gen. Prats, they
are the heroes of the day.
The ease with which the
attempted coup was crushed...
...raises many questions.
The rising showed that some
officers were sympathetic,...
...and only the fear of having
to face other army units...
...prevented them from joining
the rebellion.
Consequently,...
...Allende relies on the
constitutionalist officers,...
...rejecting any action
which may weaken...
...his government's legality.
We shall make
the revolutionary changes...
...in pluralism, democracy
and freedom,...
...which does not mean...
...tolerance of
anti-democrats, ...
...tolerance of subversives,...
...or tolerance of
fascists, comrades!
Close the National Congress!
But you must understand...
...what the real position
of this government is.
I will not, because
it would be absurd,...
...close...
...the Congress.
I'm not going to do it.
I said...
I said respect...
But if it's necessary...
If it's necessary,...
...I shall present...
...a bill to call
a plebiscite...
...and let the people
resolve this question!
Shitty "Mummies",
the street belongs to the left!
The next day,
Allende asks Congress...
...to declare
a State of Emergency.
Meanwhile,
from the morning of June ,...
...left-wing workers take control
of factories, companies,
mines and agricultural centers
throughout Chile.
Let's create popular power!
Comrades, the conclusions
of the workers...
...in the packing factory
are the following:
Strengthen
the industrial belts.
Strengthen
the communal councils.
Strengthen the neighborhood
groups and the COPPs.
Strengthen all the community
organizations.
We must take advantage
of this opportunity...
...and go on the offensive...
...in terms of gaining
new sectors...
...and nationalizing
new industries.
We, the workers, are at
our battle station,...
...our workplace, building
the necessary elements...
...to defend ourselves against
any att*ck by fascism,...
...or any further attempts
by the armed forces...
...to overthrow
the government.
We believe we must strengthen
our battle station...
...which is, firstly,
here in the industries...
At the same time, all forms of
popular power are strengthened...
...especially the industrial belts.
Each belt is a group of
factories and companies...
...which coordinates the tasks
of workers in the same zone.
In the country's main cities,...
... industrial belts
have been set up.
of these are in Santiago.
- Who do you represent?
- The "Macul" belt.
- And you?
- The "Macul" belt.
- And you?
- The "Cerrillos-Maip" belt.
- And you?
- The "Cerrillos" belt.
- And you?
- The "Vicua Mackenna" belt.
- And you?
- The "Vicua Mackenna" belt.
- And you?
- The "O'Higgins" belt.
- And you?
- The Christian Left.
The Radical Party Union.
The government, with the
support of the belts,...
...puts some strategically
important factories...
...under legal State control.
As we all know,...
...fascist groups tried
to overthrow the Government...
...and there are still
repercussions from that.
There is still a latent danger
against a process...
...which the working class
began and has taken in hand.
It has been resolved that,...
...given that the packaging
and aluminum company Alusa...
...has suspended delivery
of its products...
...which constitutes
an obstruction to distribution,...
...and in view of the
Supreme Decree no. ...
...and Law no. , ,
I resolve,...
...firstly, the use of the
industrial establishment...
...is hereby requisitioned,...
...along with machines
and other elements...
...necessary for the production
and/or distribution...
...of the Alusa factory.
On July , the law on the State of
Emergency proposed by Allende...
...is submitted to Parliament.
This law would grant
the President special powers.
With them, the President would be able
to appoint, transfer and dismiss...
...whatever m*llitary leaders
he thought advisable.
The floor is open to speakers.
The debate is over.
During the three previous
governments,...
...the State of Emergency
had been authorized twice.
Those deputies who reject the
proposal, raise their hands.
The State of Emergency,
the chief legal instrument...
...for extreme situations,
is not authorized.
Result of the vote.
The number of votes
in favor, .
The number of votes
against, .
The Executive's proposal
is rejected.
The Executive's initiative
doesn't convince Parliament.
The opposition parties
think it unjustified...
...to grant Allende
special powers.
On July , the same day as Congress
rejects the State of Emergency,...
...navy officers order their troops
to carry out a raid in Valparaíso.
A law on weapons control
passed the previous year...
...enables the m*llitary...
...to carry out searches
for weapons...
...without a judicial order
or government authorization.
Despite increasing t*rror1st
action by the extreme right...
...this law has never before
been enforced by the m*llitary.
Each raid includes
besieging the factory,...
...the temporary detention
of the workers,...
...and their interrogation.
Thus, without overstepping
the law,...
...some officers start to act
against factory employees and workers.
In this first raid
no weapons are found.
Chile is suffering the aggression
of North American imperialism,...
...of a sector
of the oligarchy,...
...which in October
joined with ITT and the CIA...
...to overthrow
this Government.
They want to repeat...
...a stupid attempt
of that kind.
So the present struggle...
...has a patriotic
and national character.
Chile has got every right
to govern itself...
...in accordance with
the will of its people.
At the same time,...
...a series of revolutionary
transformations is in process,
...the aim of which
is to open the way...
...to a socialist society.
Faced with the thr*at
of a coup,...
...the Communist Party
and a sector of the left...
...agree with President
Allende's ideas.
An armed confrontation
must be avoided...
...in what are
unfavorable conditions.
Therefore, this sector
decides to get the support...
...of the officers who respect
the democratic system.
In the political area,
both Allende and this sector...
...want a minimum agreement
with the Christian Democracy.
The objective being to reinforce
the government's stability...
...and create a strong front
against a civil w*r.
They've carried out
a campaign these last days.
A campaign in which
they are trying to show...
...that the Popular Government
is an illegal government.
I want to ask
Mr. Victor García Garzena...
...what is the National
Party's opinion...
...of the rebellion
of June ...
...which ended in the death
of over innocent people.
I want to know
their opinion,...
...because the paper
"La Tribuna",...
...on the day after that event,
said that it was a show.
And while the seditious att*ck
was taking place,...
...the radio station
"Agriculture"...
...was broadcasting
declarations such as,...
..."This is the day so many
Chileans longed for.",...
..."The armed forces
are confronting...
...this totalitarian,
Marxist government",...
...and other similar remarks.
That is a political crime.
That is an att*ck
against our people.
The most serious att*ck
against democracy...
...and the constitutional
regime...
...which they claim to defend.
This gentleman was already
jailed in ...
...by the Christian Democrat
government,...
...for seditious actions on
behalf of the National Party.
Good evening to all our
television viewers.
As you have all seen
and heard,...
...the young student...
...has described me
as being seditious.
But I ask you to look at him
and look at me.
Look at his life
and look at mine.
I don't know how the cameras
haven't fallen with shame.
That's the truth.
He has devoted his life
to revolution.
He has worked at nothing else
except revolution.
And here am I, a man who
has worked for years,...
...who was a university
professor for years,...
...who has always earned
his salary.
And the young student says,
"Look at the troublemaker".
So, as it's quite ridiculous,
I'll move on to other things.
The regime can't work
without virtues,...
...without republican virtues.
That's my opinion,
and everyone knows it.
I've always practiced it.
I don't condemn
those who are desperate.
I don't condemn people
like the poor truck driver...
...who picks up a stone,
and neither do I condemn...
...those people who clamor
and who rebel.
I don't support,
and I never have,...
...any rebellion.
I don't support coups
or other escapades.
But today,
I fully understand...
...how an entire country
cannot live at peace...
...when its most urgent
and basic needs,...
...as we have heard here
tonight,...
...can't be satisfied.
He's just described himself.
He has shown
the seditious face,...
...the rebellious face
of the National Party.
And here you have
the chief thr*at...
...to the constitutional
regime...
...and the democracy
you say you defend.
Mr. Garcia Garzena has said,
and the viewers heard him,...
...that he doesn't condemn...
...the rising of June ,
perpetrated by a unit...
...which undoubtedly
was traitorous...
...to the pure tradition
of our armed forces.
He doesn't condemn the m*rder
of over people.
He doesn't condemn it.
Just the opposite.
But he hasn't been
frank enough here...
...to say he applauds it,
as it was applauded...
...by his National
Agricultural Society radio,...
...or as it was applauded by
his paper, "La Tribuna",...
...which said the next day
that it was a self-coup,...
...a show put on by
the Popular Unity government.
Repeat that here, sir!
I didn't say I supported
the uprising.
Don't distort my words!
Then make yourself clear.
I've done that, and now
I intend to ignore you!
I want to explain
to our television viewers...
...that our system...
...isn't one of class hatred
or of any kind of struggle.
It's what's called
national integration.
That's what we want.
We want everyone to feel
members of the same homeland.
- Like in Uruguay.
- So that we feel...
- Why are you confusing me?
- Or Bolivia.
- Why mention other countries?
- Or Brazil.
You're like a Bolivian!
Don't despair, Don Victor García.
Don't get hysterical.
Please, let me continue.
These are the problems.
What is the origin
of the att*cks...
...against democracy
and freedom?
Their aim is to prevent
dialogue...
...and finally take us along
the road to civil w*r.
The road sought by
Don Victor García Garzena,...
...that dove of peace whom
we have seen here tonight,...
...who wants to set up a
fascist dictatorship here,...
...like that of José María
Bordaberry in Uruguay,...
...and, deny it if you can,...
...like those in Brazil and
in Bolivia. Exactly that.
On July , Salvador Allende
forms a new cabinet...
...to tackle the crisis and
create favorable conditions...
...for a dialogue with
the Christian Democracy.
He tries to incorporate
a personality from that party.
I know perfectly well...
...that revolutionary
processes...
...shake up and convulse
the people.
But I also know that here,...
...we wanted to do,
and are trying to do,...
...something that other
peoples didn't manage.
A revolution
by different channels,...
...in accordance with
our history, our tradition,...
...and our reality.
I hope that we may
be capable...
...of writing one more page...
...to show that Chile has
its own creative will...
...and its noble decision...
...to make the homeland
ever greater.
Please take...
...the oaths of loyalty.
Finally, let me clarify
that I called the rector...
...of the Catholic University,
Fernando Castillo,...
...and I asked him
to form part of the cabinet.
Regrettably,...
...he had obligations
which I respected.
I respected his reasons,...
...and even though he was
most willing,...
...I couldn't have Fernando
Castillo's collaboration.
But I know the country can
rely on his collaboration...
...in any circumstances.
I wanted to inform you
fully of this...
...and also to reiterate
that I am confident...
...that we shall overcome
the diff cult hours...
...with everyone's help.
Thank you.
Why has this split occurred
when no one really wants it?
In my opinion, it's because
when the Popular Unity...
...sets out programs,...
...projects for Chile,...
...which could really mean...
...an accumulation of interest
in that objective,...
...Popular Unity first says...
...Let's see who would
supposedly be opposed to this.
They look for all possible
enemies, find them...
...and then set them up
as a minority.
But I think that all those
great projects...
...for the transformation
of our society...
...are projects which,...
...if sent out properly
as a message,...
...seeking all those who can
come together as a force...
...which is really working
for Chile's objectives...
...are a government's
most basic obligation.
But, influenced by its more
traditional wing,...
...the Christian Democrats
will not, for now,...
...talk with the Government.
Even so, Allende,
a sector of the left,...
...and a sector of Christian
Democrats will strive...
...for a dialogue to modify
the correlation of forces...
...in case of a coup.
We must call, comrades,...
...on the good sense
and patriotism...
...of the sectors
of the Christian Democracy...
...who think for themselves,
and don't follow...
...the dictates of
the Pentagon, the CIA,...
...and the Chilean capitalists,...
...so that they show
their opposition...
...among the people,
in the unions, everywhere...
...to the fascist,
reactionary offensive.
Because if fascism manages
to win through,...
...they won't ask the copper
worker if he's a communist,...
...if he's from MAPU,
if he's a socialist,...
...or a Christian Democrat,
when they repress him.
On July , the marines
carry out a raid in Valparaíso.
That same day,...
...the Air Force occupy a cemetery
in Santiago with helicopters.
soldiers search the graves
and niches looking for weapons.
In neither case
is anything found.
This is just incredible.
Look at what they're doing,
and it's going on every day!
Why would anyone want
to dig up the dead?
The dead don't have b*ll*ts
or anything.
Why would they k*ll them?
Imagine digging
the poor things up!
All they could do was throw
their bones at them.
So tomorrow, or even tonight,
they'll send their planes.
They'll k*ll us all,
because we're defenseless here.
- Should the people be armed?
- Yes, of course!
The government has to do that
and very soon.
They have to,
or else it'll be impossible...
We're his strength.
Allende is the president
because we voted for him.
The rich will never
be on our side.
Whatever we have now,
it's because of this government.
Because we've never
had anything.
How could we not be grateful
to the government?
That's what we have to make
those others understand.
They aren't thinking straight
and...
They don't understand
all that's being done.
If you're out,
moving around all day,...
...you see what they're doing
for the workers.
What must we do
to defend this government?
Unite, that's the first thing.
And if they come with arms?
We should have arms too,
to defend ourselves.
That's what
everyone here thinks.
Nobody in this camp
has got a w*apon.
And you can't do anything with
your hands or with sticks.
If they come with arms,
you can't do anything.
The workers have got their
defense organizations.
There are brigades which can
be mobilized at any moment.
But there are
no popular elements...
...to defend the factories,...
...nor are there even
any popular elements...
...to mobilize workers...
...in any formation for
combat or street fighting...
...against any m*llitary
sectors or fascist sectors...
...which have those elements.
We want a popular militia!
On July , the Socialist Party
states its position...
...as regards
the threatened coup.
The soldiers, marines,
airmen and policemen...
...cannot lend themselves
at any time...
...or under any circumstance...
...to m*rder workers.
And if it should happen
that some officers rebel,...
...the officers,
warrant officers,...
...N.C.O.s and soldiers...
...are not under
any obligation...
...to obey them.
To be even clearer,...
...not only is it their duty
to refuse to obey orders...
...which would mean
f*ring on the people,...
...or to participate
in attempted coups...
...against the workers'
government,...
...they must also actively
oppose them.
The bourgeoisie must
understand quite clearly...
...that it cannot act
with impunity.
Every subversive action,...
...every att*ck on Chile
and its government...
...will invariably be
answered by the workers...
...using every method...
...with all the resources
which may be necessary.
Our party thinks...
...that the seizing of companies,...
...factories, lands,...
...is a legitimate response
by the working class...
...and the workers...
...to the seditious, mutinous
attitude of the right.
We have said that every step
in this reaction...
...must be thought out.
I'd like to know
the party's position...
...as regards the raids
by the m*llitary...
...in our factories
looking for arms.
I take it as an offense
against our class...
...because I think that
if the workers...
...were ever to take up arms
at any time,...
...it would be to defend
their government.
So could you, as a lawyer
and as a jurist,...
...tell us when it is legal...
...and when it is illegal?
There's a problem here.
We could be acting illegally...
...in trying to defend
the workers' government...
...as workers ourselves...
...if we took the precaution
of acquiring a w*apon.
I think that the people
to defend its government...
...should use
all the means available.
The problem of arms
becomes tied in...
...with that of
the occupation of companies.
For a sector
of Popular Unity,...
...led by the communists,...
...the indiscriminate
expropriation of factories...
...only damages
the government's legal image.
But for the other sector,
led by the Socialist Party,...
...the occupation of industries
is a useful form of mobilization...
...which helps prepare and
organize the coming struggle.
For them, an armed clash with
the right is inevitable,...
...and the only way
to tackle a coup...
...is by organizing the masses
and strengthening popular power,...
...especially in
the industrial belts.
Another task for today,
comrades,...
...to control the reactionaries
and to move forward...
...is the formation
of industrial belts...
...all over the country.
What is needed, comrades,
is that our union leaders...
...look on this task
as a priority for them.
That comrades from other
companies unite.
That they should tell the
leaders of other unions...
...of the need to connect
with workers...
...from the next block,
or from further away.
And that way, comrades,...
...we shall build up
that popular force...
...which is the basis
for advancing,...
...and a rampart
for repelling...
...reactionary att*cks.
On July ,...
...the Arauco regiment occupy
the Workers' Central...
...in the city of Osorno.
The next day,...
...navy personnel carry out
another raid in Concepción.
In neither case
are arms found.
On July , the Revolutionary
Left Movement, MIR,...
...from outside
Popular Unity,...
...states its position.
Throughout the entire
country,...
...a single cry is heard
echoing in the factories,...
...estates, towns,
and schools,...
...in the bastions
of the people.
The call to create,...
...to create, strengthen
and increase popular power,...
...the power of the
community commandoes,...
...the power of the workers
and the peasants.
The revolutionaries
and the workers...
...must immediately extend...
...the seizure of factories
and estates,...
...increase defense
preparations,...
...promote popular power
as local government,...
...independent of
the powers of state.
The warrant officers
and policemen...
...must disobey the orders
of fascist officers,...
...and in that way...
And in that way,...
...all forms of struggle
will be legitimate!
Then it really will be true
that the workers,...
along with the soldiers,
the sailors, the police,...
...the warrant officers
and the loyal officers,...
...will have the right
to build their own army,...
...the people's army!
On July , the workers from
the Vicua-Mackenna industrial belt...
...occupy the main road
in their area.
Why are you occupying
the road?
It's in support
of our comrades...
...who were evicted from
the ICMETAL factory.
Will any government
representative be coming?
We hope some authority will
come and solve the problem.
The day before, workers from
the Cerrillos belt...
...had carried out
a similar action.
The protest by this sector is directed
against government attempts...
...to hand back
some industries...
...to facilitate a possible
minimum agreement...
...with the Christian
Democracy.
The contradictions
among the left...
...about what strategy
to use against the coup...
...explode publicly.
At : ,...
...the police chief orders
the road to be cleared.
The police can only advance
to the first barricade.
Beyond that are , workers
positioned along four miles.
At : ,
the mayor of Santiago arrives.
He is Allende's representative
in the province.
You wait here.
His mission is to end
the confrontation.
Please inform the Chief
that on my instructions...
...nothing is to be
moved here...
...and you are to pull back
two blocks.
So pull back
the police forces,...
...preferably beyond
Matta Avenue.
Tell the Prefect that it's on
my instructions. Thank you.
The police have to withdraw.
But the problem
of occupied factories...
...continues to be debated...
...with the presence
of TUC delegates.
The TUC setup...
...a commission...
...to look at the cases
of the industries...
...which are in the hands
of the workers.
That commission is studying
those problems today...
...through the corresponding
institutions,...
...CORFO and the Ministry
of Economy.
There's one thing
we must have very clear.
There are a lot of industries
which have been taken over.
In Santiago, a huge number of industries
have been taken over,...
...but not all of them
can be nationalized...
...for a variety of reasons.
What's more, when the TUC
issued the call...
...to take over
the industries...
...in the case of any
attempted coup,...
...that meant,
in times of crisis,...
...stopping fascist activity.
But it didn't mean that,
indiscriminately,...
...all kinds of industries
are going to be nationalized.
There are some problems
there too...
...with industries which are
totally unfinanced,...
...and if the State takes
them over...
...it's really just taking
over a dead weight.
And that can't be.
So this is what
has been discussed...
...with our fellow workers
in those industries...
...who would be affected.
What we want is a decision
from TUC, and soon.
It can be good or bad,
but we want a decision,...
...so that the TUC doesn't
just become an antibody...
...in the bosom
of the workers.
The problem is that there are
other reasons here.
For instance, what about the
companies with Swiss capital?
There's a problem...
There's a problem
of international relations.
What do international
relations have to do...
...with the problems
of the workers?
A lot!
Because the Swiss
government...
...is one of the chief members
of the "Club de Paris",...
...where Chile's
external debt...
...is discussed
and renegotiated.
You all know that after
this government came in...
...and nationalized copper,
for example,...
...there was
a Yankee boycott...
...and the country doesn't
have the foreign exchange...
...or the credits
it used to have.
So that is all renegotiated
in the "Club de Paris",...
...and Chile has to
handle itself there...
...with a great deal of caution.
We're not talking about
international relations here.
We want to nationalize the
industries which interest us.
And without accepting
any compromises.
All the things
that you're explaining...
...about international affairs...
...won't be understood
by the workers in general.
You have to give them some
more local reasons,...
...and use words that all of
us here can understand.
Can the workers disobey
the TUC leaders?
Well, I can answer that too.
Yes, there are answers which
are more local, more Chilean.
Today, as you all know,
comrades,...
...we, the working class,
through this government,...
...have gained some power,...
...but we haven't gained
all the power.
The reactionaries want
the forces of order,...
...whether police or army,...
...to have a confrontation
with the workers...
...which will occur...
...if the workers don't obey
central management...
...but take justice
into their own hands...
...and have a confrontation
with the police and army.
And then the right accuses
the government...
...that there's no discipline
and that there's no authority.
And we're just a step away...
...from the President
being impeached,...
...because that's
what they want.
But the thing is,...
...we can see everything
clearly too.
They asked us, the workers,
to get organized...
...and to set up
the industrial belts...
...and to get organized
on all fronts.
We organized ourselves
on the neighborhood fronts,...
...on the workers' fronts
and in the trade unions.
We organized ourselves
in the industrial belts.
And we're still hearing
the same old story.
It isn't the time, there's
a legislative power...
...and a judicial power.
They asked us to organize...
...from the people
up to the highest level,...
...and that's what we've done.
But the President still keeps
asking us to stay calm,...
...to keep acting this way
and to keep organizing. Why?
Why is there this fear
that we, the workers,...
...and all the people,
will call a general strike...
...and ask the President,
like any executive power,...
...to decide once and for all
what their battle plan is?
What is the plan they have
for us to fight the right?
And if it's necessary
to have a plebiscite...
...as those on the right
are demanding,...
...we'll have it from the
people up to the highest level
and I assure you that we'll
win from here to Rancagua.
We've got organization
inside the camps,...
...the industrial belts
and the unions.
And the TUC still carries on,
asking us to keep calm,...
...saying we can't do
such-and-such...
...because this belongs
to Queen Elizabeth,...
...or that belongs
to Switzerland.
They just keep
making things up.
The truth is, the people
are getting tired.
This is all bureaucracy!
We're fighting bureaucracy
amongst ourselves.
Within our own defenses,
within our own unions,...
...within our own power
like the TUC,...
...we still have bureaucracy.
Until when?
What I want to know is if
you have confidence or not...
...in popular power.
Does the TUC not have faith
in those workers...
...who marched past
comrade Allende on Friday...
...to shout their support
for him?
Does the President not have
faith in our organizations?
Do the deputies up there
not have faith in us?
They sit and do nothing.
And what about the senators?
Instead of fighting
for the cause,...
...instead of doing something
for the workers,...
...whenever the right wing
deputies appear...
...they all keep quiet.
I think we've had enough!
There's a reason that
we're meeting here tonight.
It's to ask the government
to expropriate...
...the greatest number
of factories.
And we'll let the right have
the ones that are of no use.
If the government can't take
on those dead weights,...
...the right can do it,
and we'll keep fighting.
You go to the market and see
all the black market stuff.
And they still ask us
to stay calm.
Until when?
We're sick of all this.
Do you not know
the class composition...
...that exists today
in the armed forces?
Don't you know that
the majority of officers...
...are in favor of the coup?
Because here, comrades,...
...power isn't achieved only
through good organization.
There is good organization.
But we also need to have
some weight...
...to counter-balance the real
power of the reactionaries.
And that's why in
the Trades Union Council...
...we're talking about
protection committees.
And what are
protection committees?
Protection committees
for production industries...
...and also protection
committees for the w*r.
They're things we can't talk
about or give details on...
...because we mustn't make
that mistake.
But we, the workers,
have to be prepared...
...to go into battle
on all fronts.
And the TUC is involved
in that struggle today.
I accept that there are
differences, comrades.
But the problem arises
when there is a desire...
...for organizations
which follow a direction...
...parallel to the workers'
organization.
That's where problems start.
And so I admit that here
there are many comrades...
...who ask questions,
not with any ill intention,...
...but there are things
which have to be discussed...
...in much greater depth.
You can't just
unfoundedly catalogue...
...such-and-such
an organization,...
...or such-and-such a leader,
as having some defect.
I believe that we all make up
the organizations,...
...and we all have some degree
of responsibility.
And you have your
organization...
...for setting out
this kind of problem.
And we are in agreement that
we have to look for answers...
...to the problems which we
are setting out here today.
But let us not forget that
we've got a government...
...presided over
by comrade Allende,...
...and we have to obey
that leadership.
There is an organism
which is the workers,...
...and there are organisms
which are the class parties...
...and they too
provide guidance.
On July ,
the School of Infantry...
...raids a factory
in the town of San Bernardo.
Every sector on the left
recognizes the need...
...to prepare the armed
defense of the government.
But they are unable
to agree...
...on the formulation
of a joint plan.
On July , in view of the
growing wave of v*olence,...
...the Catholic church issues
a public call...
...in favor of
peaceful understanding.
This campaign, led by
Cardinal Silva Enríquez,...
...ends with the
countrywide celebration...
...of "Masses for Peace".
For the representatives
of the people,...
...that they may exercise the
public powers of the State.
That their competence, aided
by the wisdom and prudence...
...that comes from God,...
...may lead them always
to serve the homeland,...
...for the true good
of the communities.
Lord hear us.
Lord graciously hear us.
For the citizens
of our homeland,...
...so that in the diversity of
opinions and preferences,...
...God may enlighten
our consciences,...
...soothe passions,...
...and control partisan
resentments,...
...so that the common good
of the Chileans may prevail.
- Lord, hear us.
- Lord, graciously hear us.
The Church's call
for pacification...
...puts some leaders of
the Christian Democracy...
...in a diff cult position.
For weeks, they have refused
to have talks with Allende.
If they don't change
their position,...
...they will be opposing
the Church's public position.
A few days later, Patricio Aylwin,
and Osvaldo Olguin,...
...the leaders of
the Christian Democracy,...
...arrive at
the government palace...
...to speak with the President.
Aware of the discrepancies,
but convinced of his strategy,
...Allende wants to reach
a minimum understanding...
...to avoid a constitutional
break-up.
A possible agreement
between Allende...
...and the Christian Democrat
leadership...
...causes great unease
among the extreme right-wing.
On July ,...
...at : a.m., the extreme
right assassinates...
...Commander Arturo
Araya Peters,...
...President Allende's
naval aide-de-camp.
The v*olence extends
to an officer...
...directly linked
to the President,...
...at the very moment when
the Christian Democracy...
...agrees to speak
with Allende.
A confidant of
the President,...
...Araya had become the main
link between the government...
...and the constitutionalist
navy officers.
That same day,
the aide-de-camp's remains...
...are taken to
the La Moneda Palace.
They are later transferred
to Valparaíso,...
...to be buried
with m*llitary honors.
OFFICERS
Months later, in exile
in Buenos Aires,...
...and before being
assassinated,...
...Gen. Carlos Prats says
that one of the reasons...
...for eliminating
Commander Araya...
...was to prevent Allende from
knowing what was happening...
...in the m*llitary circles
in Valparaíso.
This is where a sector
of the officers...
...start to plan the coup,...
...with the advice of
the North American government.
The remains of Commander
Arturo Araya Peters...
...are seen off...
...by the Commander-in-Chief
of the National Navy,...
...Admiral Raúl Montero
Cornejo,...
...and by a college
contemporary of his,...
...Sea Captain Guillermo
Aldonei Hansen.
And here in the cemetery,...
...we have two sections
of the Submarine School...
...and the band of
the Armaments School.
All here can remember
the brilliant navy career...
...of Commander Arturo
Araya Peters.
His Excellency the President,
Dr. Salvador Allende,...
...ministers of state,...
...heads of the armed
forces...
The raids are intensified.
On August ,
the army surrounds...
...one of the main factories
in Santiago's Cerrillos belt.
These operations allow the
army to check the terrain...
...and study the workers'
reactions.
Their officers accustom
the troops...
...to confronting
the civilian population,...
...and watch the behavior
of their own soldiers.
The next day,
the army occupies...
...the industrial area
of Punta Arenas.
To date, the army have
carried out raids...
...throughout the country,
without finding any arms.
For the first time
in an operation,...
...tanks are used.
During this week,
the transport operators...
...call an indefinite stoppage.
The extreme right wants
to provoke economic chaos...
...and sabotage the talks...
...between the Head of State
and the Christian Democracy.
The carriers assemble
their trucks...
...at certain
strategic points...
...to make a show of strength
and maintain internal cohesion.
As the New York Times
was to reveal later...
...the strikers are financed
by $ million...
...from the Central
Intelligence Agency, CIA.
Each of the , operators
receives $ a day,...
...at the black market
exchange rate.
Meanwhile, in the gardens
of Congress,...
...just as happened with
the copper strike,...
...the truckers' wives are
given money and provisions.
On July ,
the government decrees...
...the legal resumption of
work, and sends tractors...
...to tow the paralyzed
vehicles to Santiago.
However, the operators
react with v*olence...
...and accuse the government
of attacking private property.
These events are filmed by
TV's Channel ,...
...which sympathizes
with the strike.
A few days later,
Parliament,...
...along with the opposition
journalists,...
...transform the incident
into a scandal.
Congress asks Channel
to re-broadcast...
...their film
of the events...
...to help the deputies
reach a judgment.
Backing up the report,...
...the deputies retransmit
these images to the public,...
...presenting them
as an official document.
This shows the opposition's
power within the media,...
...and the freedom of speech
tolerated by the government.
The opposition block
controls Channel ,...
...Santiago's leading
station,...
...as well as %
of the radio stations...
...and % of
the written press.
In this case, the seizure
of the trucks...
...fuels a campaign
to discredit the government.
While this is happening
in Parliament,...
...talks between Allende
and the Christian Democracy...
...are deadlocked.
The leaders of that party...
...set conditions
for the President.
He must submit to
Congress' authority,...
...thus renouncing
presidential powers...
...held by other
Chilean leaders.
He must back down on
his nationalization policy.
Finally, he must grant
key government posts...
...to officers who are
totally trusted...
...by the Christian
Democracy.
In reply,...
...President Allende is
opposed to this capitulation.
That same day,...
...the Christian Democracy
halts the talks.
This being so,...
...the entire opposition joins
the anti-government escalade.
During July and August,
t*rror1st groups...
...trained by North American
intelligence services,...
...carry out att*cks
with dynamite and fire bombs.
With this authority vacuum,
Allende gets the support...
...of the leaders
of the armed forces,...
...and, faced with
the situation,...
...the officers agree
to share responsibilities.
A country...
...cannot live...
...submitted to threats
by the heartless.
The streets of Santiago...
...were strewn yesterday...
...with publications
like this.
We must ask
who is paying for them,...
...where are they printed,...
...which are the companies
who are contributing...
...to these att*cks...
...against national life,
against the government,...
...against the country.
" measures to depose
the government".
That is how shameless
they are.
This Cabinet...
...must put an end...
...to the fascist stoppage
by the carriers,...
...by deciding...
...to enforce the law implacably.
It has the support of the vast
majority of Chileans,...
...who want to avoid,
by all possible means,...
...a civil w*r
in our homeland.
On August , the top
m*llitary commanders...
...are incorporated
into the government.
Gen. Prats, natural leader
of the loyal officers,...
...occupies the Ministry
of Defense.
Command of the army falls,
meanwhile, on Gen. Pinochet,...
...also considered
a constitutionalist.
This new cabinet is received
with discrepancies...
...by most of the politicians.
The right reject it.
The Christian Democracy show
a division of opinion.
The left has its doubts.
Only two days later, the
Communist and Socialist parties
...support Allende's decision.
Thank you.
The session is over.
On August , the new cabinet
takes the first steps...
...to requisition trucks.
But the initiatives taken
by the commanders...
...displease most
of the officers...
...who are sympathetic
to the stoppage...
This shows that part
of the m*llitary apparatus...
...is also involved in the
anti-government offensive.
The U.S. press later revealed
that William Colby,...
...ex-director of the CIA,...
...never denied that it
supported the preparation...
...and financial maintenance
of the strike...
...when he was questioned by
the House of Representatives...
...in Washington,
in October .
On August , the Christian
Democrat Party...
...officially announces
its support for the strike.
In factories, raw materials
are diminishing,...
...and in the country
seeds are scarce.
In these circumstances,...
...the civil-m*llitary
cabinet has failed.
But the popular response to
the strike continues.
The government
and its supporters...
...arrange for products to be
brought to distribution centers.
With shops closed,
part of the population...
...supports
the Provisions Council...
...and strengthens
the "popular stores".
Each store is formed by
the neighbors in a sector.
It buys food directly from
the State,...
...and sells it at cost price.
Soon, half of Santiago
is benefiting...
...from direct provisioning.
Direct provisioning!
In some areas, the Industrial
Belts send workers' pickets...
...to oversee distribution
and open any closed shops.
At this moment,
for the first time,...
...popular power is ahead
of the police...
...in maintaining public order
and controlling tradesmen.
That's enough for now.
Please move the kids away.
This isn't
a workers' stoppage.
It's a stoppage
by the truck owners.
I don't think there's one
worker with a truck on strike.
The ones on strike
have got fleets of trucks.
They're keeping
this useless strike going.
This stoppage is
clearly political.
And it is we, the people,
who are being harmed by it.
We're the ones who have to put
up with waiting in these lines.
If all the trucks
went back to work, ...
...we wouldn't have
all these lines.
But the workers went out
on the street.
We went out and fought and
did our duty as workers,...
...defending our workplaces
and continuing production,...
...and loading goods
with our bare hands...
...so that the towns
didn't go short of food.
The workers showed that
to our President...
...and the authorities.
Some of the carriers who
support the government...
...organize convoys...
...to distribute food
in the provinces.
The population also develops
a family supply system,...
...called
"the people's basket".
No compromise on defending
the people's basket!
How do you see
the government's attitude?
The government's attitude...
...has to be to maneuver.
If you were the government,
you'd have to do the same.
The government has to walk
a tightrope at times.
I believe that this
isn't the government's fault.
For me, as a Marxist socialist
from to the present,...
...because I was in the fight
for the Socialist Republic...
...and I knew comrade Grove
and he made one mistake.
When the people asked him
for arms,...
...he wouldn't give them any.
Of course, it would have been
an uncontrollable m*ssacre.
And then what would
have happened?
Even now, I think we're
still far from having...
...a good front.
We just don't have one.
We've got anti-fascist
organizations...
...and defense committees,
but we're lacking...
...provincial and national
coordination...
...in order to act
on one front.
We can't let what happened
in Spain happen here.
There was a party division,...
...the anarcho-syndicalists
on one side,...
...the socialists
on the other,...
...and Franco's fascism
got into power.
Meanwhile, in Valparaíso,...
...some sailors discover
the naval conspiracy...
...and inform several
left-wing leaders.
This action is discovered
by the commanders...
...and the sailors
are accused of mutiny,...
...jailed and submitted
to t*rture.
On August ,
the opposition,...
...breaks definitively with
the constitutional regime.
The agreement,
without any legal basis,...
...says the government "would
be violating the Constitution"
...and is an open invitation
for m*llitary intervention.
Supported by
a simple majority,...
...this declaration justifies
m*llitary rebellion...
...and legitimizes the coup.
From this point,
events occur rapidly.
A group of women gather
outside the house...
...of Army Commander
Gen. Carlos Prats,...
...natural leader
of the officers...
...who respect
the democratic system.
The rally, in which the wives
of generals take part,...
...is to show Carlos Prats...
...that he no longer has
the top m*llitary support.
The next day, the Council of
Generals refuses to back him...
...and Carlos Prats
decides to resign.
- Faggots!
- Lousy faggots!
Generals Pickering
and Sepúlveda,...
...the main loyal commanders,
also resign.
Augusto Pinochet, seemingly
a professional soldier...
...who respects
the Constitution,...
...becomes the new
Commander-in-Chief.
While the conspiracy
progresses,...
...the civilian opposition
begins the final offensive.
On August ,
in the Catholic University,...
...the women from
"Feminine Power"...
...meet to support
the transport strike.
That is why this strike
by the carriers,...
...which was avoided
in October ,...
...will, this time,
have to be a battle...
...to the final consequences.
This is how it is seen
by all of us...
...who support the carriers
in their just struggle.
Days later,
the government's enemies...
...ask for the President's
resignation.
years of economic w*r...
...have let the White House
and the internal opposition...
...win a large sector
of the middle class.
This is where
the rebel officers...
...find the social support for
continuing with their plans.
September is
the third anniversary...
...of Salvador Allende's
electoral triumph.
Despite the crisis,
government sympathizers...
...organize one of
the biggest demonstrations...
...in the country's
political history.
From : p.m.,
more than , people...
...file past the President
of the Republic.
Three days later, Allende
tells his collaborators...
...that he wants to hold
a plebiscite...
...to resolve the government's
continuity in a democratic way.
The chosen date for announcing
the plebiscite...
...is September .
We'll cut the d*ck off
the "mummy" who speculates!
If that won't do,
we'll cut his balls off too!
Workers, let's go into action
and stop the rebellion!
Young Communists of Chile!
Allende, Allende,
the people will defend you!
Young Communists of Chile!
Keep fighting, President!
- Hurrah for Allende!
- Hurrah!
Popular Unity,
keep fighting!
We'll fight and we'll create
popular power!
The Socialist Party of Chile!
Socialist Youth!
The expropriated factories
will never be handed back!
The time for conciliation
is over!
It's time to fight!
People, awareness, arms!
- Louder!
- MAPU!
Shout it louder!
MAPU!
Allende, don't worry,
the people are with you!
Allende, don't worry,
the people are with you!
Faced with the people,
mobilized but unarmed,...
...the internal opposition...
...and the U.S.
State Department...
...decide to play
their last card.
The morning of September .
The voice of President Allende.
Confirmed reports have said...
...that a sector
of the navy...
...has isolated Valparaiso...
...and that the city
is occupied.
In any case, I am here,...
...in the government palace...
...and I'll stay here,
defending...
...the government I represent
by the will of the people.
On September , the navy
unleashes the coup...
...in the port of Valparaíso.
At the same time, four
North American destroyers...
...move close to
the Chilean coast...
...to take part in
"Operation Unitas"...
...and maintain contact
with the mutineers.
At : , President Allende...
...has arrived at the palace
to give instructions.
The situation is critical.
There is no joint plan...
...for the armed defense
of the government.
During the early morning,...
...most of the constitutionalist
officers have been neutralized.
At : a.m.,
several Air Force planes...
...start to fly over
the capital.
At : , the leaders
of the uprising...
...demand the President's
resignation,...
...and offer him a plane
in which to leave the country.
At : , the constitutional
President prepares to fight...
...and speaks again
by radio.
The Air Force has bombed...
...the masts of "Radio Portales"
and "Radio Corporacin".
This being so,..
...it only remains for me
to say to the workers,...
...I am not going to give up.
Placed in an historical
transition,...
...I shall repay the loyalty
of the people with my life.
History is ours, and it is
made by the people.
Long live Chile!
Long live the people!
Long live the workers!
After a few hours
of resistance,...
...the m*llitary sends
Allende an ultimatum.
If he doesn't surrender,
the planes will begin bombing.
At this,...
...the President gives
the palace guard...
...freedom of action,
and they abandon the building.
President Allende,
who refuses to surrender,...
...is accompanied
by civilians...
...prepared to face
the att*ck.
Despite the bombardment,...
...the palace defenders
hold out for hours.
At the same time,
there are skirmishes...
...in parts of Santiago
and the provinces.
At : p.m., President
Allende dies in La Moneda.
At : p.m.,...
...the leaders of the uprising
speak to the country.
The armed forces...
...have acted today...
...solely from
the patriotic inspiration...
...of saving the country...
...from the tremendous
chaos...
...into which it was
being plunged...
...by the Marxist government
of Salvador Allende.
The Junta will maintain
judicial power...
...and consultantship of
the Public Accounts Control.
The Chambers will remain in
recess until further orders.
That is all.
It may be sad...
...to have broken
a democratic tradition...
...which on this continent...
...was of long standing.
But when the State
loses its qualities,...
...there are those...
...who, by mandate,...
...have to enforce them,
and take on that task.
We are doing that today.
We are sure
that all of Chile...
...has to understand
the sacrifice that entails.
It isn't a matter
of squashing tendencies...
...or ideological trends,...
...or carrying out
personal revenge,...
...but, as I said, of
reestablishing public order,..
...and returning the country
to observance...
...of the Republic's
Constitution and laws.
After three years...
...of suffering
the Marxist cancer...
...which led us...
...to economic, moral
and social disaster,...
...and which could no longer
be tolerated...
...for the sacred interests
of the homeland,...
...we found ourselves
obliged...
...to take on
the sad and painful mission...
...which we have undertaken.
We are not afraid.
We know the enormous
responsibility...
...that will rest
on our shoulders.
But we are convinced,...
...we are quite sure...
...that the vast majority
of the Chilean people...
...are with us.
They are willing to fight
against Marxism!
They are willing
to stamp it out...
...down to the final
consequences!
From September ,...
...all the army's resources
are used...
...to repress
the popular movement,...
...with the compliance
of the U.S. government.
The initial armed resistance
by some industrial belts,...
...towns, mines and
agricultural centers...
...is quickly crushed
in an unequal fight.
Thousands of people
lose their lives,...
...and the main
sports stadiums...
...are turned into
concentration camps.
The longest representative
democracy...
...in Latin American history
has ceased to exist.
Nevertheless, on that same
September ,...
...the democratic forces
begin to reorganize,...
...and adopt numerous
forms of resistance.
The battle of Chile
is not over yet.
They have the strength.
They can subjugate us,
but they cannot stop
social processes...
...with crime
or with strength.
History is ours,...
...and it is made
by the people.
You must always know...
...that sooner
rather than later...
...they will open
the great avenues...
...where man can walk free...
...and build a better society.
THE BATTLE OF CHILE
The struggle of
an unarmed people
Part Two
THE COUP D'ETAT
a Patricio Guzmán Film
In memory of
Jorge Müller Silva
Santiago de Chile,
June , .
Unable to remove President
Allende constitutionally...
...the U.S. government
and the Chilean opposition...
...opt for the strategy
of a coup.
After its defeat in the
presidential elections...
...in March, ...
...the opposition sets the wheels
firmly in motion for a planned uprising.
On June ,
at . a.m.,...
...a single regiment att*cks the
government palace with tanks.
Shortly after,...
...an Argentinean journalist
films his own death.
He also records, two months
before the final coup,...
...the true face of a sector
of the Chilean army.
For an hour,...
...the tanks exchange fire
with the presidential guard...
...who are inside
the La Moneda Palace.
people die during
these first moments.
Parliament,
the Judicial Power,...
...and the opposition parties
are silent.
However, the rebel troops
don't receive support...
...from the rest
of the armed forces.
Perhaps thinking that
conditions are not yet right...
...for a successful rising...
...the other officers
don't join in this action.
Meanwhile, loyal troops begin
the first counter-att*ck...
...to break the siege.
Watch out! Over there!
Don't sh**t, bastards!
At : , more loyal soldiers
are mobilized...
...towards the city center.
Advancing on the Panamerican
road into the capital...
...are a*tillery regiment
troop transporters...
...from the city
of San Felipe.
The civilian population
must stay calm.
After a brief confrontation,...
...the rebel tanks
begin to withdraw.
The Commander-in-Chief
of the Army,...
...Gen. Carlos Prats, directs
the operations personally.
At : a.m., with fighting
still going on,...
...the President
of the Republic...
...goes into the palace.
Just then, another column
of loyal soldiers arrives,...
...headed by the Minister
of Defense, José Tohá.
Young Communists of Chile!
Long live
the workers' president!
Fight and create
popular power!
Fight and create
popular power!
The situation is
being controlled,...
...but some troops
have not yet surrendered.
Even as they withdraw,
the tanks are still f*ring.
José Tohá,
Minister of Defense...
...tries to instill calm in
the face of possible danger.
He is assisted in this task
by Gen. Pickering.
Minister, if we don't control
these people,...
...there'll be a m*ssacre.
Help me, please.
Get out of here, please!
Move away!
If you don't move,
someone might get k*lled.
Generals Pickering, Sepúlveda
and Prats lead the officers...
...most determined
to suppress the rising.
Other commanders, however,
merely wait expectantly.
Such is the case
with Augusto Pinochet,...
...later Head of
the m*llitary Government,...
...who now joins in
with the loyal forces.
At : , Gen. Carlos Prats
assures the Minister of Defense...
...that the rebels
have surrendered,...
...and shows the positions
of his own troops.
On the south side of La Moneda
is the Warrant Officers School
...and on the north side
is the Buin Regiment.
But Gen. Prats
will think it essential...
...to declare a State of Emergency
to control the situation.
We must request a State
of Emergency at once.
We can't control
the situation otherwise.
Allende, Allende,
the people will defend you!
At noon, with the defeat
of the rising confirmed,...
...the Christian Democrats...
...say that they support
the constitutional regime.
The other opposition group,
the National Party, refuses to comment.
The leaders of the fascist
group "Homeland and Freedom"...
...take refuge in the
Ecuadorian embassy...
...revealing themselves as
the authors of the putsch.
Use a heavy hand!
At : p.m., the presidential
flag is lowered...
...by the guard who defended
the palace.
For two hours, this company,
led by Lieut. Perez,...
...refused to hand over
the seat of government.
Along with Gen. Prats, they
are the heroes of the day.
The ease with which the
attempted coup was crushed...
...raises many questions.
The rising showed that some
officers were sympathetic,...
...and only the fear of having
to face other army units...
...prevented them from joining
the rebellion.
Consequently,...
...Allende relies on the
constitutionalist officers,...
...rejecting any action
which may weaken...
...his government's legality.
We shall make
the revolutionary changes...
...in pluralism, democracy
and freedom,...
...which does not mean...
...tolerance of
anti-democrats, ...
...tolerance of subversives,...
...or tolerance of
fascists, comrades!
Close the National Congress!
But you must understand...
...what the real position
of this government is.
I will not, because
it would be absurd,...
...close...
...the Congress.
I'm not going to do it.
I said...
I said respect...
But if it's necessary...
If it's necessary,...
...I shall present...
...a bill to call
a plebiscite...
...and let the people
resolve this question!
Shitty "Mummies",
the street belongs to the left!
The next day,
Allende asks Congress...
...to declare
a State of Emergency.
Meanwhile,
from the morning of June ,...
...left-wing workers take control
of factories, companies,
mines and agricultural centers
throughout Chile.
Let's create popular power!
Comrades, the conclusions
of the workers...
...in the packing factory
are the following:
Strengthen
the industrial belts.
Strengthen
the communal councils.
Strengthen the neighborhood
groups and the COPPs.
Strengthen all the community
organizations.
We must take advantage
of this opportunity...
...and go on the offensive...
...in terms of gaining
new sectors...
...and nationalizing
new industries.
We, the workers, are at
our battle station,...
...our workplace, building
the necessary elements...
...to defend ourselves against
any att*ck by fascism,...
...or any further attempts
by the armed forces...
...to overthrow
the government.
We believe we must strengthen
our battle station...
...which is, firstly,
here in the industries...
At the same time, all forms of
popular power are strengthened...
...especially the industrial belts.
Each belt is a group of
factories and companies...
...which coordinates the tasks
of workers in the same zone.
In the country's main cities,...
... industrial belts
have been set up.
of these are in Santiago.
- Who do you represent?
- The "Macul" belt.
- And you?
- The "Macul" belt.
- And you?
- The "Cerrillos-Maip" belt.
- And you?
- The "Cerrillos" belt.
- And you?
- The "Vicua Mackenna" belt.
- And you?
- The "Vicua Mackenna" belt.
- And you?
- The "O'Higgins" belt.
- And you?
- The Christian Left.
The Radical Party Union.
The government, with the
support of the belts,...
...puts some strategically
important factories...
...under legal State control.
As we all know,...
...fascist groups tried
to overthrow the Government...
...and there are still
repercussions from that.
There is still a latent danger
against a process...
...which the working class
began and has taken in hand.
It has been resolved that,...
...given that the packaging
and aluminum company Alusa...
...has suspended delivery
of its products...
...which constitutes
an obstruction to distribution,...
...and in view of the
Supreme Decree no. ...
...and Law no. , ,
I resolve,...
...firstly, the use of the
industrial establishment...
...is hereby requisitioned,...
...along with machines
and other elements...
...necessary for the production
and/or distribution...
...of the Alusa factory.
On July , the law on the State of
Emergency proposed by Allende...
...is submitted to Parliament.
This law would grant
the President special powers.
With them, the President would be able
to appoint, transfer and dismiss...
...whatever m*llitary leaders
he thought advisable.
The floor is open to speakers.
The debate is over.
During the three previous
governments,...
...the State of Emergency
had been authorized twice.
Those deputies who reject the
proposal, raise their hands.
The State of Emergency,
the chief legal instrument...
...for extreme situations,
is not authorized.
Result of the vote.
The number of votes
in favor, .
The number of votes
against, .
The Executive's proposal
is rejected.
The Executive's initiative
doesn't convince Parliament.
The opposition parties
think it unjustified...
...to grant Allende
special powers.
On July , the same day as Congress
rejects the State of Emergency,...
...navy officers order their troops
to carry out a raid in Valparaíso.
A law on weapons control
passed the previous year...
...enables the m*llitary...
...to carry out searches
for weapons...
...without a judicial order
or government authorization.
Despite increasing t*rror1st
action by the extreme right...
...this law has never before
been enforced by the m*llitary.
Each raid includes
besieging the factory,...
...the temporary detention
of the workers,...
...and their interrogation.
Thus, without overstepping
the law,...
...some officers start to act
against factory employees and workers.
In this first raid
no weapons are found.
Chile is suffering the aggression
of North American imperialism,...
...of a sector
of the oligarchy,...
...which in October
joined with ITT and the CIA...
...to overthrow
this Government.
They want to repeat...
...a stupid attempt
of that kind.
So the present struggle...
...has a patriotic
and national character.
Chile has got every right
to govern itself...
...in accordance with
the will of its people.
At the same time,...
...a series of revolutionary
transformations is in process,
...the aim of which
is to open the way...
...to a socialist society.
Faced with the thr*at
of a coup,...
...the Communist Party
and a sector of the left...
...agree with President
Allende's ideas.
An armed confrontation
must be avoided...
...in what are
unfavorable conditions.
Therefore, this sector
decides to get the support...
...of the officers who respect
the democratic system.
In the political area,
both Allende and this sector...
...want a minimum agreement
with the Christian Democracy.
The objective being to reinforce
the government's stability...
...and create a strong front
against a civil w*r.
They've carried out
a campaign these last days.
A campaign in which
they are trying to show...
...that the Popular Government
is an illegal government.
I want to ask
Mr. Victor García Garzena...
...what is the National
Party's opinion...
...of the rebellion
of June ...
...which ended in the death
of over innocent people.
I want to know
their opinion,...
...because the paper
"La Tribuna",...
...on the day after that event,
said that it was a show.
And while the seditious att*ck
was taking place,...
...the radio station
"Agriculture"...
...was broadcasting
declarations such as,...
..."This is the day so many
Chileans longed for.",...
..."The armed forces
are confronting...
...this totalitarian,
Marxist government",...
...and other similar remarks.
That is a political crime.
That is an att*ck
against our people.
The most serious att*ck
against democracy...
...and the constitutional
regime...
...which they claim to defend.
This gentleman was already
jailed in ...
...by the Christian Democrat
government,...
...for seditious actions on
behalf of the National Party.
Good evening to all our
television viewers.
As you have all seen
and heard,...
...the young student...
...has described me
as being seditious.
But I ask you to look at him
and look at me.
Look at his life
and look at mine.
I don't know how the cameras
haven't fallen with shame.
That's the truth.
He has devoted his life
to revolution.
He has worked at nothing else
except revolution.
And here am I, a man who
has worked for years,...
...who was a university
professor for years,...
...who has always earned
his salary.
And the young student says,
"Look at the troublemaker".
So, as it's quite ridiculous,
I'll move on to other things.
The regime can't work
without virtues,...
...without republican virtues.
That's my opinion,
and everyone knows it.
I've always practiced it.
I don't condemn
those who are desperate.
I don't condemn people
like the poor truck driver...
...who picks up a stone,
and neither do I condemn...
...those people who clamor
and who rebel.
I don't support,
and I never have,...
...any rebellion.
I don't support coups
or other escapades.
But today,
I fully understand...
...how an entire country
cannot live at peace...
...when its most urgent
and basic needs,...
...as we have heard here
tonight,...
...can't be satisfied.
He's just described himself.
He has shown
the seditious face,...
...the rebellious face
of the National Party.
And here you have
the chief thr*at...
...to the constitutional
regime...
...and the democracy
you say you defend.
Mr. Garcia Garzena has said,
and the viewers heard him,...
...that he doesn't condemn...
...the rising of June ,
perpetrated by a unit...
...which undoubtedly
was traitorous...
...to the pure tradition
of our armed forces.
He doesn't condemn the m*rder
of over people.
He doesn't condemn it.
Just the opposite.
But he hasn't been
frank enough here...
...to say he applauds it,
as it was applauded...
...by his National
Agricultural Society radio,...
...or as it was applauded by
his paper, "La Tribuna",...
...which said the next day
that it was a self-coup,...
...a show put on by
the Popular Unity government.
Repeat that here, sir!
I didn't say I supported
the uprising.
Don't distort my words!
Then make yourself clear.
I've done that, and now
I intend to ignore you!
I want to explain
to our television viewers...
...that our system...
...isn't one of class hatred
or of any kind of struggle.
It's what's called
national integration.
That's what we want.
We want everyone to feel
members of the same homeland.
- Like in Uruguay.
- So that we feel...
- Why are you confusing me?
- Or Bolivia.
- Why mention other countries?
- Or Brazil.
You're like a Bolivian!
Don't despair, Don Victor García.
Don't get hysterical.
Please, let me continue.
These are the problems.
What is the origin
of the att*cks...
...against democracy
and freedom?
Their aim is to prevent
dialogue...
...and finally take us along
the road to civil w*r.
The road sought by
Don Victor García Garzena,...
...that dove of peace whom
we have seen here tonight,...
...who wants to set up a
fascist dictatorship here,...
...like that of José María
Bordaberry in Uruguay,...
...and, deny it if you can,...
...like those in Brazil and
in Bolivia. Exactly that.
On July , Salvador Allende
forms a new cabinet...
...to tackle the crisis and
create favorable conditions...
...for a dialogue with
the Christian Democracy.
He tries to incorporate
a personality from that party.
I know perfectly well...
...that revolutionary
processes...
...shake up and convulse
the people.
But I also know that here,...
...we wanted to do,
and are trying to do,...
...something that other
peoples didn't manage.
A revolution
by different channels,...
...in accordance with
our history, our tradition,...
...and our reality.
I hope that we may
be capable...
...of writing one more page...
...to show that Chile has
its own creative will...
...and its noble decision...
...to make the homeland
ever greater.
Please take...
...the oaths of loyalty.
Finally, let me clarify
that I called the rector...
...of the Catholic University,
Fernando Castillo,...
...and I asked him
to form part of the cabinet.
Regrettably,...
...he had obligations
which I respected.
I respected his reasons,...
...and even though he was
most willing,...
...I couldn't have Fernando
Castillo's collaboration.
But I know the country can
rely on his collaboration...
...in any circumstances.
I wanted to inform you
fully of this...
...and also to reiterate
that I am confident...
...that we shall overcome
the diff cult hours...
...with everyone's help.
Thank you.
Why has this split occurred
when no one really wants it?
In my opinion, it's because
when the Popular Unity...
...sets out programs,...
...projects for Chile,...
...which could really mean...
...an accumulation of interest
in that objective,...
...Popular Unity first says...
...Let's see who would
supposedly be opposed to this.
They look for all possible
enemies, find them...
...and then set them up
as a minority.
But I think that all those
great projects...
...for the transformation
of our society...
...are projects which,...
...if sent out properly
as a message,...
...seeking all those who can
come together as a force...
...which is really working
for Chile's objectives...
...are a government's
most basic obligation.
But, influenced by its more
traditional wing,...
...the Christian Democrats
will not, for now,...
...talk with the Government.
Even so, Allende,
a sector of the left,...
...and a sector of Christian
Democrats will strive...
...for a dialogue to modify
the correlation of forces...
...in case of a coup.
We must call, comrades,...
...on the good sense
and patriotism...
...of the sectors
of the Christian Democracy...
...who think for themselves,
and don't follow...
...the dictates of
the Pentagon, the CIA,...
...and the Chilean capitalists,...
...so that they show
their opposition...
...among the people,
in the unions, everywhere...
...to the fascist,
reactionary offensive.
Because if fascism manages
to win through,...
...they won't ask the copper
worker if he's a communist,...
...if he's from MAPU,
if he's a socialist,...
...or a Christian Democrat,
when they repress him.
On July , the marines
carry out a raid in Valparaíso.
That same day,...
...the Air Force occupy a cemetery
in Santiago with helicopters.
soldiers search the graves
and niches looking for weapons.
In neither case
is anything found.
This is just incredible.
Look at what they're doing,
and it's going on every day!
Why would anyone want
to dig up the dead?
The dead don't have b*ll*ts
or anything.
Why would they k*ll them?
Imagine digging
the poor things up!
All they could do was throw
their bones at them.
So tomorrow, or even tonight,
they'll send their planes.
They'll k*ll us all,
because we're defenseless here.
- Should the people be armed?
- Yes, of course!
The government has to do that
and very soon.
They have to,
or else it'll be impossible...
We're his strength.
Allende is the president
because we voted for him.
The rich will never
be on our side.
Whatever we have now,
it's because of this government.
Because we've never
had anything.
How could we not be grateful
to the government?
That's what we have to make
those others understand.
They aren't thinking straight
and...
They don't understand
all that's being done.
If you're out,
moving around all day,...
...you see what they're doing
for the workers.
What must we do
to defend this government?
Unite, that's the first thing.
And if they come with arms?
We should have arms too,
to defend ourselves.
That's what
everyone here thinks.
Nobody in this camp
has got a w*apon.
And you can't do anything with
your hands or with sticks.
If they come with arms,
you can't do anything.
The workers have got their
defense organizations.
There are brigades which can
be mobilized at any moment.
But there are
no popular elements...
...to defend the factories,...
...nor are there even
any popular elements...
...to mobilize workers...
...in any formation for
combat or street fighting...
...against any m*llitary
sectors or fascist sectors...
...which have those elements.
We want a popular militia!
On July , the Socialist Party
states its position...
...as regards
the threatened coup.
The soldiers, marines,
airmen and policemen...
...cannot lend themselves
at any time...
...or under any circumstance...
...to m*rder workers.
And if it should happen
that some officers rebel,...
...the officers,
warrant officers,...
...N.C.O.s and soldiers...
...are not under
any obligation...
...to obey them.
To be even clearer,...
...not only is it their duty
to refuse to obey orders...
...which would mean
f*ring on the people,...
...or to participate
in attempted coups...
...against the workers'
government,...
...they must also actively
oppose them.
The bourgeoisie must
understand quite clearly...
...that it cannot act
with impunity.
Every subversive action,...
...every att*ck on Chile
and its government...
...will invariably be
answered by the workers...
...using every method...
...with all the resources
which may be necessary.
Our party thinks...
...that the seizing of companies,...
...factories, lands,...
...is a legitimate response
by the working class...
...and the workers...
...to the seditious, mutinous
attitude of the right.
We have said that every step
in this reaction...
...must be thought out.
I'd like to know
the party's position...
...as regards the raids
by the m*llitary...
...in our factories
looking for arms.
I take it as an offense
against our class...
...because I think that
if the workers...
...were ever to take up arms
at any time,...
...it would be to defend
their government.
So could you, as a lawyer
and as a jurist,...
...tell us when it is legal...
...and when it is illegal?
There's a problem here.
We could be acting illegally...
...in trying to defend
the workers' government...
...as workers ourselves...
...if we took the precaution
of acquiring a w*apon.
I think that the people
to defend its government...
...should use
all the means available.
The problem of arms
becomes tied in...
...with that of
the occupation of companies.
For a sector
of Popular Unity,...
...led by the communists,...
...the indiscriminate
expropriation of factories...
...only damages
the government's legal image.
But for the other sector,
led by the Socialist Party,...
...the occupation of industries
is a useful form of mobilization...
...which helps prepare and
organize the coming struggle.
For them, an armed clash with
the right is inevitable,...
...and the only way
to tackle a coup...
...is by organizing the masses
and strengthening popular power,...
...especially in
the industrial belts.
Another task for today,
comrades,...
...to control the reactionaries
and to move forward...
...is the formation
of industrial belts...
...all over the country.
What is needed, comrades,
is that our union leaders...
...look on this task
as a priority for them.
That comrades from other
companies unite.
That they should tell the
leaders of other unions...
...of the need to connect
with workers...
...from the next block,
or from further away.
And that way, comrades,...
...we shall build up
that popular force...
...which is the basis
for advancing,...
...and a rampart
for repelling...
...reactionary att*cks.
On July ,...
...the Arauco regiment occupy
the Workers' Central...
...in the city of Osorno.
The next day,...
...navy personnel carry out
another raid in Concepción.
In neither case
are arms found.
On July , the Revolutionary
Left Movement, MIR,...
...from outside
Popular Unity,...
...states its position.
Throughout the entire
country,...
...a single cry is heard
echoing in the factories,...
...estates, towns,
and schools,...
...in the bastions
of the people.
The call to create,...
...to create, strengthen
and increase popular power,...
...the power of the
community commandoes,...
...the power of the workers
and the peasants.
The revolutionaries
and the workers...
...must immediately extend...
...the seizure of factories
and estates,...
...increase defense
preparations,...
...promote popular power
as local government,...
...independent of
the powers of state.
The warrant officers
and policemen...
...must disobey the orders
of fascist officers,...
...and in that way...
And in that way,...
...all forms of struggle
will be legitimate!
Then it really will be true
that the workers,...
along with the soldiers,
the sailors, the police,...
...the warrant officers
and the loyal officers,...
...will have the right
to build their own army,...
...the people's army!
On July , the workers from
the Vicua-Mackenna industrial belt...
...occupy the main road
in their area.
Why are you occupying
the road?
It's in support
of our comrades...
...who were evicted from
the ICMETAL factory.
Will any government
representative be coming?
We hope some authority will
come and solve the problem.
The day before, workers from
the Cerrillos belt...
...had carried out
a similar action.
The protest by this sector is directed
against government attempts...
...to hand back
some industries...
...to facilitate a possible
minimum agreement...
...with the Christian
Democracy.
The contradictions
among the left...
...about what strategy
to use against the coup...
...explode publicly.
At : ,...
...the police chief orders
the road to be cleared.
The police can only advance
to the first barricade.
Beyond that are , workers
positioned along four miles.
At : ,
the mayor of Santiago arrives.
He is Allende's representative
in the province.
You wait here.
His mission is to end
the confrontation.
Please inform the Chief
that on my instructions...
...nothing is to be
moved here...
...and you are to pull back
two blocks.
So pull back
the police forces,...
...preferably beyond
Matta Avenue.
Tell the Prefect that it's on
my instructions. Thank you.
The police have to withdraw.
But the problem
of occupied factories...
...continues to be debated...
...with the presence
of TUC delegates.
The TUC setup...
...a commission...
...to look at the cases
of the industries...
...which are in the hands
of the workers.
That commission is studying
those problems today...
...through the corresponding
institutions,...
...CORFO and the Ministry
of Economy.
There's one thing
we must have very clear.
There are a lot of industries
which have been taken over.
In Santiago, a huge number of industries
have been taken over,...
...but not all of them
can be nationalized...
...for a variety of reasons.
What's more, when the TUC
issued the call...
...to take over
the industries...
...in the case of any
attempted coup,...
...that meant,
in times of crisis,...
...stopping fascist activity.
But it didn't mean that,
indiscriminately,...
...all kinds of industries
are going to be nationalized.
There are some problems
there too...
...with industries which are
totally unfinanced,...
...and if the State takes
them over...
...it's really just taking
over a dead weight.
And that can't be.
So this is what
has been discussed...
...with our fellow workers
in those industries...
...who would be affected.
What we want is a decision
from TUC, and soon.
It can be good or bad,
but we want a decision,...
...so that the TUC doesn't
just become an antibody...
...in the bosom
of the workers.
The problem is that there are
other reasons here.
For instance, what about the
companies with Swiss capital?
There's a problem...
There's a problem
of international relations.
What do international
relations have to do...
...with the problems
of the workers?
A lot!
Because the Swiss
government...
...is one of the chief members
of the "Club de Paris",...
...where Chile's
external debt...
...is discussed
and renegotiated.
You all know that after
this government came in...
...and nationalized copper,
for example,...
...there was
a Yankee boycott...
...and the country doesn't
have the foreign exchange...
...or the credits
it used to have.
So that is all renegotiated
in the "Club de Paris",...
...and Chile has to
handle itself there...
...with a great deal of caution.
We're not talking about
international relations here.
We want to nationalize the
industries which interest us.
And without accepting
any compromises.
All the things
that you're explaining...
...about international affairs...
...won't be understood
by the workers in general.
You have to give them some
more local reasons,...
...and use words that all of
us here can understand.
Can the workers disobey
the TUC leaders?
Well, I can answer that too.
Yes, there are answers which
are more local, more Chilean.
Today, as you all know,
comrades,...
...we, the working class,
through this government,...
...have gained some power,...
...but we haven't gained
all the power.
The reactionaries want
the forces of order,...
...whether police or army,...
...to have a confrontation
with the workers...
...which will occur...
...if the workers don't obey
central management...
...but take justice
into their own hands...
...and have a confrontation
with the police and army.
And then the right accuses
the government...
...that there's no discipline
and that there's no authority.
And we're just a step away...
...from the President
being impeached,...
...because that's
what they want.
But the thing is,...
...we can see everything
clearly too.
They asked us, the workers,
to get organized...
...and to set up
the industrial belts...
...and to get organized
on all fronts.
We organized ourselves
on the neighborhood fronts,...
...on the workers' fronts
and in the trade unions.
We organized ourselves
in the industrial belts.
And we're still hearing
the same old story.
It isn't the time, there's
a legislative power...
...and a judicial power.
They asked us to organize...
...from the people
up to the highest level,...
...and that's what we've done.
But the President still keeps
asking us to stay calm,...
...to keep acting this way
and to keep organizing. Why?
Why is there this fear
that we, the workers,...
...and all the people,
will call a general strike...
...and ask the President,
like any executive power,...
...to decide once and for all
what their battle plan is?
What is the plan they have
for us to fight the right?
And if it's necessary
to have a plebiscite...
...as those on the right
are demanding,...
...we'll have it from the
people up to the highest level
and I assure you that we'll
win from here to Rancagua.
We've got organization
inside the camps,...
...the industrial belts
and the unions.
And the TUC still carries on,
asking us to keep calm,...
...saying we can't do
such-and-such...
...because this belongs
to Queen Elizabeth,...
...or that belongs
to Switzerland.
They just keep
making things up.
The truth is, the people
are getting tired.
This is all bureaucracy!
We're fighting bureaucracy
amongst ourselves.
Within our own defenses,
within our own unions,...
...within our own power
like the TUC,...
...we still have bureaucracy.
Until when?
What I want to know is if
you have confidence or not...
...in popular power.
Does the TUC not have faith
in those workers...
...who marched past
comrade Allende on Friday...
...to shout their support
for him?
Does the President not have
faith in our organizations?
Do the deputies up there
not have faith in us?
They sit and do nothing.
And what about the senators?
Instead of fighting
for the cause,...
...instead of doing something
for the workers,...
...whenever the right wing
deputies appear...
...they all keep quiet.
I think we've had enough!
There's a reason that
we're meeting here tonight.
It's to ask the government
to expropriate...
...the greatest number
of factories.
And we'll let the right have
the ones that are of no use.
If the government can't take
on those dead weights,...
...the right can do it,
and we'll keep fighting.
You go to the market and see
all the black market stuff.
And they still ask us
to stay calm.
Until when?
We're sick of all this.
Do you not know
the class composition...
...that exists today
in the armed forces?
Don't you know that
the majority of officers...
...are in favor of the coup?
Because here, comrades,...
...power isn't achieved only
through good organization.
There is good organization.
But we also need to have
some weight...
...to counter-balance the real
power of the reactionaries.
And that's why in
the Trades Union Council...
...we're talking about
protection committees.
And what are
protection committees?
Protection committees
for production industries...
...and also protection
committees for the w*r.
They're things we can't talk
about or give details on...
...because we mustn't make
that mistake.
But we, the workers,
have to be prepared...
...to go into battle
on all fronts.
And the TUC is involved
in that struggle today.
I accept that there are
differences, comrades.
But the problem arises
when there is a desire...
...for organizations
which follow a direction...
...parallel to the workers'
organization.
That's where problems start.
And so I admit that here
there are many comrades...
...who ask questions,
not with any ill intention,...
...but there are things
which have to be discussed...
...in much greater depth.
You can't just
unfoundedly catalogue...
...such-and-such
an organization,...
...or such-and-such a leader,
as having some defect.
I believe that we all make up
the organizations,...
...and we all have some degree
of responsibility.
And you have your
organization...
...for setting out
this kind of problem.
And we are in agreement that
we have to look for answers...
...to the problems which we
are setting out here today.
But let us not forget that
we've got a government...
...presided over
by comrade Allende,...
...and we have to obey
that leadership.
There is an organism
which is the workers,...
...and there are organisms
which are the class parties...
...and they too
provide guidance.
On July ,
the School of Infantry...
...raids a factory
in the town of San Bernardo.
Every sector on the left
recognizes the need...
...to prepare the armed
defense of the government.
But they are unable
to agree...
...on the formulation
of a joint plan.
On July , in view of the
growing wave of v*olence,...
...the Catholic church issues
a public call...
...in favor of
peaceful understanding.
This campaign, led by
Cardinal Silva Enríquez,...
...ends with the
countrywide celebration...
...of "Masses for Peace".
For the representatives
of the people,...
...that they may exercise the
public powers of the State.
That their competence, aided
by the wisdom and prudence...
...that comes from God,...
...may lead them always
to serve the homeland,...
...for the true good
of the communities.
Lord hear us.
Lord graciously hear us.
For the citizens
of our homeland,...
...so that in the diversity of
opinions and preferences,...
...God may enlighten
our consciences,...
...soothe passions,...
...and control partisan
resentments,...
...so that the common good
of the Chileans may prevail.
- Lord, hear us.
- Lord, graciously hear us.
The Church's call
for pacification...
...puts some leaders of
the Christian Democracy...
...in a diff cult position.
For weeks, they have refused
to have talks with Allende.
If they don't change
their position,...
...they will be opposing
the Church's public position.
A few days later, Patricio Aylwin,
and Osvaldo Olguin,...
...the leaders of
the Christian Democracy,...
...arrive at
the government palace...
...to speak with the President.
Aware of the discrepancies,
but convinced of his strategy,
...Allende wants to reach
a minimum understanding...
...to avoid a constitutional
break-up.
A possible agreement
between Allende...
...and the Christian Democrat
leadership...
...causes great unease
among the extreme right-wing.
On July ,...
...at : a.m., the extreme
right assassinates...
...Commander Arturo
Araya Peters,...
...President Allende's
naval aide-de-camp.
The v*olence extends
to an officer...
...directly linked
to the President,...
...at the very moment when
the Christian Democracy...
...agrees to speak
with Allende.
A confidant of
the President,...
...Araya had become the main
link between the government...
...and the constitutionalist
navy officers.
That same day,
the aide-de-camp's remains...
...are taken to
the La Moneda Palace.
They are later transferred
to Valparaíso,...
...to be buried
with m*llitary honors.
OFFICERS
Months later, in exile
in Buenos Aires,...
...and before being
assassinated,...
...Gen. Carlos Prats says
that one of the reasons...
...for eliminating
Commander Araya...
...was to prevent Allende from
knowing what was happening...
...in the m*llitary circles
in Valparaíso.
This is where a sector
of the officers...
...start to plan the coup,...
...with the advice of
the North American government.
The remains of Commander
Arturo Araya Peters...
...are seen off...
...by the Commander-in-Chief
of the National Navy,...
...Admiral Raúl Montero
Cornejo,...
...and by a college
contemporary of his,...
...Sea Captain Guillermo
Aldonei Hansen.
And here in the cemetery,...
...we have two sections
of the Submarine School...
...and the band of
the Armaments School.
All here can remember
the brilliant navy career...
...of Commander Arturo
Araya Peters.
His Excellency the President,
Dr. Salvador Allende,...
...ministers of state,...
...heads of the armed
forces...
The raids are intensified.
On August ,
the army surrounds...
...one of the main factories
in Santiago's Cerrillos belt.
These operations allow the
army to check the terrain...
...and study the workers'
reactions.
Their officers accustom
the troops...
...to confronting
the civilian population,...
...and watch the behavior
of their own soldiers.
The next day,
the army occupies...
...the industrial area
of Punta Arenas.
To date, the army have
carried out raids...
...throughout the country,
without finding any arms.
For the first time
in an operation,...
...tanks are used.
During this week,
the transport operators...
...call an indefinite stoppage.
The extreme right wants
to provoke economic chaos...
...and sabotage the talks...
...between the Head of State
and the Christian Democracy.
The carriers assemble
their trucks...
...at certain
strategic points...
...to make a show of strength
and maintain internal cohesion.
As the New York Times
was to reveal later...
...the strikers are financed
by $ million...
...from the Central
Intelligence Agency, CIA.
Each of the , operators
receives $ a day,...
...at the black market
exchange rate.
Meanwhile, in the gardens
of Congress,...
...just as happened with
the copper strike,...
...the truckers' wives are
given money and provisions.
On July ,
the government decrees...
...the legal resumption of
work, and sends tractors...
...to tow the paralyzed
vehicles to Santiago.
However, the operators
react with v*olence...
...and accuse the government
of attacking private property.
These events are filmed by
TV's Channel ,...
...which sympathizes
with the strike.
A few days later,
Parliament,...
...along with the opposition
journalists,...
...transform the incident
into a scandal.
Congress asks Channel
to re-broadcast...
...their film
of the events...
...to help the deputies
reach a judgment.
Backing up the report,...
...the deputies retransmit
these images to the public,...
...presenting them
as an official document.
This shows the opposition's
power within the media,...
...and the freedom of speech
tolerated by the government.
The opposition block
controls Channel ,...
...Santiago's leading
station,...
...as well as %
of the radio stations...
...and % of
the written press.
In this case, the seizure
of the trucks...
...fuels a campaign
to discredit the government.
While this is happening
in Parliament,...
...talks between Allende
and the Christian Democracy...
...are deadlocked.
The leaders of that party...
...set conditions
for the President.
He must submit to
Congress' authority,...
...thus renouncing
presidential powers...
...held by other
Chilean leaders.
He must back down on
his nationalization policy.
Finally, he must grant
key government posts...
...to officers who are
totally trusted...
...by the Christian
Democracy.
In reply,...
...President Allende is
opposed to this capitulation.
That same day,...
...the Christian Democracy
halts the talks.
This being so,...
...the entire opposition joins
the anti-government escalade.
During July and August,
t*rror1st groups...
...trained by North American
intelligence services,...
...carry out att*cks
with dynamite and fire bombs.
With this authority vacuum,
Allende gets the support...
...of the leaders
of the armed forces,...
...and, faced with
the situation,...
...the officers agree
to share responsibilities.
A country...
...cannot live...
...submitted to threats
by the heartless.
The streets of Santiago...
...were strewn yesterday...
...with publications
like this.
We must ask
who is paying for them,...
...where are they printed,...
...which are the companies
who are contributing...
...to these att*cks...
...against national life,
against the government,...
...against the country.
" measures to depose
the government".
That is how shameless
they are.
This Cabinet...
...must put an end...
...to the fascist stoppage
by the carriers,...
...by deciding...
...to enforce the law implacably.
It has the support of the vast
majority of Chileans,...
...who want to avoid,
by all possible means,...
...a civil w*r
in our homeland.
On August , the top
m*llitary commanders...
...are incorporated
into the government.
Gen. Prats, natural leader
of the loyal officers,...
...occupies the Ministry
of Defense.
Command of the army falls,
meanwhile, on Gen. Pinochet,...
...also considered
a constitutionalist.
This new cabinet is received
with discrepancies...
...by most of the politicians.
The right reject it.
The Christian Democracy show
a division of opinion.
The left has its doubts.
Only two days later, the
Communist and Socialist parties
...support Allende's decision.
Thank you.
The session is over.
On August , the new cabinet
takes the first steps...
...to requisition trucks.
But the initiatives taken
by the commanders...
...displease most
of the officers...
...who are sympathetic
to the stoppage...
This shows that part
of the m*llitary apparatus...
...is also involved in the
anti-government offensive.
The U.S. press later revealed
that William Colby,...
...ex-director of the CIA,...
...never denied that it
supported the preparation...
...and financial maintenance
of the strike...
...when he was questioned by
the House of Representatives...
...in Washington,
in October .
On August , the Christian
Democrat Party...
...officially announces
its support for the strike.
In factories, raw materials
are diminishing,...
...and in the country
seeds are scarce.
In these circumstances,...
...the civil-m*llitary
cabinet has failed.
But the popular response to
the strike continues.
The government
and its supporters...
...arrange for products to be
brought to distribution centers.
With shops closed,
part of the population...
...supports
the Provisions Council...
...and strengthens
the "popular stores".
Each store is formed by
the neighbors in a sector.
It buys food directly from
the State,...
...and sells it at cost price.
Soon, half of Santiago
is benefiting...
...from direct provisioning.
Direct provisioning!
In some areas, the Industrial
Belts send workers' pickets...
...to oversee distribution
and open any closed shops.
At this moment,
for the first time,...
...popular power is ahead
of the police...
...in maintaining public order
and controlling tradesmen.
That's enough for now.
Please move the kids away.
This isn't
a workers' stoppage.
It's a stoppage
by the truck owners.
I don't think there's one
worker with a truck on strike.
The ones on strike
have got fleets of trucks.
They're keeping
this useless strike going.
This stoppage is
clearly political.
And it is we, the people,
who are being harmed by it.
We're the ones who have to put
up with waiting in these lines.
If all the trucks
went back to work, ...
...we wouldn't have
all these lines.
But the workers went out
on the street.
We went out and fought and
did our duty as workers,...
...defending our workplaces
and continuing production,...
...and loading goods
with our bare hands...
...so that the towns
didn't go short of food.
The workers showed that
to our President...
...and the authorities.
Some of the carriers who
support the government...
...organize convoys...
...to distribute food
in the provinces.
The population also develops
a family supply system,...
...called
"the people's basket".
No compromise on defending
the people's basket!
How do you see
the government's attitude?
The government's attitude...
...has to be to maneuver.
If you were the government,
you'd have to do the same.
The government has to walk
a tightrope at times.
I believe that this
isn't the government's fault.
For me, as a Marxist socialist
from to the present,...
...because I was in the fight
for the Socialist Republic...
...and I knew comrade Grove
and he made one mistake.
When the people asked him
for arms,...
...he wouldn't give them any.
Of course, it would have been
an uncontrollable m*ssacre.
And then what would
have happened?
Even now, I think we're
still far from having...
...a good front.
We just don't have one.
We've got anti-fascist
organizations...
...and defense committees,
but we're lacking...
...provincial and national
coordination...
...in order to act
on one front.
We can't let what happened
in Spain happen here.
There was a party division,...
...the anarcho-syndicalists
on one side,...
...the socialists
on the other,...
...and Franco's fascism
got into power.
Meanwhile, in Valparaíso,...
...some sailors discover
the naval conspiracy...
...and inform several
left-wing leaders.
This action is discovered
by the commanders...
...and the sailors
are accused of mutiny,...
...jailed and submitted
to t*rture.
On August ,
the opposition,...
...breaks definitively with
the constitutional regime.
The agreement,
without any legal basis,...
...says the government "would
be violating the Constitution"
...and is an open invitation
for m*llitary intervention.
Supported by
a simple majority,...
...this declaration justifies
m*llitary rebellion...
...and legitimizes the coup.
From this point,
events occur rapidly.
A group of women gather
outside the house...
...of Army Commander
Gen. Carlos Prats,...
...natural leader
of the officers...
...who respect
the democratic system.
The rally, in which the wives
of generals take part,...
...is to show Carlos Prats...
...that he no longer has
the top m*llitary support.
The next day, the Council of
Generals refuses to back him...
...and Carlos Prats
decides to resign.
- Faggots!
- Lousy faggots!
Generals Pickering
and Sepúlveda,...
...the main loyal commanders,
also resign.
Augusto Pinochet, seemingly
a professional soldier...
...who respects
the Constitution,...
...becomes the new
Commander-in-Chief.
While the conspiracy
progresses,...
...the civilian opposition
begins the final offensive.
On August ,
in the Catholic University,...
...the women from
"Feminine Power"...
...meet to support
the transport strike.
That is why this strike
by the carriers,...
...which was avoided
in October ,...
...will, this time,
have to be a battle...
...to the final consequences.
This is how it is seen
by all of us...
...who support the carriers
in their just struggle.
Days later,
the government's enemies...
...ask for the President's
resignation.
years of economic w*r...
...have let the White House
and the internal opposition...
...win a large sector
of the middle class.
This is where
the rebel officers...
...find the social support for
continuing with their plans.
September is
the third anniversary...
...of Salvador Allende's
electoral triumph.
Despite the crisis,
government sympathizers...
...organize one of
the biggest demonstrations...
...in the country's
political history.
From : p.m.,
more than , people...
...file past the President
of the Republic.
Three days later, Allende
tells his collaborators...
...that he wants to hold
a plebiscite...
...to resolve the government's
continuity in a democratic way.
The chosen date for announcing
the plebiscite...
...is September .
We'll cut the d*ck off
the "mummy" who speculates!
If that won't do,
we'll cut his balls off too!
Workers, let's go into action
and stop the rebellion!
Young Communists of Chile!
Allende, Allende,
the people will defend you!
Young Communists of Chile!
Keep fighting, President!
- Hurrah for Allende!
- Hurrah!
Popular Unity,
keep fighting!
We'll fight and we'll create
popular power!
The Socialist Party of Chile!
Socialist Youth!
The expropriated factories
will never be handed back!
The time for conciliation
is over!
It's time to fight!
People, awareness, arms!
- Louder!
- MAPU!
Shout it louder!
MAPU!
Allende, don't worry,
the people are with you!
Allende, don't worry,
the people are with you!
Faced with the people,
mobilized but unarmed,...
...the internal opposition...
...and the U.S.
State Department...
...decide to play
their last card.
The morning of September .
The voice of President Allende.
Confirmed reports have said...
...that a sector
of the navy...
...has isolated Valparaiso...
...and that the city
is occupied.
In any case, I am here,...
...in the government palace...
...and I'll stay here,
defending...
...the government I represent
by the will of the people.
On September , the navy
unleashes the coup...
...in the port of Valparaíso.
At the same time, four
North American destroyers...
...move close to
the Chilean coast...
...to take part in
"Operation Unitas"...
...and maintain contact
with the mutineers.
At : , President Allende...
...has arrived at the palace
to give instructions.
The situation is critical.
There is no joint plan...
...for the armed defense
of the government.
During the early morning,...
...most of the constitutionalist
officers have been neutralized.
At : a.m.,
several Air Force planes...
...start to fly over
the capital.
At : , the leaders
of the uprising...
...demand the President's
resignation,...
...and offer him a plane
in which to leave the country.
At : , the constitutional
President prepares to fight...
...and speaks again
by radio.
The Air Force has bombed...
...the masts of "Radio Portales"
and "Radio Corporacin".
This being so,..
...it only remains for me
to say to the workers,...
...I am not going to give up.
Placed in an historical
transition,...
...I shall repay the loyalty
of the people with my life.
History is ours, and it is
made by the people.
Long live Chile!
Long live the people!
Long live the workers!
After a few hours
of resistance,...
...the m*llitary sends
Allende an ultimatum.
If he doesn't surrender,
the planes will begin bombing.
At this,...
...the President gives
the palace guard...
...freedom of action,
and they abandon the building.
President Allende,
who refuses to surrender,...
...is accompanied
by civilians...
...prepared to face
the att*ck.
Despite the bombardment,...
...the palace defenders
hold out for hours.
At the same time,
there are skirmishes...
...in parts of Santiago
and the provinces.
At : p.m., President
Allende dies in La Moneda.
At : p.m.,...
...the leaders of the uprising
speak to the country.
The armed forces...
...have acted today...
...solely from
the patriotic inspiration...
...of saving the country...
...from the tremendous
chaos...
...into which it was
being plunged...
...by the Marxist government
of Salvador Allende.
The Junta will maintain
judicial power...
...and consultantship of
the Public Accounts Control.
The Chambers will remain in
recess until further orders.
That is all.
It may be sad...
...to have broken
a democratic tradition...
...which on this continent...
...was of long standing.
But when the State
loses its qualities,...
...there are those...
...who, by mandate,...
...have to enforce them,
and take on that task.
We are doing that today.
We are sure
that all of Chile...
...has to understand
the sacrifice that entails.
It isn't a matter
of squashing tendencies...
...or ideological trends,...
...or carrying out
personal revenge,...
...but, as I said, of
reestablishing public order,..
...and returning the country
to observance...
...of the Republic's
Constitution and laws.
After three years...
...of suffering
the Marxist cancer...
...which led us...
...to economic, moral
and social disaster,...
...and which could no longer
be tolerated...
...for the sacred interests
of the homeland,...
...we found ourselves
obliged...
...to take on
the sad and painful mission...
...which we have undertaken.
We are not afraid.
We know the enormous
responsibility...
...that will rest
on our shoulders.
But we are convinced,...
...we are quite sure...
...that the vast majority
of the Chilean people...
...are with us.
They are willing to fight
against Marxism!
They are willing
to stamp it out...
...down to the final
consequences!
From September ,...
...all the army's resources
are used...
...to repress
the popular movement,...
...with the compliance
of the U.S. government.
The initial armed resistance
by some industrial belts,...
...towns, mines and
agricultural centers...
...is quickly crushed
in an unequal fight.
Thousands of people
lose their lives,...
...and the main
sports stadiums...
...are turned into
concentration camps.
The longest representative
democracy...
...in Latin American history
has ceased to exist.
Nevertheless, on that same
September ,...
...the democratic forces
begin to reorganize,...
...and adopt numerous
forms of resistance.
The battle of Chile
is not over yet.
They have the strength.
They can subjugate us,
but they cannot stop
social processes...
...with crime
or with strength.
History is ours,...
...and it is made
by the people.
You must always know...
...that sooner
rather than later...
...they will open
the great avenues...
...where man can walk free...
...and build a better society.
Re: Battle of Chile: The Insurrection of the Bourgeoisie (1975)
Part 3:
THE BATTLE OF CHILE
The struggle of
an unarmed people
Part Three
THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE
a Patricio Guzmán Film
In memory of
Jorge Müller Silva
Allende! Allende!
Allende! Allende!
The left, united,
will never be defeated!
Santiago de Chile, .
In only months,...
...Salvador Allende's
socialist government...
...has carried out a large part
of its social change program.
Over a year and a half,
it has nationalized...
...the big copper, iron, coal,
nitrate and cement mines.
In this time, the State
manages to control...
...most of Chile's principal
monopolist companies.
Allende, we're with you,
so hit the "mummies" hard!
It has also expropriated...
... million hectares
of arable land...
...and nationalized almost all
national and foreign banks.
During these months,
the North American government...
...and the internal opposition...
...have seriously hampered
the government's work.
Despite this, Allende still
receives firm support...
...from wide sectors
of the population.
Allende, Allende,
the people will defend you!
Towards the end of ,...
...the toughest sector
of the opposition...
...reaffirms its strategy.
The National Party insists
on the need...
...to provoke the fall
of the government...
...before the next
parliamentary elections.
To do this, they encourage
a truckers' strike,...
...which spearheads a general
collapse of the economy.
The scarcity of spare parts,
fomented by the U.S.,...
...creates ideal conditions
for the National Party...
...to win control of the
truck owners' organization.
If we, the means
of mobilization,...
...want an acceptable solution,...
...then we'll have no more
tricks, no more zigzagging!
We are going after
a solution...
...to the problems of tariffs
and spare parts,...
...of adequate
reorganization.
We want more justice
and less bureaucracy.
And so we're asking you...
...for your support so that
our Board of Management...
...can work from this position.
We believe that the time
has come when,...
...as one single man,
one single trucker,...
...and along with the women...
...who are participating
side by side in this,...
...we have no alternative
but to raise the banners...
...of an indefinite,
decisive strike...
...whatever the consequences.
If we have to perish in misery...
...in bankruptcy and ruin,...
...let's do it on our feet,...
...vibrant, upright and proud,...
...for that's the image
of the poor Chilean...
...expressed through this
organization! Thank you.
And that, gentlemen,...
...was how the Confederation's
Board...
...gave the necessary
instructions...
...to all our fellow
organizations...
...so that from yesterday,
Tuesday, at midnight,...
...all services in Chile
would be paralyzed.
Therefore, we have fulfilled,
gentlemen,...
...the mandate which
the national assembly...
...gave to the Board
of this Confederation.
On October , ,...
...the first transport strike
begins.
The next day, the truckers
get the support...
...of the National
Agricultural Society,...
...and of large and small
storekeepers,...
...who also call a stoppage.
On the night of October ,
the Christian Democrat party...
...also resolve
to support the strike.
Urban and highway transport
is a strategic sector...
...of the production chain.
The absence of vehicles...
...disrupts the supply
of raw materials...
...and interrupts distribution
on a national scale.
The New York Times
would later reveal...
...that the main economic
support for the strike...
...came from
the U.S. government.
The big employers,...
...grouped in the Society for
Manufacturing Development,...
...also halt production,...
...and begin an indefinite
closure of their factories.
These sectors defend
private companies...
...and reject any kind of
socialization of the economy.
Chilean industry
has grouped together...
...in the Society for
Manufacturing Development,...
...of which I am president.
This institution is the oldest
of its kind in Latin America.
It was founded in .
To date it has had
presidents,...
...and I'm the th.
Historically, the Society for
Manufacturing Development...
...is a mouthpiece for big
national and foreign capital.
During the October strike,...
...it represents
the main industrialists.
We asked the industrialists
to submit to this movement,...
...and they submitted to it,
as persons.
Industry was paralyzed
in many places,...
...and that was because...
...many groups of workers
followed the movement,...
...professional workers,
such as engineers,...
...bank employees,
health workers,...
...professionals such as
lawyers and engineers.
And there were
storekeepers, ...
...small and medium-sized
industrialists.
Really, all of industry
and commerce.
It was a movement which took
in extremely wide sectors.
In Santiago,
% of private buses...
...stop working.
The country's urban
communications are in crisis.
The workers take factory
trucks on the streets,...
...and improvise
minimum transport.
Given the emergency they fight
the strike from the start.
In response to
the government's call,...
...the great majority of
workers get to their jobs.
As soon as we heard...
...that the carriers
had voted for the strike,...
...we thought it was a maneuver
against the government.
We had a meeting immediately
to take precautions,...
...for this is a state company
and we have to look after it.
We worked every day,
as normal.
We arrived late,
but we got here.
How did you come?
In trucks, or whatever.
The factory put on trucks,
and got private buses,...
...and we came in them.
We're here to work, and give
our support to the factory.
And how did you manage
to get here?
We came in the bus,
on foot, or whatever.
The important thing
was to get here.
Some comrades who worked here
lent us their trucks,...
...and we used those to get
to work and go back home.
- Did the factory stop?
- No, never.
Our attitude is that
we'll always keep working...
...to cooperate with
the government.
So we've done everything
that's within our power...
...in order to be able
to stand by the government.
We've never missed work
during the strikes.
We've always been here,
regular as clockwork.
- It's a seditious strike.
- How did the workers respond?
By working as normal
every day.
And there were even
young mothers...
...who came to work with
their babies in their arms,...
...and even pregnant women
turned up.
Meanwhile, in the center
of Santiago,...
...the opposition's agitators
att*ck those buses...
...which haven't joined
the strike.
In the residential areas,...
...most industrial executives,
engineers and technicians...
...stay at home,
firmly supporting the strike.
At present,...
...I am president...
...of the Confederation
of Chilean Professionals,...
...which has a membership of
some , professionals,...
...workers with professional
qualifications...
...who work in various
industries...
...or other companies
in the country.
These kinds of associations,
supposedly apolitical,...
...work in close collaboration
with the opposition parties.
We have great organization
amongst our members.
People who are disciplined,
aware, responsible.
The October strike showed that.
Gradually, these organizations
start to behave...
...in an almost fascist way.
I don't believe in the myth...
...that a worker, just by being
a worker, can do everything.
Well, the engineers left.
They went with
the company executives.
They abandoned the company,...
...and it was left in the hands
of our manager comrades.
So we organized ourselves
immediately,...
...and, along with them,
we've taken on this responsibility.
We're doing well now that our
bosses have abandoned us,...
...and we're carrying on
ourselves.
They went off and left
the factory to us,...
...so we just carried on
working as normal.
So far, we haven't had
any problems.
We're getting on with things.
I think what they did
was wrong.
They didn't even
say anything to us.
Despite everything,
we're more satisfied now,...
...much better off,...
...and I wish I could shake
comrade Allende's hand.
We're doing perfectly well
the way we're working now.
I think we're doing very well...
...with the new
industrial reforms.
We're doing well, and working
with more determination.
In the factories, the more
experienced workers...
...take charge of
the main operations.
The few engineers who
support the government...
...look after various
neighboring factories.
Thus, just one engineer
can attend to the problems...
...of four or five companies.
In these first moments,...
...industrial activity doesn't stop.
Meanwhile,
in the Upper Chamber,...
...ten senators
issue a statement...
...saying that the government
is overstepping the law.
This document, which has
no legal force,...
...damages Allende's
constitutional image...
...in the eyes
of the armed forces.
The ten signatories...
...include members of
the Christian Democrat Party.
I think that, in this case,
the Christian Democrats...
...are wrong in supporting
the "mummies".
I used to be a Christian
Democrat myself,...
...and I think they're
betraying our country...
...by supporting those people.
It was the bourgeoisie...
...who kept all the workers
in ignorance.
Why do so many workers
have no idea about politics?
They say they're "apolitical",...
...but they don't know that
everything is political.
In order to organize,
the workers had to unite.
But on what basis?
The organizations
have functioned...
...on the basis
of political parties.
And the parties which are
with Popular Unity now...
...have always been
with the workers.
The opposition parties
only exploited the workers,...
...and that's the case with
the Christian Democracy.
They created that paternalism
to use the workers.
Are there Christian Democrat
workers?
Yes, of course.
- Any problems with them?
- No.
- They work too?
- We all work together.
There's no problem.
- Are there Christian Democrat
workers? - Yes.
- They work too?
- Yes.
Although the Christian
Democracy...
...is supporting the strike,...
...some of its militant
workers carry on working.
In fact, these workers are at
variance with their leaders.
They feel more identified
with their fellow workers...
...than with the bosses.
You're not with Popular Unity.
Who are you with?
I'm with the workers.
Who are the workers with?
With Popular Unity.
Did you work
during the strike?
- Of course.
- Why?
Because we have
workers' awareness.
- Did you work too?
- Yes.
- So you're with Popular Unity?
- With the workers.
Because the "mummies"
have never respected...
...the present government.
It's the people who respect
the government.
They follow
the government's orders.
But those rich guys...
What do you call them?
The moneybag men,...
...the men who are losing
their interests.
They're the ones
who are complaining.
They know that the people have
to buy, and have to eat,...
...and now they want to hide
the things...
...that the people
have to buy.
They're causing chaos
so that the people...
...will turn against
the government.
The opposition increases
the hoarding...
...of essential items.
It's an attempt to create
widespread shortages.
In reply, the government and
the popular organizations...
...increase surveillance...
...to find where the goods
are being secretly stored.
Despite everything, the
population has problems...
...in obtaining products
which are available.
Given the critical situation,
the government declares...
...the capital and several
provinces as emergency areas.
This means that
the armed forces...
...have to undertake
police duties.
The opposition accuse
Allende...
...of making political use
of the m*llitary.
The opposition press
start a campaign...
...to encourage disobedience
to the government...
...among the m*llitary.
This is a very critical time
for our country.
But I think that with unity
among the workers...
...we'll get through.
What do you think
of the present crisis?
- I think it's pretty bad.
- And what should be done'?
We have to stop
what's happening,...
...and try to rebuild
the country.
Things are bad.
- What should we do?
- Work and produce more.
- Say it louder.
- Work and produce more.
Really, the situation
is getting very serious.
The crisis?
We have to tackle it,...
...and everyone
has to lend a hand.
- How?
- By working more,...
...producing more,
and helping the President.
We mustn't pay any attention
to the "mummies".
Their one and only interest is
in stifling us, smothering us.
They're taking advantage
of the fact...
...that the North Americans...
...want to trample on
our dignity as Chileans.
They're doing the same,
and we can't agree,...
...as Chileans, as workers,...
...as men who have been
in our jobs for years,...
...to act in accordance
with their wishes. No!
Not now, not ever.
Just the opposite.
Our intention will always be
to fight for a new Chile,...
...economically
and politically free.
Some factories start
selling their products...
...directly to the people.
The unions in the various
industries join forces...
...to take the products
to the neighborhoods.
Just now, we're working as
inspectors, "ad honorem".
We're not doing our old jobs
but we still get our salary.
The work that we're doing now
involves coordinating...
...the market areas,
as it were,...
...that have to do
with electrical gadgets.
Other factories send
workers' pickets...
...to open shops
that are closed.
These workers act
as inspectors...
...on behalf of
the government.
All the directors...
...of the various railway
workers' associations...
...issued a statement...
...regarding yesterday's
att*ck by fascist elements...
...against a passenger train,...
...and said they will not
tolerate further aggressions.
They defined yesterday's
att*ck on a passenger train...
...as a criminal act
against the rail workers...
...and against passengers,...
...whose lives are in the
hands of those workers.
Yes, there were two committees
to guard the factory,...
...day and night.
Two committees.
What did they do?
They guarded the factory, so
no one would try to seize it.
We've got a vigilance
committee here, comrade,...
...and it watches the factory
on Saturdays, Sundays...
...and public holidays.
It's never left unguarded
for a single moment.
Yes, we thought of building
four towers,...
...one on each of the four
sides of the building,...
...and that way we'd have
a much better view...
...when we were keeping watch
over the factory.
Vigilance committees
spring up daily...
...in Santiago's main
manufacturing areas.
Tell the story of this truck.
Well, the comrades met in
a workers' assembly,...
...and agreed to cooperate
with the government...
...on the best way
of tackling and defeating...
...the transport strike.
And that was by making tankers
for the transport of fuel,...
...and making them as fast
as we possibly could.
All in all, it took us just
one week to do the job,...
...and give the government
ten tankers...
...like the ones you see here.
By mid-October, the workers'
organizational capacity...
...has surpassed
all expectations.
They manage to maintain
relatively normal production...
...by making maximum use
of reserve stocks.
The industries create
a system among themselves...
...for exchanging resources.
In practice, we are seeing
the start...
...of the so-called
"industrial belts".
Each belt is an association
of factories and companies...
...which coordinates the jobs
of workers in the same areas.
They are the first seeds
of popular power in Chile.
While government supporters
seem to be b*ating the crisis,...
...the opposition's violent
groups try to create...
...an image of chaos
and lack of authority.
The efficient action
by the police...
...and the mass mobilization
of workers...
...who demonstrated
their support...
...for the constitutional
government,...
...defeated the attempt today
by fascist elements...
...to spark off
a bloody disturbance...
...in the city of Santiago.
The fascist groups att*cked
the students and workers...
...who were showing their
support for the government.
Stores were damaged,...
...the Corporation for Urban
Improvement was att*cked...
...and looted by the mob,...
...and sh*ts were fired
by unseen gunmen.
The presence of workers
on the main streets...
...caused the dispersal of
the groups of provokers...
...who were trying to create
a climate of disorder.
Workers from
the building industry...
...and the nationalized
sectors...
...marched through
the center...
...to prevent outrages
by the fascist groups.
On October ,
the employers' movement...
...starts to show
some signs of tiring.
In the factories, the workers'
situation is also diff cult...
...as reserve stocks
are almost exhausted.
Given the situation,...
...Allende creates
the political conditions...
...for an understanding
with the Christian Democracy.
He brings the commanders-in-
chief of the armed forces...
...into the government.
To create this civil-m*llitary
cabinet,...
...the president relies on
Gen. Carlos Prats,...
...natural leader
of the officers...
...who respect
the democratic system.
Backed by this sector,...
...Allende reaches an agreement
with the Christian Democracy...
...and negotiates a solution
to the transport strike.
A wide sector
of left-wing workers...
...interprets the presence
of the m*llitary...
...as a chance to use a heavy
hand against the opposition.
You like the idea of the
m*llitary in the cabinet?
I agree with having the
m*llitary in the cabinet.
It's the only way to control
the "mummies".
They need a heavy hand.
What do you think of it?
They should have been there
from the start.
Why?
To solve all the problems
we've got.
What do you think of it?
I agree entirely with
including the m*llitary.
They should have put more
in the ministry.
Do you think
they're with the people?
Yes, of course, they're
all with the people now.
How do you know that?
We know because,
in the first place,...
...the reactionary forces
couldn't overturn...
...all of the armed forces.
So we know that they're with
the government and the people.
After the statement that
Gen. Prats made yesterday,...
...we know perfectly well
that it's a guarantee for us.
I don't like them
in the government,...
...simply because
democratic systems...
...are inconsistent
with the m*llitary.
So why has comrade Allende
fallen back on them?
I guess because things are
so serious at the moment,...
...circumstances made it
necessary to take that step...
...so as to impose order.
But I hope it isn't permanent,
that it's for a short time.
I think that,
at this moment,...
...neither I nor anybody
can say clearly...
...if there'll be a civil w*r.
It all depends
on the armed forces.
If they continue to act
as they've done so far,...
...being loyal to the people
and to order,...
...and respecting the law,...
...I don't think there'll be
a confrontation.
The government will continue,
with difficulty,...
...but it'll continue.
What will have to be done
if the strike is repeated?
The State should take over
the trucks.
All the trucking should be
taken over by the State...
...and then managed
by the workers.
The trucks can't do anything
without the workers.
And the workers
are building the country.
We, the people, opened
our eyes and realized.
We aren't like we used to be.
Before they tricked us
all the time.
Because I think that
throughout the world...
...they have to understand
the worker.
Not just here in Chile,
but everywhere.
On November , ,
the civil-m*llitary cabinet...
...manages to put an end
to the strike.
For the U.S. government
and the internal opposition...
...this means failure.
They've done great economic
damage to the country,...
...but haven't toppled the
government, as they'd hoped.
For a wide sector
of workers,...
...this October experience
will be a basis...
...for the growth
of popular power.
A few days later,
at a demonstration...
...to celebrate the end
of the strike,...
...the "Cerrillos Belt"
makes its first appearance.
The organization, which didn't
exist before the strike,...
...takes in companies
from the south of Santiago.
Workers from
the "Cerrillos Belt"...
Present!
- Workers from "Fensa"...
- Present!
- "Sindelén"...
- Present!
- "Maestranza Cerrillos"...
- Present!
- Workers from "Ralco"...
- Present!
After the strike, almost all
the base movements...
...are linked to popular power.
It is an initiative
channeled by the government...
...but its origins
don't lie there.
This power often causes
consternation...
...in some left-wing parties,...
...alarmed by certain spontaneous
attitudes among the people.
Let's create popular power!
After October, the slogan
"Let's create popular power"...
...continues to be heard
all over the country.
Let's create popular power!
Power to the workers!
Let's create popular power!
By the middle of ,
industrial belts...
...have been created in all
of the country's main cities.
of these
belong to Santiago.
When conflicts arise
with the bosses,...
...especially in
small companies,..
...the workers concerned
receive immediate support...
...from the belt
to which they belong.
This solidarity gives
the small unions...
...greater backing in order
to confront the bosses.
We've earned huge fortunes
for those guys, the bosses.
But they won't do anything for
the welfare of the workers.
And now they want
to destroy us.
There's a great persecution
of union leaders,...
...but we union leaders
are not alone.
We're supported
by all our workers,...
...and by
the industrial belts.
And the industrial belts...
...cover the entire length
of Chile, so we're powerful.
And they've failed
once again.
Now we're all organized
and we're all aware,...
...and the workers have
opened their eyes.
We're aware
of a lot more things.
And we've got support.
The more united we are,
the more powerful we'll be.
The enemy that we're facing,
the right,...
...is very powerful
and well organized.
Why shouldn't
we be organized?
Why shouldn't we take
advantage of our numbers?
There are more workers
than bosses.
It's easy to b*at them, but we
must be organized and united.
What do you think
of the industrial belts?
- They're very important.
- Why?
Because I think that
they're the real power...
...of the organized communes.
And I think that we should all
be very clear...
...about the importance
of the industrial belts...
...and how we should work
to support and organize them.
Do you think they work in
parallel to the government,...
...or with the government?
A lot of people are scared
of the industrial belts.
Yes, we've actually been able
to feel that fear,...
...because we've seen how,
in the public services,...
...they are really terrified
about community participation.
You see no danger
in industrial belts?
Of course not.
I've got every confidence
in the people's intelligence.
People who are organized
are intelligent.
So how can you be afraid of
a people's organization?
The workers occupy hundreds
of factories all over the country.
Some of these industries
can be expropriated legally.
However, a great many of them
are in workers' hands...
...without any possibility
of legal support.
They are the first symptoms
that the State apparatus...
...is starting to be
overwhelmed by reality.
Later, they start to organize
"community commandos"...
...as another kind
of popular power.
These commandos unite all the
components of a commune,...
...that is, students,
housewives, workers,...
...neighbors and peasants.
Have you heard of
the community commandos?
Yes, I've heard
a lot about them.
They're very well organized.
We've got them here too.
They care a lot
about the workers,...
...especially now,
when we're going through...
...this revolutionary period.
What do you think of
the community commandos?
They are organizations
of ordinary people...
...which are fighting.
It's something in which
all the proletarian class...
...should be participating...
...because many proletarians
are mistaken,...
...and being fooled by people
who say there are shortages.
That's being done by the
right, by the bourgeoisie,...
...by U.S. imperialism and
the Chilean bourgeoisie.
None of them are fighting
for Chile.
We're fighting for Chile
and for equality for all,...
...so we can build
a socialism...
...which belongs to
the proletarian class.
What about
the community commandos?
I think that at this
particular moment...
...they are
the organic solution...
...to the problem
of provisioning,...
...and also to that of uniting
the proletarian class...
...in the communes
and the provinces,...
...both for a possible
civil w*r,...
...and the daily confrontation
which we must face,...
...and also for specific
solutions to things such as...
...hygiene, health, vigilance
against the bourgeoisie.
So what's needed there?
What's needed is
an organization...
...which can provide
guidance...
...for those sectors of the
class which are marginalized.
Today they are the most
expl*sive sectors,...
...the ones who are
really mobilizing...
...right across the country.
We are sending out a call
to all neighbors...
...to organize however
may be necessary...
...so that within
a short time,...
...with the leadership
of the working class,...
...with the leadership of the
Cerrillos industrial belt,...
...we may set up
the community commando,...
...which, tomorrow, will be power
for the proletarian class,...
...and won't be halted by
bourgeois institutionalism...
...or reactionary elements.
Power to the workers!
Comrades...
We have come to the center
of Maipú...
...because we understand...
...that a basic tool for the
task we have undertaken...
...is class alliance.
The alliance that will allow
us to overthrow the enemy...
...however powerful he is.
The alliance that will allow
us to halt imperialist action.
...carried out by its puppets
in Chile.
The alliance that
will allow us...
...to build and develop
popular power.
The alliance that
will allow us...
...to have the necessary
strength to take power.
In practice,
the community commandos...
...acquire real form
from specific actions.
In this case, workers
from the Cerrillos belt...
...and peasants from
the town of Maipú...
...decide to occupy by force...
... badly exploited
agricultural estates.
These lands could be one of
the main sources of provisions...
...for the capital.
Each neighboring factory
sends pickets...
...to support the action.
It's the first time
that urban workers...
...will take part
in a peasant mobilization.
This unitary action
sets out the true basis...
...of a communal commando.
In the early hours
of the morning,...
...brigades of peasants and
workers occupy the lands.
They set up permanent guard
at these key positions.
- May I ask you a question?
- All you want.
- What's your name?
- Luis Gilberto Jerez.
- And the estate's name?
- The "Santa Carolina" estate.
Why is it being occupied?
Because the owner didn't keep
his word to his workers,...
...to his employees.
The call went out and so
we decided to occupy it.
We're united because
we've come to help...
...our comrades here.
I'm on a committee which is
in charge of the estate.
I'm one of the founders
of that committee.
I strove for this.
I want our comrades
to strive as well,...
...for if we're united
we can throw out the bosses.
- Where do you work?
- In "Siam Di Tella".
- Where?
- "Siam Di Tella".
- So you work in industry.
- Yes, I run the Mackenna belt.
Why are you occupying
this estate?
It's necessary to unite...
...the working class
and the peasants,...
...in order to fight
the bosses together...
...because we've got
common problems...
...and we have to look for
a solution as a class.
How is the worker-peasant
union working here in Maipú?
I think it's the first
clear example...
...of how strong and effective
the worker-peasant union is.
We've taken estates,
with the support of workers...
...from the Cerrillos sector
and from Vicuña Mackenna.
The second step is to start
exploiting the lands.
They also set up
vigilance committees...
...to patrol the lands
day and night to prevent...
...reprisals by the owners.
The occupiers demand...
...that the law on agrarian
reform be applied,...
...and call on government
bureaucrats...
...to study the situation.
In short,
our comrades are still at the mercy...
...of the judicial powers,...
...with all these
eviction orders,...
...arrest warrants,...
...and trials for crimes
they've never committed,...
...but these can be avoided
with state intervention...
...and the assigning
of credits to the supervisor...
In general,
the agrarian reform law...
...allows the expropriation
of badly exploited lands.
But in this case,...
...the estate doesn't meet
the law's requirements.
This forces the peasants
to defend firmly...
...the validity of their initiative.
We don't lie,...
...and any comrade here
who is lying...
...is immediately rejected by us.
Why is that?
If we are asking for those estates,
it's for a reason.
If we were asking for ,
there'd be a reason.
Then there'll be some bit of
bureaucratic trickery...
...to try to delay things
and undermine us.
We're not going to accept
any of that.
Why not?
Because we don't lie.
They have to believe us.
If we're asking for those
estates,...
...we're asking because
our comrades...
...need to work
those estates.
We don't want someone from
the Agrarian Reform Office...
...turning up here
and trying to trick us.
We're not going
to accept that!
So it's clear, if we're
asking for estates,...
...there's a reason.
We're not lying or cheating to
be able to expropriate them.
We've got a reason for asking.
If we're saying they're badly
exploited, they are.
The owners, in turn, have
discovered a legal recourse...
...against the expropriations.
This resource is known as
"precautionary measures",...
...and entails protecting
the private property...
...for a period
set by the Courts.
As the Courts are controlled
by the right,...
...there are lands which could
take years to expropriate.
This recourse wrecks
the peasants' initiative.
Comrade, I ask you, what
possibilities would we have...
...if all the estates
to be appropriated...
...had these
"precautionary measures"?
How could we take possession
of them?
This isn't a secret
or anything.
The problem is,...
...the Corporation
for Agrarian Reform...
...has got lawyers
to defend it in court.
The problem now...
...is the struggle going on
in this country.
The Corporation is tied to a
law in order to expropriate.
The bosses have their lawyers,
and they invent defenses.
And you all know the problem
with the Courts.
CAR has got nothing to do with
the "precautionary measures".
It's out of all our hands.
So your question is important,
because some estates...
...may use those
"precautionary measures".
In that case, you'll have
to fight it in the Courts.
We have to occupy
all the estates...
But the peasants dare to
confront state bureaucracy...
...with all their energy.
Backed up by
the community commando,...
...the peasants submit
a government bureaucrat...
...to an authentic
people's court.
I don't want to waste time.
I want to work
and produce more.
That's our slogan.
I don't want to sit in an
office somewhere, smoking,...
...and doing paperwork.
I believe that if a person
isn't capable,...
...he should give up
his position.
If, for example,
some comrade tells me...
...that I'm no good at my job
as a leader,...
...then I would submit
my resignation,...
...and give my post to someone
who was more capable than I.
I think that if we say it
straight out to someone,...
...that person will know
how to defend himself.
But we're going
to apply pressure.
If someone is manipulating
things so he stays on,...
...we'll find away
to get him out of there.
No one in the Maipú commune
calls him comrade anymore,...
...because he hasn't resolved
a single problem...
...inside the Maipú estates.
And as the note says, we know
we're short of potatoes,...
...we're short of sugar,...
...short of all those things
the earth produces!
We know that we're short
of foodstuffs,...
...and the earth produces
all that.
We also know that
we're partly to blame...
...for the fact that
there's a food shortage.
That's why we want
to expropriate more land!
The reactionaries
have often said...
...that we're "the weak ones".
But we're showing them that
we're not weak at all.
We're producing food...
...because we know we have
to defend this cause of ours.
That's all I have to say.
Our comrade may have
something to say.
Yes, comrade. Firstly,
I'd like to say the following.
I'm in a post which,
as regards remuneration,...
...doesn't bring me anything.
I wanted to say that.
It's no cushy job.
But the main thing, comrades,
is that I believe,...
...and I'm being
self-critical here,...
...that I made the mistake
of trusting too much...
...in the Council's work.
That's a responsibility
which I have to accept.
I have to accept it, and I
should learn from it as well.
I admit that to you all.
Now, apart from that...
I think what you've said today
is very important,...
...because I believe that
I'm a revolutionary.
And when a revolutionary
thinks he's being...
...criticized...
...for a job which he thinks
he's doing well, but isn't,...
...that will undoubtedly
be a lesson to him,...
...and help improve his work.
If you want, we can talk about
all this at another time,...
...but I think you deserved
an explanation.
- I think...
- Comrade, may I speak?
As a committed revolutionary
and official,...
...you shouldn't be
clock watching on the job.
You should be committed to the
peasant masses and work more.
Let's create popular power!
Fighting and creating
popular power!
Let's create popular power!
Popular power also tackles
the problem...
...of the supply of food.
During ,
the U.S. boycott...
...and the strong internal opposition
have created the ideal climate...
...for the majority of storekeepers
to be against the government.
They make larger profits by
selling their goods illegally.
Even the small storekeeper...
...prefers to steer his
produce to the black market.
To combat this,
a "direct supply" system...
...is set up
in the working class areas.
We'll have our delegate
at the head,...
...and we'll set up our
distribution cooperative...
...for all the residents here.
We'll leave the storekeeper
isolated,...
...because, as our comrade
has said,...
...he's the origin
of the merchandise...
...that gets sent
to the black market.
So, we take responsibility
for ourselves.
We have to join up
with a delegate,...
...and form a cooperative
distribution center...
...for the people
who live here.
And the idea is to supply all
the necessities for a home.
To do that,
we must struggle,...
...and not give any more money
to the storekeeper,...
...for he got rich enough
at our cost.
So therefore, join together!
Let's all join together,
street by street.
We'll form a cooperative, and
do without the storekeeper!
Power to the workers!
So then,
when the people saw...
...that the supplies came directly
from the state distributor...
...and then directly to them,...
...they realized that many
problems were over for them.
So we call on
all the neighborhoods,...
...and we call on every
street to join up,...
...and discuss the problems
with its neighbors.
We want a "people's store"...
...where all the merchandise
will arrive...
...and people will be served.
We want to set up
a kind of supermarket.
That's what we want
to suggest,...
...and we want an answer from
them so that we can do it.
The most important thing...
...is the residents' organization.
At present, lots of places...
...have got a people's store,...
...and it's supplied by
different companies,...
...mainly by ones
that are state-run.
I'd even say, exclusively
by state-run companies.
So you have to ask for
an effort...
...from the residents
themselves.
The residents have to feel...
...that they've put something
into it themselves.
They have to feel
that they're responsible.
It hasn't been given to them,
they did it themselves.
The people's store eliminates
the commercial store.
Each area which decides
to create a store...
...appoints certain neighbors
to collect the merchandise.
This one?
The next one.
Clear the way, comrades.
We only want workers here.
Come on, stand back, comrades.
Where do I load this?
Is it for this truck?
What else is to be loaded?
Rice.
Onions.
Noodles.
Matches. Flour.
The food is supplied by the
National Distribution Company,
...DINAC, the only one
controlled by the government.
Although % of the
distribution business...
...is in the hands
of Allende's enemies,...
...this company manages to
serve the most urgent needs...
...of the working class areas.
The neighbors hire a truck...
...to transport the goods
to the selling point.
This operation is carried out
once a week.
It's : p.m.,
and you must understand...
...that other comrades have
to help us guard the store.
Anyone want to speak?
The women can stay
until : or : .
The men can come after that.
Comrades, tell me one thing.
Are you happy with
this direct supply?
Yes!
In ,
the people's stores...
...are feeding some ,
families in Santiago,...
...more than half
its total population.
In the different communes,
these stores...
...distribute available
products in an orderly way.
Semolina.
Five boxes of matches.
They get half a pound
of tea,...
...a pound of noodles,...
...and two pounds of rice...
...and ten pounds of sugar.
Each family group has a card
for collecting the goods.
This facilitates
distribution planning...
...and adherence
to official prices.
The store is run by
the residents' collective,...
...on the basis
of volunteer work.
How do you manage to work
in the people's store...
...and have a job
at the same time?
For example,...
...we're given
the merchandise...
...they give it to us...
...on a Saturday
or a Friday,...
...so we do the store on a
Saturday when I'm not working.
And when I can't go,
my wife goes,...
...with other women
from the neighborhood.
Is direct supply
"popular power"?
At the moment,
I think it is,...
...because we're seeing how,...
...with this business
of direct supply...
...we're uniting the masses
even more.
What do you think
of the present situation?
- It's very difficult.
- Why?
We can all see the reasons.
The government
said yesterday...
...that the ones who were
with Allende...
...told him to get tough.
But the government
can't get tough...
...because it doesn't have
a majority in Congress.
And that's the most
serious problem...
...that our comrade president
has at the present moment.
I'm going to defend
our government...
...because we know that it's
the people's government...
...and we have to defend it.
So that's why I say
that I'm not afraid,...
...because I've made
my mind up.
And I said to my wife,...
...You've got two children,
they're grown up.
You'll finish rearing them,...
...and if I have to die
for some reason,...
...I want to die
defending our cause,...
...as a worker,...
...and because we've been
exploited all our lives.
Let's create popular power!
Throughout , the seeds
of popular power...
...spread across
the whole country.
Power to the workers!
Let's create popular power!
Meanwhile, in the centers
of production...
...which are in
government hands,...
...other kinds of popular
power appear.
In the saltpeter mines, the
problem of worker control...
...becomes a kind
of popular power.
Going beyond
the vindictive fight,...
...people want more
transparency...
...and more efficiency.
If, at this moment, there's
an imperialist blockade...
...and we don't receive raw
material or spare parts,...
...what do we have to do
in industry?
We have to plan production,...
...and provide organization
and good administration...
...for the repair shops
and for the foundries.
Without repair shops,...
...you can't have industrial
development in this country.
At this moment, the repair
shops are the heart...
...which can keep the rest of
the industry's machinery...
...alive and functioning...
...because the comrades here
make spare parts.
These comrades invent the
spare parts that we need.
They make them for us!
The worker doesn't understand
intellectual abstractions.
The worker is fed up
with listening to words.
The demands which our comrade
made are very serious.
What is he demanding?
Objectives, goals at work.
What is he demanding?
A rational administration...
...of the repair shop,...
...with production plans.
We can't carry on with little
workshops in each section...
...because that means
a lack of administration...
...and a division of resources.
And this qualified workforce
will get tired and leave.
The comrades will get
disillusioned.
There is no comrade here
who supports fascism.
They're all workers,...
...and they all have
a great workers' awareness.
This is one of the things
we've made here,...
...because there's a blockade
on importation.
What we're seeing here are...
...circuit breakers which were
made in the foundry here.
We used to import these, but
as you and everyone know,...
...there's a blockade...
...so we have to start
making the parts.
Now that we're in this
situation...
...where we're being blockaded
by imperialism,...
...we're ready and determined
to fulfill our government's plan,...
...to produce more, to find
the solution to the problems here.
Why? So we can make all the
spare parts the industry needs.
"Machinas" are the workers'
answers...
...to the challenge of
problems that arise.
They call them "machinas".
This is a "machina".
You see? We took two big ends
and made a new one out of them.
What's it for?
- For the locomotives in the mine.
- How old are they?
These are from .
There aren't any parts for them.
In both the state-run mines
and factories,...
...the people want less
bureaucracy...
...and more participation.
This opens a debate
on the limitations...
...of the "peaceful road"
towards socialism.
In practice, the struggle
for participation...
...becomes an analysis
of reality.
Right, comrades.
Popular Unity has been
governing for two years,...
...and specifically
in this company...
...there has been no real,
effective participation.
Why has there been no real,
effective participation...
...and what has happened
as a result?
Worker participation
is a political problem.
Through participation,...
...workers will be able
to break...
...the capitalist structures
of the companies.
Because this company still
has a capitalist structure...
...within its organization.
We're not in possession
of power.
We're in possession
of the government.
And the companies which are
within this government...
...also suffer the consequences
of these contradictions...
...within the political process.
So participation will break
the capitalist structures...
...and help the workers set up
new organizations...
...in this transition
to socialism.
That means the workers
must plan,...
...they must study, and they
must organize the company.
So participation is planning,
it's knowledge,...
...and it's studying
the company from within.
At the moment,...
Molino can grind, every day,
, cartloads of nitrate.
But unfortunately,
it's grinding or cartloads,...
...which isn't in accordance
with the production plans...
...which have been set out
for that section.
Serious problems?
Problems in the mine.
Problems in the production
sector.
They've got no residue,
and they've got no carts.
But there are old carts
dumped in the warehouse.
According to the workers and
the production committees,...
...out of those carts...
...they can make two good carts
from three bad ones.
The workers have suggested
this as a possible solution.
They took it to
the Departmental Committee,...
...and they either get
a negative reply...
...or no reply at all.
So how can we say that the
worker is participating...
...if, when he suggests
a way to solve a problem...
...and increase production,
it's rejected?
I think that the only solution
to this problem,...
...the problem of acquisitions,...
...of spare parts that don't arrive,
of salaries,...
...is for the workers to have
direct control of production.
We're doing the producing,...
...and we must control
the whole company.
It's hard, but it can be done.
A lot of companies
have achieved...
...direct control of production.
We thought that maybe
there should be...
...an Administration Committee
for each important plant.
The whole problem
of participation...
...is being discussed.
Comrades, I therefore
consider...
...that the union leaders
should participate...
...because they will know...
...the industry's
economic conditions.
And that would be essential...
...in order to be able to give
the economic conditions...
...to the workers
with all the facts...
...and not be fighting
for fighting's sake...
...without really knowing
what's going on.
When we say that Chile has
a bourgeois capitalist state,...
...let's remember the High
Court which fires ministers,...
...and let's remember
the Legislative Power...
...which passes laws
against the workers.
And not just that.
It's also on a w*r footing,...
...in a seditious way,
against the popular government.
So what should the workers'
participation be?
The planning of the economy
via a direct participation...
...in which they elect
the workers' participants...
...by a wide vote,...
...as is done now
in a democratic way.
And what should the unions do?
What they've always done
throughout history.
They should defend
the working class...
...and push for the destruction
of the bourgeois state...
...as a revolutionary tool
sewing its class.
The workers' unease is shared
by some company managers.
The contradictions in
the process of changes...
...are laid bare in the daily
work of these officials.
This is a revolutionary process,
but not a revolution.
And this isn't
a proletarian state yet.
This is a bourgeois
capitalist state.
And this is a nationalized
company within that state...
...which hasn't changed.
Now, the problem for
the workers here...
...isn't having to work
hours a day.
The problem is having to work
hours when,...
...in terms of power or
decision making capacity,...
...things haven't
really changed.
You can...
You can...
...ask it of the workers,...
...demand a greater awareness
from them,...
...but you can appeal
to the workers' awareness...
...if you give them answers.
But a new aspect
has now appeared,...
...at the level
of the section worker,...
...within this nationalized
company.
The lack of raw materials and
spare parts in the section...
...is threatening to limit
the wage to a daily rate,...
...because the bonus is
directly linked to production.
For example, the welder
goes to his section.
He's got work to do,
and he's keen to work.
He can't do it,
he's got no soldering iron.
And the only solution we can
give at present,...
...with the characteristics
we announced,...
...is precisely
by planning supplies.
We have to plan transport.
If there's a strike by the
truck owners tomorrow,...
...and the fish trucks are
stuck in Antofagasta,...
...the fish will rot because
we've got no means of transport.
We have to plan means of
transport and of distribution.
What have we done
about it here?
We've taken over
bakeries, food stores,...
...canteens, hospitals,
guesthouses.
Because food is distributed
through those organizations.
The problem is
extremely serious.
We are nationalized companies.
It's true.
We can impose organization,...
...and we can set out some
planning lines,...
...but we come up against
the big contradiction.
The character of the state...
...is the same.
We are nationalized areas
within the structure...
...of a bourgeois
capitalist state...
...where the means
of oppression...
...are still in the hands
of the bourgeoisie.
The government must
provide an answer...
...to our supply needs,
so we can plan ahead,...
...with the means
which the government controls.
How can you plan
in this situation?
I'm not saying things
will be resolved %.
But it's possible...
...to come up with
an alternative answer.
We can't just sit back,
and fold our arms,...
...and let the corpse of imperialism
pass in front of the house.
We have to move ahead
and go on the offensive,...
...and gradually take power
with the masses,...
...guaranteeing it
with the masses.
We can't continue delegating
the class problem...
...to executives, mayors,
ministers, parliamentarians.
The right has a great
advantage over us.
They imprison the executives,
accuse the mayors,...
...question the ministers.
And I've just learned
that last week...
...they jailed the Secretary
of State, Aníbal Palma.
So are we going to carry on?
What do we want?
We've got % of the vote.
There's absolutely no chance
that we'll ever get %.
It's impossible.
We must take advantage
of the moment...
...of the ascent
of the masses,...
...to mobilize them
for class objectives.
In the middle of ,...
...the impatience of some
popular sectors increases.
In the more aggressive
workplaces,...
...some workers are discussing
some basic problems...
...of the transition
to socialism.
Just now, I see that people
are questioning...
...the Constitution
and legality.
And if the working classes
are questioning...
...the Judicial Power,...
...the Constitution
and the government,...
...that means we are
entering the stage...
...of the taking of power.
Because some things
are no longer valid.
We have the industrial belts.
The growing popular power is
surpassing the State itself.
The existing institutions
are of no use to us anymore.
They can't fulfill their role.
So the workers are providing
new institutions,...
...because our class must use
the government apparatus now...
...to crush the other class,...
...the one which
always crushed us.
Let the boot be
on the other foot now.
A key feature of popular power
is that it opens...
...a new horizon of political
development for the masses.
This initiates a critical
process within the left.
Many people sense
a tragic ending...
...given the impossibility...
...of President Allende
continuing to advance.
Tell me, comrade,
what must be done?
Look, we're living through
a very difficult time.
It's really
a very difficult time.
We must have a real clean-out,
from top to bottom!
If the government can't shake
off certain commitments,...
...it's going to be liquidated.
The government has got
no alternative...
...but to take things in hand.
Take things in hand.
The government has to do that,
and clean up the country.
It's for the homeland.
The homeland remains,
we'll all pass on.
We'll reach such a delicate
moment, there'll be a crisis.
Tell me, comrade.
Do you thank that it's time
for a firm hand?
This is our opportunity.
It's now or never.
The enemy is extremely
well-prepared.
And he won't give us
any respite.
Now is our chance to do it.
We have to do it now or never.
Because the enemy knows
what's in store for him.
He knows that he'll never
get back what he's lost,...
...and he's like the devil.
We'll keep on going, comrade.
See you, comrade.
- We'll be seeing you.
- I hope so.
We have to make it,
it's now or never.
We'll keep going, comrade.
See you, comrade.
THE BATTLE OF CHILE
The struggle of
an unarmed people
Part Three
THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE
a Patricio Guzmán Film
In memory of
Jorge Müller Silva
Allende! Allende!
Allende! Allende!
The left, united,
will never be defeated!
Santiago de Chile, .
In only months,...
...Salvador Allende's
socialist government...
...has carried out a large part
of its social change program.
Over a year and a half,
it has nationalized...
...the big copper, iron, coal,
nitrate and cement mines.
In this time, the State
manages to control...
...most of Chile's principal
monopolist companies.
Allende, we're with you,
so hit the "mummies" hard!
It has also expropriated...
... million hectares
of arable land...
...and nationalized almost all
national and foreign banks.
During these months,
the North American government...
...and the internal opposition...
...have seriously hampered
the government's work.
Despite this, Allende still
receives firm support...
...from wide sectors
of the population.
Allende, Allende,
the people will defend you!
Towards the end of ,...
...the toughest sector
of the opposition...
...reaffirms its strategy.
The National Party insists
on the need...
...to provoke the fall
of the government...
...before the next
parliamentary elections.
To do this, they encourage
a truckers' strike,...
...which spearheads a general
collapse of the economy.
The scarcity of spare parts,
fomented by the U.S.,...
...creates ideal conditions
for the National Party...
...to win control of the
truck owners' organization.
If we, the means
of mobilization,...
...want an acceptable solution,...
...then we'll have no more
tricks, no more zigzagging!
We are going after
a solution...
...to the problems of tariffs
and spare parts,...
...of adequate
reorganization.
We want more justice
and less bureaucracy.
And so we're asking you...
...for your support so that
our Board of Management...
...can work from this position.
We believe that the time
has come when,...
...as one single man,
one single trucker,...
...and along with the women...
...who are participating
side by side in this,...
...we have no alternative
but to raise the banners...
...of an indefinite,
decisive strike...
...whatever the consequences.
If we have to perish in misery...
...in bankruptcy and ruin,...
...let's do it on our feet,...
...vibrant, upright and proud,...
...for that's the image
of the poor Chilean...
...expressed through this
organization! Thank you.
And that, gentlemen,...
...was how the Confederation's
Board...
...gave the necessary
instructions...
...to all our fellow
organizations...
...so that from yesterday,
Tuesday, at midnight,...
...all services in Chile
would be paralyzed.
Therefore, we have fulfilled,
gentlemen,...
...the mandate which
the national assembly...
...gave to the Board
of this Confederation.
On October , ,...
...the first transport strike
begins.
The next day, the truckers
get the support...
...of the National
Agricultural Society,...
...and of large and small
storekeepers,...
...who also call a stoppage.
On the night of October ,
the Christian Democrat party...
...also resolve
to support the strike.
Urban and highway transport
is a strategic sector...
...of the production chain.
The absence of vehicles...
...disrupts the supply
of raw materials...
...and interrupts distribution
on a national scale.
The New York Times
would later reveal...
...that the main economic
support for the strike...
...came from
the U.S. government.
The big employers,...
...grouped in the Society for
Manufacturing Development,...
...also halt production,...
...and begin an indefinite
closure of their factories.
These sectors defend
private companies...
...and reject any kind of
socialization of the economy.
Chilean industry
has grouped together...
...in the Society for
Manufacturing Development,...
...of which I am president.
This institution is the oldest
of its kind in Latin America.
It was founded in .
To date it has had
presidents,...
...and I'm the th.
Historically, the Society for
Manufacturing Development...
...is a mouthpiece for big
national and foreign capital.
During the October strike,...
...it represents
the main industrialists.
We asked the industrialists
to submit to this movement,...
...and they submitted to it,
as persons.
Industry was paralyzed
in many places,...
...and that was because...
...many groups of workers
followed the movement,...
...professional workers,
such as engineers,...
...bank employees,
health workers,...
...professionals such as
lawyers and engineers.
And there were
storekeepers, ...
...small and medium-sized
industrialists.
Really, all of industry
and commerce.
It was a movement which took
in extremely wide sectors.
In Santiago,
% of private buses...
...stop working.
The country's urban
communications are in crisis.
The workers take factory
trucks on the streets,...
...and improvise
minimum transport.
Given the emergency they fight
the strike from the start.
In response to
the government's call,...
...the great majority of
workers get to their jobs.
As soon as we heard...
...that the carriers
had voted for the strike,...
...we thought it was a maneuver
against the government.
We had a meeting immediately
to take precautions,...
...for this is a state company
and we have to look after it.
We worked every day,
as normal.
We arrived late,
but we got here.
How did you come?
In trucks, or whatever.
The factory put on trucks,
and got private buses,...
...and we came in them.
We're here to work, and give
our support to the factory.
And how did you manage
to get here?
We came in the bus,
on foot, or whatever.
The important thing
was to get here.
Some comrades who worked here
lent us their trucks,...
...and we used those to get
to work and go back home.
- Did the factory stop?
- No, never.
Our attitude is that
we'll always keep working...
...to cooperate with
the government.
So we've done everything
that's within our power...
...in order to be able
to stand by the government.
We've never missed work
during the strikes.
We've always been here,
regular as clockwork.
- It's a seditious strike.
- How did the workers respond?
By working as normal
every day.
And there were even
young mothers...
...who came to work with
their babies in their arms,...
...and even pregnant women
turned up.
Meanwhile, in the center
of Santiago,...
...the opposition's agitators
att*ck those buses...
...which haven't joined
the strike.
In the residential areas,...
...most industrial executives,
engineers and technicians...
...stay at home,
firmly supporting the strike.
At present,...
...I am president...
...of the Confederation
of Chilean Professionals,...
...which has a membership of
some , professionals,...
...workers with professional
qualifications...
...who work in various
industries...
...or other companies
in the country.
These kinds of associations,
supposedly apolitical,...
...work in close collaboration
with the opposition parties.
We have great organization
amongst our members.
People who are disciplined,
aware, responsible.
The October strike showed that.
Gradually, these organizations
start to behave...
...in an almost fascist way.
I don't believe in the myth...
...that a worker, just by being
a worker, can do everything.
Well, the engineers left.
They went with
the company executives.
They abandoned the company,...
...and it was left in the hands
of our manager comrades.
So we organized ourselves
immediately,...
...and, along with them,
we've taken on this responsibility.
We're doing well now that our
bosses have abandoned us,...
...and we're carrying on
ourselves.
They went off and left
the factory to us,...
...so we just carried on
working as normal.
So far, we haven't had
any problems.
We're getting on with things.
I think what they did
was wrong.
They didn't even
say anything to us.
Despite everything,
we're more satisfied now,...
...much better off,...
...and I wish I could shake
comrade Allende's hand.
We're doing perfectly well
the way we're working now.
I think we're doing very well...
...with the new
industrial reforms.
We're doing well, and working
with more determination.
In the factories, the more
experienced workers...
...take charge of
the main operations.
The few engineers who
support the government...
...look after various
neighboring factories.
Thus, just one engineer
can attend to the problems...
...of four or five companies.
In these first moments,...
...industrial activity doesn't stop.
Meanwhile,
in the Upper Chamber,...
...ten senators
issue a statement...
...saying that the government
is overstepping the law.
This document, which has
no legal force,...
...damages Allende's
constitutional image...
...in the eyes
of the armed forces.
The ten signatories...
...include members of
the Christian Democrat Party.
I think that, in this case,
the Christian Democrats...
...are wrong in supporting
the "mummies".
I used to be a Christian
Democrat myself,...
...and I think they're
betraying our country...
...by supporting those people.
It was the bourgeoisie...
...who kept all the workers
in ignorance.
Why do so many workers
have no idea about politics?
They say they're "apolitical",...
...but they don't know that
everything is political.
In order to organize,
the workers had to unite.
But on what basis?
The organizations
have functioned...
...on the basis
of political parties.
And the parties which are
with Popular Unity now...
...have always been
with the workers.
The opposition parties
only exploited the workers,...
...and that's the case with
the Christian Democracy.
They created that paternalism
to use the workers.
Are there Christian Democrat
workers?
Yes, of course.
- Any problems with them?
- No.
- They work too?
- We all work together.
There's no problem.
- Are there Christian Democrat
workers? - Yes.
- They work too?
- Yes.
Although the Christian
Democracy...
...is supporting the strike,...
...some of its militant
workers carry on working.
In fact, these workers are at
variance with their leaders.
They feel more identified
with their fellow workers...
...than with the bosses.
You're not with Popular Unity.
Who are you with?
I'm with the workers.
Who are the workers with?
With Popular Unity.
Did you work
during the strike?
- Of course.
- Why?
Because we have
workers' awareness.
- Did you work too?
- Yes.
- So you're with Popular Unity?
- With the workers.
Because the "mummies"
have never respected...
...the present government.
It's the people who respect
the government.
They follow
the government's orders.
But those rich guys...
What do you call them?
The moneybag men,...
...the men who are losing
their interests.
They're the ones
who are complaining.
They know that the people have
to buy, and have to eat,...
...and now they want to hide
the things...
...that the people
have to buy.
They're causing chaos
so that the people...
...will turn against
the government.
The opposition increases
the hoarding...
...of essential items.
It's an attempt to create
widespread shortages.
In reply, the government and
the popular organizations...
...increase surveillance...
...to find where the goods
are being secretly stored.
Despite everything, the
population has problems...
...in obtaining products
which are available.
Given the critical situation,
the government declares...
...the capital and several
provinces as emergency areas.
This means that
the armed forces...
...have to undertake
police duties.
The opposition accuse
Allende...
...of making political use
of the m*llitary.
The opposition press
start a campaign...
...to encourage disobedience
to the government...
...among the m*llitary.
This is a very critical time
for our country.
But I think that with unity
among the workers...
...we'll get through.
What do you think
of the present crisis?
- I think it's pretty bad.
- And what should be done'?
We have to stop
what's happening,...
...and try to rebuild
the country.
Things are bad.
- What should we do?
- Work and produce more.
- Say it louder.
- Work and produce more.
Really, the situation
is getting very serious.
The crisis?
We have to tackle it,...
...and everyone
has to lend a hand.
- How?
- By working more,...
...producing more,
and helping the President.
We mustn't pay any attention
to the "mummies".
Their one and only interest is
in stifling us, smothering us.
They're taking advantage
of the fact...
...that the North Americans...
...want to trample on
our dignity as Chileans.
They're doing the same,
and we can't agree,...
...as Chileans, as workers,...
...as men who have been
in our jobs for years,...
...to act in accordance
with their wishes. No!
Not now, not ever.
Just the opposite.
Our intention will always be
to fight for a new Chile,...
...economically
and politically free.
Some factories start
selling their products...
...directly to the people.
The unions in the various
industries join forces...
...to take the products
to the neighborhoods.
Just now, we're working as
inspectors, "ad honorem".
We're not doing our old jobs
but we still get our salary.
The work that we're doing now
involves coordinating...
...the market areas,
as it were,...
...that have to do
with electrical gadgets.
Other factories send
workers' pickets...
...to open shops
that are closed.
These workers act
as inspectors...
...on behalf of
the government.
All the directors...
...of the various railway
workers' associations...
...issued a statement...
...regarding yesterday's
att*ck by fascist elements...
...against a passenger train,...
...and said they will not
tolerate further aggressions.
They defined yesterday's
att*ck on a passenger train...
...as a criminal act
against the rail workers...
...and against passengers,...
...whose lives are in the
hands of those workers.
Yes, there were two committees
to guard the factory,...
...day and night.
Two committees.
What did they do?
They guarded the factory, so
no one would try to seize it.
We've got a vigilance
committee here, comrade,...
...and it watches the factory
on Saturdays, Sundays...
...and public holidays.
It's never left unguarded
for a single moment.
Yes, we thought of building
four towers,...
...one on each of the four
sides of the building,...
...and that way we'd have
a much better view...
...when we were keeping watch
over the factory.
Vigilance committees
spring up daily...
...in Santiago's main
manufacturing areas.
Tell the story of this truck.
Well, the comrades met in
a workers' assembly,...
...and agreed to cooperate
with the government...
...on the best way
of tackling and defeating...
...the transport strike.
And that was by making tankers
for the transport of fuel,...
...and making them as fast
as we possibly could.
All in all, it took us just
one week to do the job,...
...and give the government
ten tankers...
...like the ones you see here.
By mid-October, the workers'
organizational capacity...
...has surpassed
all expectations.
They manage to maintain
relatively normal production...
...by making maximum use
of reserve stocks.
The industries create
a system among themselves...
...for exchanging resources.
In practice, we are seeing
the start...
...of the so-called
"industrial belts".
Each belt is an association
of factories and companies...
...which coordinates the jobs
of workers in the same areas.
They are the first seeds
of popular power in Chile.
While government supporters
seem to be b*ating the crisis,...
...the opposition's violent
groups try to create...
...an image of chaos
and lack of authority.
The efficient action
by the police...
...and the mass mobilization
of workers...
...who demonstrated
their support...
...for the constitutional
government,...
...defeated the attempt today
by fascist elements...
...to spark off
a bloody disturbance...
...in the city of Santiago.
The fascist groups att*cked
the students and workers...
...who were showing their
support for the government.
Stores were damaged,...
...the Corporation for Urban
Improvement was att*cked...
...and looted by the mob,...
...and sh*ts were fired
by unseen gunmen.
The presence of workers
on the main streets...
...caused the dispersal of
the groups of provokers...
...who were trying to create
a climate of disorder.
Workers from
the building industry...
...and the nationalized
sectors...
...marched through
the center...
...to prevent outrages
by the fascist groups.
On October ,
the employers' movement...
...starts to show
some signs of tiring.
In the factories, the workers'
situation is also diff cult...
...as reserve stocks
are almost exhausted.
Given the situation,...
...Allende creates
the political conditions...
...for an understanding
with the Christian Democracy.
He brings the commanders-in-
chief of the armed forces...
...into the government.
To create this civil-m*llitary
cabinet,...
...the president relies on
Gen. Carlos Prats,...
...natural leader
of the officers...
...who respect
the democratic system.
Backed by this sector,...
...Allende reaches an agreement
with the Christian Democracy...
...and negotiates a solution
to the transport strike.
A wide sector
of left-wing workers...
...interprets the presence
of the m*llitary...
...as a chance to use a heavy
hand against the opposition.
You like the idea of the
m*llitary in the cabinet?
I agree with having the
m*llitary in the cabinet.
It's the only way to control
the "mummies".
They need a heavy hand.
What do you think of it?
They should have been there
from the start.
Why?
To solve all the problems
we've got.
What do you think of it?
I agree entirely with
including the m*llitary.
They should have put more
in the ministry.
Do you think
they're with the people?
Yes, of course, they're
all with the people now.
How do you know that?
We know because,
in the first place,...
...the reactionary forces
couldn't overturn...
...all of the armed forces.
So we know that they're with
the government and the people.
After the statement that
Gen. Prats made yesterday,...
...we know perfectly well
that it's a guarantee for us.
I don't like them
in the government,...
...simply because
democratic systems...
...are inconsistent
with the m*llitary.
So why has comrade Allende
fallen back on them?
I guess because things are
so serious at the moment,...
...circumstances made it
necessary to take that step...
...so as to impose order.
But I hope it isn't permanent,
that it's for a short time.
I think that,
at this moment,...
...neither I nor anybody
can say clearly...
...if there'll be a civil w*r.
It all depends
on the armed forces.
If they continue to act
as they've done so far,...
...being loyal to the people
and to order,...
...and respecting the law,...
...I don't think there'll be
a confrontation.
The government will continue,
with difficulty,...
...but it'll continue.
What will have to be done
if the strike is repeated?
The State should take over
the trucks.
All the trucking should be
taken over by the State...
...and then managed
by the workers.
The trucks can't do anything
without the workers.
And the workers
are building the country.
We, the people, opened
our eyes and realized.
We aren't like we used to be.
Before they tricked us
all the time.
Because I think that
throughout the world...
...they have to understand
the worker.
Not just here in Chile,
but everywhere.
On November , ,
the civil-m*llitary cabinet...
...manages to put an end
to the strike.
For the U.S. government
and the internal opposition...
...this means failure.
They've done great economic
damage to the country,...
...but haven't toppled the
government, as they'd hoped.
For a wide sector
of workers,...
...this October experience
will be a basis...
...for the growth
of popular power.
A few days later,
at a demonstration...
...to celebrate the end
of the strike,...
...the "Cerrillos Belt"
makes its first appearance.
The organization, which didn't
exist before the strike,...
...takes in companies
from the south of Santiago.
Workers from
the "Cerrillos Belt"...
Present!
- Workers from "Fensa"...
- Present!
- "Sindelén"...
- Present!
- "Maestranza Cerrillos"...
- Present!
- Workers from "Ralco"...
- Present!
After the strike, almost all
the base movements...
...are linked to popular power.
It is an initiative
channeled by the government...
...but its origins
don't lie there.
This power often causes
consternation...
...in some left-wing parties,...
...alarmed by certain spontaneous
attitudes among the people.
Let's create popular power!
After October, the slogan
"Let's create popular power"...
...continues to be heard
all over the country.
Let's create popular power!
Power to the workers!
Let's create popular power!
By the middle of ,
industrial belts...
...have been created in all
of the country's main cities.
of these
belong to Santiago.
When conflicts arise
with the bosses,...
...especially in
small companies,..
...the workers concerned
receive immediate support...
...from the belt
to which they belong.
This solidarity gives
the small unions...
...greater backing in order
to confront the bosses.
We've earned huge fortunes
for those guys, the bosses.
But they won't do anything for
the welfare of the workers.
And now they want
to destroy us.
There's a great persecution
of union leaders,...
...but we union leaders
are not alone.
We're supported
by all our workers,...
...and by
the industrial belts.
And the industrial belts...
...cover the entire length
of Chile, so we're powerful.
And they've failed
once again.
Now we're all organized
and we're all aware,...
...and the workers have
opened their eyes.
We're aware
of a lot more things.
And we've got support.
The more united we are,
the more powerful we'll be.
The enemy that we're facing,
the right,...
...is very powerful
and well organized.
Why shouldn't
we be organized?
Why shouldn't we take
advantage of our numbers?
There are more workers
than bosses.
It's easy to b*at them, but we
must be organized and united.
What do you think
of the industrial belts?
- They're very important.
- Why?
Because I think that
they're the real power...
...of the organized communes.
And I think that we should all
be very clear...
...about the importance
of the industrial belts...
...and how we should work
to support and organize them.
Do you think they work in
parallel to the government,...
...or with the government?
A lot of people are scared
of the industrial belts.
Yes, we've actually been able
to feel that fear,...
...because we've seen how,
in the public services,...
...they are really terrified
about community participation.
You see no danger
in industrial belts?
Of course not.
I've got every confidence
in the people's intelligence.
People who are organized
are intelligent.
So how can you be afraid of
a people's organization?
The workers occupy hundreds
of factories all over the country.
Some of these industries
can be expropriated legally.
However, a great many of them
are in workers' hands...
...without any possibility
of legal support.
They are the first symptoms
that the State apparatus...
...is starting to be
overwhelmed by reality.
Later, they start to organize
"community commandos"...
...as another kind
of popular power.
These commandos unite all the
components of a commune,...
...that is, students,
housewives, workers,...
...neighbors and peasants.
Have you heard of
the community commandos?
Yes, I've heard
a lot about them.
They're very well organized.
We've got them here too.
They care a lot
about the workers,...
...especially now,
when we're going through...
...this revolutionary period.
What do you think of
the community commandos?
They are organizations
of ordinary people...
...which are fighting.
It's something in which
all the proletarian class...
...should be participating...
...because many proletarians
are mistaken,...
...and being fooled by people
who say there are shortages.
That's being done by the
right, by the bourgeoisie,...
...by U.S. imperialism and
the Chilean bourgeoisie.
None of them are fighting
for Chile.
We're fighting for Chile
and for equality for all,...
...so we can build
a socialism...
...which belongs to
the proletarian class.
What about
the community commandos?
I think that at this
particular moment...
...they are
the organic solution...
...to the problem
of provisioning,...
...and also to that of uniting
the proletarian class...
...in the communes
and the provinces,...
...both for a possible
civil w*r,...
...and the daily confrontation
which we must face,...
...and also for specific
solutions to things such as...
...hygiene, health, vigilance
against the bourgeoisie.
So what's needed there?
What's needed is
an organization...
...which can provide
guidance...
...for those sectors of the
class which are marginalized.
Today they are the most
expl*sive sectors,...
...the ones who are
really mobilizing...
...right across the country.
We are sending out a call
to all neighbors...
...to organize however
may be necessary...
...so that within
a short time,...
...with the leadership
of the working class,...
...with the leadership of the
Cerrillos industrial belt,...
...we may set up
the community commando,...
...which, tomorrow, will be power
for the proletarian class,...
...and won't be halted by
bourgeois institutionalism...
...or reactionary elements.
Power to the workers!
Comrades...
We have come to the center
of Maipú...
...because we understand...
...that a basic tool for the
task we have undertaken...
...is class alliance.
The alliance that will allow
us to overthrow the enemy...
...however powerful he is.
The alliance that will allow
us to halt imperialist action.
...carried out by its puppets
in Chile.
The alliance that
will allow us...
...to build and develop
popular power.
The alliance that
will allow us...
...to have the necessary
strength to take power.
In practice,
the community commandos...
...acquire real form
from specific actions.
In this case, workers
from the Cerrillos belt...
...and peasants from
the town of Maipú...
...decide to occupy by force...
... badly exploited
agricultural estates.
These lands could be one of
the main sources of provisions...
...for the capital.
Each neighboring factory
sends pickets...
...to support the action.
It's the first time
that urban workers...
...will take part
in a peasant mobilization.
This unitary action
sets out the true basis...
...of a communal commando.
In the early hours
of the morning,...
...brigades of peasants and
workers occupy the lands.
They set up permanent guard
at these key positions.
- May I ask you a question?
- All you want.
- What's your name?
- Luis Gilberto Jerez.
- And the estate's name?
- The "Santa Carolina" estate.
Why is it being occupied?
Because the owner didn't keep
his word to his workers,...
...to his employees.
The call went out and so
we decided to occupy it.
We're united because
we've come to help...
...our comrades here.
I'm on a committee which is
in charge of the estate.
I'm one of the founders
of that committee.
I strove for this.
I want our comrades
to strive as well,...
...for if we're united
we can throw out the bosses.
- Where do you work?
- In "Siam Di Tella".
- Where?
- "Siam Di Tella".
- So you work in industry.
- Yes, I run the Mackenna belt.
Why are you occupying
this estate?
It's necessary to unite...
...the working class
and the peasants,...
...in order to fight
the bosses together...
...because we've got
common problems...
...and we have to look for
a solution as a class.
How is the worker-peasant
union working here in Maipú?
I think it's the first
clear example...
...of how strong and effective
the worker-peasant union is.
We've taken estates,
with the support of workers...
...from the Cerrillos sector
and from Vicuña Mackenna.
The second step is to start
exploiting the lands.
They also set up
vigilance committees...
...to patrol the lands
day and night to prevent...
...reprisals by the owners.
The occupiers demand...
...that the law on agrarian
reform be applied,...
...and call on government
bureaucrats...
...to study the situation.
In short,
our comrades are still at the mercy...
...of the judicial powers,...
...with all these
eviction orders,...
...arrest warrants,...
...and trials for crimes
they've never committed,...
...but these can be avoided
with state intervention...
...and the assigning
of credits to the supervisor...
In general,
the agrarian reform law...
...allows the expropriation
of badly exploited lands.
But in this case,...
...the estate doesn't meet
the law's requirements.
This forces the peasants
to defend firmly...
...the validity of their initiative.
We don't lie,...
...and any comrade here
who is lying...
...is immediately rejected by us.
Why is that?
If we are asking for those estates,
it's for a reason.
If we were asking for ,
there'd be a reason.
Then there'll be some bit of
bureaucratic trickery...
...to try to delay things
and undermine us.
We're not going to accept
any of that.
Why not?
Because we don't lie.
They have to believe us.
If we're asking for those
estates,...
...we're asking because
our comrades...
...need to work
those estates.
We don't want someone from
the Agrarian Reform Office...
...turning up here
and trying to trick us.
We're not going
to accept that!
So it's clear, if we're
asking for estates,...
...there's a reason.
We're not lying or cheating to
be able to expropriate them.
We've got a reason for asking.
If we're saying they're badly
exploited, they are.
The owners, in turn, have
discovered a legal recourse...
...against the expropriations.
This resource is known as
"precautionary measures",...
...and entails protecting
the private property...
...for a period
set by the Courts.
As the Courts are controlled
by the right,...
...there are lands which could
take years to expropriate.
This recourse wrecks
the peasants' initiative.
Comrade, I ask you, what
possibilities would we have...
...if all the estates
to be appropriated...
...had these
"precautionary measures"?
How could we take possession
of them?
This isn't a secret
or anything.
The problem is,...
...the Corporation
for Agrarian Reform...
...has got lawyers
to defend it in court.
The problem now...
...is the struggle going on
in this country.
The Corporation is tied to a
law in order to expropriate.
The bosses have their lawyers,
and they invent defenses.
And you all know the problem
with the Courts.
CAR has got nothing to do with
the "precautionary measures".
It's out of all our hands.
So your question is important,
because some estates...
...may use those
"precautionary measures".
In that case, you'll have
to fight it in the Courts.
We have to occupy
all the estates...
But the peasants dare to
confront state bureaucracy...
...with all their energy.
Backed up by
the community commando,...
...the peasants submit
a government bureaucrat...
...to an authentic
people's court.
I don't want to waste time.
I want to work
and produce more.
That's our slogan.
I don't want to sit in an
office somewhere, smoking,...
...and doing paperwork.
I believe that if a person
isn't capable,...
...he should give up
his position.
If, for example,
some comrade tells me...
...that I'm no good at my job
as a leader,...
...then I would submit
my resignation,...
...and give my post to someone
who was more capable than I.
I think that if we say it
straight out to someone,...
...that person will know
how to defend himself.
But we're going
to apply pressure.
If someone is manipulating
things so he stays on,...
...we'll find away
to get him out of there.
No one in the Maipú commune
calls him comrade anymore,...
...because he hasn't resolved
a single problem...
...inside the Maipú estates.
And as the note says, we know
we're short of potatoes,...
...we're short of sugar,...
...short of all those things
the earth produces!
We know that we're short
of foodstuffs,...
...and the earth produces
all that.
We also know that
we're partly to blame...
...for the fact that
there's a food shortage.
That's why we want
to expropriate more land!
The reactionaries
have often said...
...that we're "the weak ones".
But we're showing them that
we're not weak at all.
We're producing food...
...because we know we have
to defend this cause of ours.
That's all I have to say.
Our comrade may have
something to say.
Yes, comrade. Firstly,
I'd like to say the following.
I'm in a post which,
as regards remuneration,...
...doesn't bring me anything.
I wanted to say that.
It's no cushy job.
But the main thing, comrades,
is that I believe,...
...and I'm being
self-critical here,...
...that I made the mistake
of trusting too much...
...in the Council's work.
That's a responsibility
which I have to accept.
I have to accept it, and I
should learn from it as well.
I admit that to you all.
Now, apart from that...
I think what you've said today
is very important,...
...because I believe that
I'm a revolutionary.
And when a revolutionary
thinks he's being...
...criticized...
...for a job which he thinks
he's doing well, but isn't,...
...that will undoubtedly
be a lesson to him,...
...and help improve his work.
If you want, we can talk about
all this at another time,...
...but I think you deserved
an explanation.
- I think...
- Comrade, may I speak?
As a committed revolutionary
and official,...
...you shouldn't be
clock watching on the job.
You should be committed to the
peasant masses and work more.
Let's create popular power!
Fighting and creating
popular power!
Let's create popular power!
Popular power also tackles
the problem...
...of the supply of food.
During ,
the U.S. boycott...
...and the strong internal opposition
have created the ideal climate...
...for the majority of storekeepers
to be against the government.
They make larger profits by
selling their goods illegally.
Even the small storekeeper...
...prefers to steer his
produce to the black market.
To combat this,
a "direct supply" system...
...is set up
in the working class areas.
We'll have our delegate
at the head,...
...and we'll set up our
distribution cooperative...
...for all the residents here.
We'll leave the storekeeper
isolated,...
...because, as our comrade
has said,...
...he's the origin
of the merchandise...
...that gets sent
to the black market.
So, we take responsibility
for ourselves.
We have to join up
with a delegate,...
...and form a cooperative
distribution center...
...for the people
who live here.
And the idea is to supply all
the necessities for a home.
To do that,
we must struggle,...
...and not give any more money
to the storekeeper,...
...for he got rich enough
at our cost.
So therefore, join together!
Let's all join together,
street by street.
We'll form a cooperative, and
do without the storekeeper!
Power to the workers!
So then,
when the people saw...
...that the supplies came directly
from the state distributor...
...and then directly to them,...
...they realized that many
problems were over for them.
So we call on
all the neighborhoods,...
...and we call on every
street to join up,...
...and discuss the problems
with its neighbors.
We want a "people's store"...
...where all the merchandise
will arrive...
...and people will be served.
We want to set up
a kind of supermarket.
That's what we want
to suggest,...
...and we want an answer from
them so that we can do it.
The most important thing...
...is the residents' organization.
At present, lots of places...
...have got a people's store,...
...and it's supplied by
different companies,...
...mainly by ones
that are state-run.
I'd even say, exclusively
by state-run companies.
So you have to ask for
an effort...
...from the residents
themselves.
The residents have to feel...
...that they've put something
into it themselves.
They have to feel
that they're responsible.
It hasn't been given to them,
they did it themselves.
The people's store eliminates
the commercial store.
Each area which decides
to create a store...
...appoints certain neighbors
to collect the merchandise.
This one?
The next one.
Clear the way, comrades.
We only want workers here.
Come on, stand back, comrades.
Where do I load this?
Is it for this truck?
What else is to be loaded?
Rice.
Onions.
Noodles.
Matches. Flour.
The food is supplied by the
National Distribution Company,
...DINAC, the only one
controlled by the government.
Although % of the
distribution business...
...is in the hands
of Allende's enemies,...
...this company manages to
serve the most urgent needs...
...of the working class areas.
The neighbors hire a truck...
...to transport the goods
to the selling point.
This operation is carried out
once a week.
It's : p.m.,
and you must understand...
...that other comrades have
to help us guard the store.
Anyone want to speak?
The women can stay
until : or : .
The men can come after that.
Comrades, tell me one thing.
Are you happy with
this direct supply?
Yes!
In ,
the people's stores...
...are feeding some ,
families in Santiago,...
...more than half
its total population.
In the different communes,
these stores...
...distribute available
products in an orderly way.
Semolina.
Five boxes of matches.
They get half a pound
of tea,...
...a pound of noodles,...
...and two pounds of rice...
...and ten pounds of sugar.
Each family group has a card
for collecting the goods.
This facilitates
distribution planning...
...and adherence
to official prices.
The store is run by
the residents' collective,...
...on the basis
of volunteer work.
How do you manage to work
in the people's store...
...and have a job
at the same time?
For example,...
...we're given
the merchandise...
...they give it to us...
...on a Saturday
or a Friday,...
...so we do the store on a
Saturday when I'm not working.
And when I can't go,
my wife goes,...
...with other women
from the neighborhood.
Is direct supply
"popular power"?
At the moment,
I think it is,...
...because we're seeing how,...
...with this business
of direct supply...
...we're uniting the masses
even more.
What do you think
of the present situation?
- It's very difficult.
- Why?
We can all see the reasons.
The government
said yesterday...
...that the ones who were
with Allende...
...told him to get tough.
But the government
can't get tough...
...because it doesn't have
a majority in Congress.
And that's the most
serious problem...
...that our comrade president
has at the present moment.
I'm going to defend
our government...
...because we know that it's
the people's government...
...and we have to defend it.
So that's why I say
that I'm not afraid,...
...because I've made
my mind up.
And I said to my wife,...
...You've got two children,
they're grown up.
You'll finish rearing them,...
...and if I have to die
for some reason,...
...I want to die
defending our cause,...
...as a worker,...
...and because we've been
exploited all our lives.
Let's create popular power!
Throughout , the seeds
of popular power...
...spread across
the whole country.
Power to the workers!
Let's create popular power!
Meanwhile, in the centers
of production...
...which are in
government hands,...
...other kinds of popular
power appear.
In the saltpeter mines, the
problem of worker control...
...becomes a kind
of popular power.
Going beyond
the vindictive fight,...
...people want more
transparency...
...and more efficiency.
If, at this moment, there's
an imperialist blockade...
...and we don't receive raw
material or spare parts,...
...what do we have to do
in industry?
We have to plan production,...
...and provide organization
and good administration...
...for the repair shops
and for the foundries.
Without repair shops,...
...you can't have industrial
development in this country.
At this moment, the repair
shops are the heart...
...which can keep the rest of
the industry's machinery...
...alive and functioning...
...because the comrades here
make spare parts.
These comrades invent the
spare parts that we need.
They make them for us!
The worker doesn't understand
intellectual abstractions.
The worker is fed up
with listening to words.
The demands which our comrade
made are very serious.
What is he demanding?
Objectives, goals at work.
What is he demanding?
A rational administration...
...of the repair shop,...
...with production plans.
We can't carry on with little
workshops in each section...
...because that means
a lack of administration...
...and a division of resources.
And this qualified workforce
will get tired and leave.
The comrades will get
disillusioned.
There is no comrade here
who supports fascism.
They're all workers,...
...and they all have
a great workers' awareness.
This is one of the things
we've made here,...
...because there's a blockade
on importation.
What we're seeing here are...
...circuit breakers which were
made in the foundry here.
We used to import these, but
as you and everyone know,...
...there's a blockade...
...so we have to start
making the parts.
Now that we're in this
situation...
...where we're being blockaded
by imperialism,...
...we're ready and determined
to fulfill our government's plan,...
...to produce more, to find
the solution to the problems here.
Why? So we can make all the
spare parts the industry needs.
"Machinas" are the workers'
answers...
...to the challenge of
problems that arise.
They call them "machinas".
This is a "machina".
You see? We took two big ends
and made a new one out of them.
What's it for?
- For the locomotives in the mine.
- How old are they?
These are from .
There aren't any parts for them.
In both the state-run mines
and factories,...
...the people want less
bureaucracy...
...and more participation.
This opens a debate
on the limitations...
...of the "peaceful road"
towards socialism.
In practice, the struggle
for participation...
...becomes an analysis
of reality.
Right, comrades.
Popular Unity has been
governing for two years,...
...and specifically
in this company...
...there has been no real,
effective participation.
Why has there been no real,
effective participation...
...and what has happened
as a result?
Worker participation
is a political problem.
Through participation,...
...workers will be able
to break...
...the capitalist structures
of the companies.
Because this company still
has a capitalist structure...
...within its organization.
We're not in possession
of power.
We're in possession
of the government.
And the companies which are
within this government...
...also suffer the consequences
of these contradictions...
...within the political process.
So participation will break
the capitalist structures...
...and help the workers set up
new organizations...
...in this transition
to socialism.
That means the workers
must plan,...
...they must study, and they
must organize the company.
So participation is planning,
it's knowledge,...
...and it's studying
the company from within.
At the moment,...
Molino can grind, every day,
, cartloads of nitrate.
But unfortunately,
it's grinding or cartloads,...
...which isn't in accordance
with the production plans...
...which have been set out
for that section.
Serious problems?
Problems in the mine.
Problems in the production
sector.
They've got no residue,
and they've got no carts.
But there are old carts
dumped in the warehouse.
According to the workers and
the production committees,...
...out of those carts...
...they can make two good carts
from three bad ones.
The workers have suggested
this as a possible solution.
They took it to
the Departmental Committee,...
...and they either get
a negative reply...
...or no reply at all.
So how can we say that the
worker is participating...
...if, when he suggests
a way to solve a problem...
...and increase production,
it's rejected?
I think that the only solution
to this problem,...
...the problem of acquisitions,...
...of spare parts that don't arrive,
of salaries,...
...is for the workers to have
direct control of production.
We're doing the producing,...
...and we must control
the whole company.
It's hard, but it can be done.
A lot of companies
have achieved...
...direct control of production.
We thought that maybe
there should be...
...an Administration Committee
for each important plant.
The whole problem
of participation...
...is being discussed.
Comrades, I therefore
consider...
...that the union leaders
should participate...
...because they will know...
...the industry's
economic conditions.
And that would be essential...
...in order to be able to give
the economic conditions...
...to the workers
with all the facts...
...and not be fighting
for fighting's sake...
...without really knowing
what's going on.
When we say that Chile has
a bourgeois capitalist state,...
...let's remember the High
Court which fires ministers,...
...and let's remember
the Legislative Power...
...which passes laws
against the workers.
And not just that.
It's also on a w*r footing,...
...in a seditious way,
against the popular government.
So what should the workers'
participation be?
The planning of the economy
via a direct participation...
...in which they elect
the workers' participants...
...by a wide vote,...
...as is done now
in a democratic way.
And what should the unions do?
What they've always done
throughout history.
They should defend
the working class...
...and push for the destruction
of the bourgeois state...
...as a revolutionary tool
sewing its class.
The workers' unease is shared
by some company managers.
The contradictions in
the process of changes...
...are laid bare in the daily
work of these officials.
This is a revolutionary process,
but not a revolution.
And this isn't
a proletarian state yet.
This is a bourgeois
capitalist state.
And this is a nationalized
company within that state...
...which hasn't changed.
Now, the problem for
the workers here...
...isn't having to work
hours a day.
The problem is having to work
hours when,...
...in terms of power or
decision making capacity,...
...things haven't
really changed.
You can...
You can...
...ask it of the workers,...
...demand a greater awareness
from them,...
...but you can appeal
to the workers' awareness...
...if you give them answers.
But a new aspect
has now appeared,...
...at the level
of the section worker,...
...within this nationalized
company.
The lack of raw materials and
spare parts in the section...
...is threatening to limit
the wage to a daily rate,...
...because the bonus is
directly linked to production.
For example, the welder
goes to his section.
He's got work to do,
and he's keen to work.
He can't do it,
he's got no soldering iron.
And the only solution we can
give at present,...
...with the characteristics
we announced,...
...is precisely
by planning supplies.
We have to plan transport.
If there's a strike by the
truck owners tomorrow,...
...and the fish trucks are
stuck in Antofagasta,...
...the fish will rot because
we've got no means of transport.
We have to plan means of
transport and of distribution.
What have we done
about it here?
We've taken over
bakeries, food stores,...
...canteens, hospitals,
guesthouses.
Because food is distributed
through those organizations.
The problem is
extremely serious.
We are nationalized companies.
It's true.
We can impose organization,...
...and we can set out some
planning lines,...
...but we come up against
the big contradiction.
The character of the state...
...is the same.
We are nationalized areas
within the structure...
...of a bourgeois
capitalist state...
...where the means
of oppression...
...are still in the hands
of the bourgeoisie.
The government must
provide an answer...
...to our supply needs,
so we can plan ahead,...
...with the means
which the government controls.
How can you plan
in this situation?
I'm not saying things
will be resolved %.
But it's possible...
...to come up with
an alternative answer.
We can't just sit back,
and fold our arms,...
...and let the corpse of imperialism
pass in front of the house.
We have to move ahead
and go on the offensive,...
...and gradually take power
with the masses,...
...guaranteeing it
with the masses.
We can't continue delegating
the class problem...
...to executives, mayors,
ministers, parliamentarians.
The right has a great
advantage over us.
They imprison the executives,
accuse the mayors,...
...question the ministers.
And I've just learned
that last week...
...they jailed the Secretary
of State, Aníbal Palma.
So are we going to carry on?
What do we want?
We've got % of the vote.
There's absolutely no chance
that we'll ever get %.
It's impossible.
We must take advantage
of the moment...
...of the ascent
of the masses,...
...to mobilize them
for class objectives.
In the middle of ,...
...the impatience of some
popular sectors increases.
In the more aggressive
workplaces,...
...some workers are discussing
some basic problems...
...of the transition
to socialism.
Just now, I see that people
are questioning...
...the Constitution
and legality.
And if the working classes
are questioning...
...the Judicial Power,...
...the Constitution
and the government,...
...that means we are
entering the stage...
...of the taking of power.
Because some things
are no longer valid.
We have the industrial belts.
The growing popular power is
surpassing the State itself.
The existing institutions
are of no use to us anymore.
They can't fulfill their role.
So the workers are providing
new institutions,...
...because our class must use
the government apparatus now...
...to crush the other class,...
...the one which
always crushed us.
Let the boot be
on the other foot now.
A key feature of popular power
is that it opens...
...a new horizon of political
development for the masses.
This initiates a critical
process within the left.
Many people sense
a tragic ending...
...given the impossibility...
...of President Allende
continuing to advance.
Tell me, comrade,
what must be done?
Look, we're living through
a very difficult time.
It's really
a very difficult time.
We must have a real clean-out,
from top to bottom!
If the government can't shake
off certain commitments,...
...it's going to be liquidated.
The government has got
no alternative...
...but to take things in hand.
Take things in hand.
The government has to do that,
and clean up the country.
It's for the homeland.
The homeland remains,
we'll all pass on.
We'll reach such a delicate
moment, there'll be a crisis.
Tell me, comrade.
Do you thank that it's time
for a firm hand?
This is our opportunity.
It's now or never.
The enemy is extremely
well-prepared.
And he won't give us
any respite.
Now is our chance to do it.
We have to do it now or never.
Because the enemy knows
what's in store for him.
He knows that he'll never
get back what he's lost,...
...and he's like the devil.
We'll keep on going, comrade.
See you, comrade.
- We'll be seeing you.
- I hope so.
We have to make it,
it's now or never.
We'll keep going, comrade.
See you, comrade.