| Subject: ID 176-182 |
Author:
Jennifer Lee
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Date Posted: 13:36:14 05/20/02 Mon
In reply to:
Dylan
's message, "ID Stuff" on 08:09:51 05/11/02 Sat
Gustavo Leigh: General Leigh was commander of the Chilean air force and one of the original junta members. He became commander of the air force about a month before the coup. He was most articulate, visible, and hard line member. Leigh clashed with Pinochet, opposing his attempts to gain further power. On July 28, 1978, five years after the coup, Leigh was forcibly and illegally removed from office, allowing Pinochet to consolidate power further and guarantee his permanence and dominance.
José Merino: Admiral Merino was the acting commander of the Chile’s navy at the time of the coup and was also a member of the junta. Like Leigh, he took office shortly before the coup. The navy was the leading section of military in organizing the coup. He supported Pinochet in removing Leigh.
César Mendoza: Mendoza of the carabineros was the final junta member and a sixth-ranking general at the time of the coup. The defection of the carabineros was significant for they were a well-armed paramilitary force, who could have seriously challenged the coup’s organizers. Mendoza’s lower ranking left him unprepared after coup; consequently he did not have any candidates for the influential position of interior minister, which went to General Bonilla of the army. Mendoza resigned from the junta after 14 carabinero officials were indicted for the murder of three Communist members 12 year after the coup (foreshadowing of political transition).
Oscar Bonilla :Army general and one of chief coup plotters in the army. He was next in line for army service commander behind Pinochet. After the coup, he was appointed Minister of the Interior, a leader position in the cabinet, but was later moved to post of defense minister. Bonilla was also an enemy and opponent of Conteras, the DINA head. Bonilla died mysteriously in a helicopter crash that reeked of sabotage.
Rodolfo Strange: General Strange replaced General Mendoza, as commander of the carabineros and junta member. He acted more independently, thereby tipping the balance of power in the Junta away from Pinochet. He instituted reforms within the carabineros, reducing human rights abuses.
Nelson Morales Leal: Morales was a corporal within the army patrolling central Santiago after the coup. He servers as an example of what many army foot soldiers faced. His stories showed how it was increasingly difficult to tell who was a leftist vs rightist, how neighbors ratted out each other as communists, and how people were beaten and abused indiscriminately. After being fed up with his orders and conduct, he had himself arrested and removed from the military, like some officers.
cuidadores de autos: “Car-minders” helped the rich park their cars for a small tip. They illustrate Chile’s widening gap in the distribution of wealth and the increasing unemployment under the Pinochet regime. Also, they illustrate Chile’s increase in importing foreign goods and the increase in the middle class’s ability to attain such goods without an actual improvement in the industrial industry.
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