On September 11, 1973

[Taverner]

President Salvador Allende of Chile died in a revolt led by army leaders.

One report says the 64-year-old leader committed suicide rather than surrender to the commanders of the armed forces and the paramilitary police.

Air Force planes attacked the presidential palace with rockets and bombs and tanks opened fire after President Allende rejected an initial demand for his resignation.

General Augusto Pinochet, the Chilean Commander-in-Chief and a member of the military junta, appointed himself the new President. His Cabinet was made up almost entirely of military men.

General Pinochet's regime was characterised of sending a "Caravan of Death" military squad throughout Chile to execute political prisoners, the most notorious of alleged abuses during Pinochet's 13-year rule. Pinochet has denied responsibility for the deaths. The alleged executions are among an estimated 3,200 killings of political opponents during Pinochet's dictatorship

The CIA has released thousands of secret documents relating to covert operations in Chile before and during the period of military rule there. Among the 16,000 documents is a CIA memorandum confirming US funded attempts to undermine the government of Salvador Allende.