Chile: the balanced view : a recopilation of articles about the Allende years and after

unusual case of our customs being required to register hundreds of Cuban diplomatic passports carried by the complete gamut of terrorists protected by Cuba. AII the facts pointed out confirm the words of professor James D. Theberge, who asserted two years ago that the :::mbassy of Cuba in Santiago, Chile, was now the main focus for revolutionary operatioils in South America. Chile, he said, has become the guerrilla center that previously operated in Havana; and, since North Korea established diplomatic relations with Chile, the North Korean guerrilla training mission that operated in Cuba has been transferred to Chile. USE OF THE COMPAÑIA CUBANA DE AVIACION FOR THE ILLEGALENTRY OF ARMS INTO CHILE . Cubana de Aviación was the road taken to make a Castro armed bulwark out of Chile. Besides the regular flights, there were many other clandestine ones intended todeceive the vig ilance of the mil itary intell igence services. These services had detected that sinée 1971 Cuban airplanes were introducing Soviet and Czechoslovakian weapons into Chile. These operations were carried out as secretly as possible and, for that purpose, a structure of unconditional customs officials was established. But a fine day came when a customs official could not be bribed, and he disclosed the first thread of this entangled affair. For the first time, the methods used by the Government of Cuba became publicly evident in that incident known to all Chileans as "The affair of the Cuban boxes". The Director General de Investigaciones of the Government of Chile, Eduardo Pare– des, returned to Santiago from Cuba on a Cubana de Aviación scheduled flight on March 11, 1972. It was established that with Paredes came an indeterminate assortment of boxes that were not legally unloaded through customs and that, according to what was first stated, contained presents that the Prime Minister of Cuba was sending to Dr. Allende. In view of reactions on this matter, on March 16 the Chamber of Deputies agreed to request the Supreme Court of Justice and the Comptroller General ofthe Republic to open the corresponding investigations, in order to ascertain the accuracy of the denunciations niade, tile nature of the boxes introduced, and the responsibility deriving from these facts. As we have seen, the original statement by government authorities cJaimed that the boxes contained presents sentto Allende by Castro. Even if this were the case, it would not justify removing those boxes from inspection and customs procedures that are legally compulsory. Subsequently, members of the Government of Chile itself, coarsely cóntradic– ting themselves, indicated that they contained Cuban paintings intended for an exhibition to be held in Santiago. The Comptroller General of the Republic asked Dr. Allende for a statement on this matter. Allende replied that he had in fact received nine crates containing presents sent to him by Fidel Castro, which were now to be found in his home. This occurred on April 11, 1972, that is to say, exactly one month after the bundles had arrived. Once the corresponding investigation was closed, it was established that at least nine wooden crates had arrived with Paredes, that were not declared or legally entered into the country. It was likewise ascertained that coercion had been applied in compelling customs officials into intioducing those boxes without meeting necessary requirements. These facts originated a political trial by the National Congress which agreed to dismiss the Minister of the Interior, Hemán del Canto, from office. Both the Supreme Court of Justice, through a Special Investigating Justice, and the Comptroller General ofthe Republic, established the culpability of Del Canto and Paredes. It is interesting to point out that, according to statements by material witnesses that .are included in the doeuments that I shall submit to the Chairman, the erates in question were wooden and were 1 meter and 20 centimeters long, 60 eentimeters wide and 50 centimeters 101