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

incipient American nations. On July 20, 1864, one of my country's great thinkers and jurists, Deputy José Victorino Lastarria, presented a bill to the Chamber of Deputíes that was approved by a large majority in parliament, stating: "The Republic of Chile does not recognize acts of intervention or governments established by virtue of such intervention, even when this be requested, as being according to American international law". The eminent Mexican writer, jurist and diplomatic Luis Quintanilla acknowledges the virtue of the Lastarria doctrine that, I repeat. is a law in my country, when he states that it is "a precious antecedent of all that is most dear to us in the American community". In May 1936, in the presence of a mere announcement that a Latin American govern– ment was seeking the support of the Central American countries in requesting the United States to intervene in that country, because of alterations ofthe internal order, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Mr. Miguel Cruchaga Tocornal, addressed a circular cable to the American governments stating: "Jhough no doubt the governments ofthe Un ited States and of the requested republics are far from wishing to violate the agreement reached in Montevideo after a lengthy pan-American diplomatic process, I consider it essential to indicate our deep surprise at that initiative, our protest on it, and our determination not to omit whatever action we may consider appropriate to avoid thus compromising the general interests and higher advisabilities of all the American republics." And to recall more recent facts, what was my country's position and that of the American states in the presence of the United States armed intervention in Dominican territory in 1965? That of rejecting it, even though it was invoked that it had been requested by the Government of the sister republic. Moreover, Mr. Chairman, if the event in Chile had not constituted a crime, it is obvious that it would not have been necessary either for the Chilean Government nor for the Cuban Government, the Soviet Government and the Czech Government. to have acted under cover of clande3tine, secret operations whose conse– quences have not been totally exhibited yel. To maintain the theory therefore, that the activities carried out in my country by the Government of Cuba, in the period between September 1970 and September 1973, have some gleam of legitimacy capable of attenuating them, is to embrace the doctrine so galiantly exposed·to the world by the Soviet Union in August 1968, and which the Commu– nist Party of Chile was the first in proclaiming: "Czechoslovakia requested the aid of the Soviet Government and of its army". One last remark, Mr. Chairman, Messrs. Representatives: From all the information that I have provided and from this lengthy statement, I deduce that the roles appearto be inverted here, inasmuch as the burden of evidence should not fall on the Government of Uruguay or on my own, or on others that may wish to point out the obstinacy of the Castro regime in backing insurrection and armed violence by all means. The weight of evidence should be the exclusive responsibility of those who have decided that the prisoner be pardoned. However, my government believes it has fully met its duty. Let the friendly govern– ments, and even those who have not shown sufficient understanding and who have not reciprocated the affection we have always had for them, be warned with the evidence and close relation of events, of what has been my country's via crucis, and the danger such events involve. Chile, strengthened by its bitter and painful experience, offers it to you without reti– cence or duplicity, alien to its nature, Messrs. Representatives. "Truth fades away in the presence of lies or silence", in Cicero's words. We have not hidden the truth with inexact information of any kind, and we have not become accomplices by keeping silent. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. 107