On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Coup d’état in Chile, General (r) Ricardo Martínez Menanteau, former Commander-in-Chief of the Army, shared his views on one of the darkest moments in Chilean history and the responsibility that falls on General Augusto Pinochet.
In an interview with Radio Cooperativa, General Martínez was clear in stating that “the responsibility for everything that happened lies with the commander in chief at the time, General Augusto Pinochet.” With more than 46 years of service in the Army, his statement carries considerable weight and an insider’s perspective.
General Martínez emphasized the importance of command responsibilities in a hierarchical structure like the Army. He pointed out that when events of the magnitude of the Coup d’état occur, it is difficult to ignore the influence and decision-making of military leaders. He emphasized that, in a structure as vertical as the Army, actions can be stopped almost immediately if so decided.
One of the bleakest examples of the Pinochet dictatorship that Martínez mentioned was the “Caravan of Death,” a procession that left close to a hundred dead throughout the country. He explained how junior non-commissioned officers received orders to carry out executions, believing that they were the product of a court martial, although it was later discovered that this was not the case. This incident sheds light on the chain of command and responsibility in the horrors of that time.
In addition to pointing out Pinochet’s responsibility, General Martínez highlighted that various political actors also had an influence on the breakdown of democracy in 1973. He maintained that the political situation was so tense that many of these actors actively sought the Coup d’état and put pressure on the military barracks to carry it out.
In a revealing tidbit, Martínez mentioned that Augusto Pinochet became involved in planning the coup only 36 hours before its execution, suggesting the speed and tension with which these crucial decisions were made.
Lastly, General Martínez ruled out the existence of silence pacts at an institutional level in the Army regarding the whereabouts of the disappeared detainees. However, he did admit that there could be agreements between specific individuals related to events of the past.
In summary, General Martínez’s statements shed light on the complexity of the events that led to the Coup d’état in Chile and underscore the need to continue seeking truth and justice in relation to this dark chapter in the country’s history.
