The "knight in shining armour suit in which US President Ford rode into the White House has started to go rusty at the joints.
ident Nixon, despite all the various crimes he committed while in office. Then came inside reports that Ford, far from being the new broom" that he likes to advertise himseit as, was totally dependent on the very team of advisers that Nixon had put together to run his operation.
In order to try and block such criticisms, Ford decided to get rid of his White House Chiel of Stuff, General Haig (who had previously been a big wheel in the Nixon machinel To the dismay of America's European allies, Haig was kicked upstairs as the new military chief of an already tottering NATO.
LH Aid Gilhe to the arm a able to guess that the liS delberately worked to create poltical and economic chaos in Chile in order to bring about the downfall of President Allende and his Popular Unity Government It appears that the CIA was allocated First came Ford's sudden announce- million) between 1963 and 1970 to make ment of a total pardon for former Pres- sure that Allende didn't win the elections. When these plans were scotched in 1970 with the victory of Popular Unity, Amencan policy makers seemed unsure about What to do next.
Afterall, in most parts of the world the LS props up corrupt dictatorships which don't bother about such niceries This allows the Amrican to tart these regimes up as lighters for the tree world", and depict those who light for the interests of the workers and peasants as "onernies of democracy" But there was no denying the result of the Chilean election.
Howerer, il some veteran US plorters and schemers hesitated, there was wety adviser. Henry Kissueer (later to take charge of toreen afluits as Secre tary of State, a post he stil holds under Kissinger seems to have raken the ChilSo Kissinger took direct charee of the When Chile's cconomic difficulties pro Popular Unity Govertment, the CIA moved in to take advantage of them. For example, vast sons of money were made avalabit lo bolster the two banonal strices of lorn CHARE RAMAGOL BAEM CHEAD ment in the year before its downfall At the same time US military aid to the Chilean army was actualls micrenzed and we can he sure that more than a fea NICE SINOME WEE CHERISHII.
All of this took place under cover of complete sporecy, Even official commiloes of the Senate and Conpress were told hure-faced lies when they attempted to NOTHING NEW This horrific tale of how the US Govcument deliberately and determinedly worked to bring about the situstion which resulted in the deaths of thousends of saw workes a socialst Instants and pave birth to the present brutal regime which rules the country, certaiitly involves a far groater crime then any of those un covered during Waterpate, But we can like the same response in US ruling circles President Ford has alrendy placed himself turmis in the broach behind secretary of State Kissinger with his unbelievably arrogant statement that US actions in Chile 'were in the best intercats of the Chilean people*.
Of course, there is nothing really new about the Chile operations. Such moth ods have been the mainstay of LS imper salism. But Watergate was something more c it was an attempt to appiy thes same methods in a political conflict with in the US ruling class itself. Such a viol ation of the bounds of class solidarity was a threat to the unity of the ruling cinss and had to be stopped promptly.
But there is no chance that the US im perialist war machine will change its spots. It will remain a blood thirsty man-eater until it is destroyed by the combined actions 0f the American working class and the world-wide anti-imperialist struggle. CHRIS BALFOUR LIVERPOOL RED BOOKS: Revolutionar literature Marx, Lenin, Trotsky, Eastern