[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 20 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 20

Recognizing the decades-long effort of pro-democracy forces in Chile to 
  end the dictatorship and restore civilian governance in the country.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 21, 2023

 Mr. Sanders (for himself, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Merkley, and Mr. 
   Cardin) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the decades-long effort of pro-democracy forces in Chile to 
  end the dictatorship and restore civilian governance in the country.

Whereas nations around the world are confronting the challenge of strengthening 
        the institutions of democracy against the dire threat of 
        authoritarianism;
Whereas Chile is a strategic partner of the United States, and the bilateral 
        relationship, which includes cooperation on economic, environmental, 
        defense, and human rights issues, is predicated on a shared commitment 
        to democratic values, including absolute respect for free and fair 
        elections;
Whereas Chile is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the bloody military coup 
        d'etat of September 11, 1973;
Whereas, as part of that commemoration, the Congress of Chile has overwhelmingly 
        passed a resolution requesting the declassification of United States 
        records related to the coup and its aftermath;
Whereas, after the democratic election of the Popular Unity Party candidate, 
        Salvador Allende, in September 1970, according to reports in 1975 by the 
        United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations 
        with Respect to Intelligence Activities, President Richard Nixon ordered 
        the Central Intelligence Agency to ``make the economy scream'' and 
        covertly block the inauguration of Allende through instigation of a 
        military coup, an operation that led to the assassination of the pro-
        constitution commander in chief of the army of Chile, General Rene 
        Schneider, in a failed kidnapping attempt supported by the Central 
        Intelligence Agency;
Whereas, under the supervision of then-national security adviser Henry 
        Kissinger, the Central Intelligence Agency continued its efforts to 
        foster a ``coup climate'' in Chile and, in Kissinger's own words to 
        Nixon, ``created the conditions as great as possible'' for the military 
        takeover;
Whereas the United States provided active support, including assistance from the 
        Central Intelligence Agency, for the creation of the repressive 
        intelligence directorate of Chile;
Whereas then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told coup leader General Augusto 
        Pinochet in a private meeting, ``We want to help, not undermine you. You 
        did a great service to the West in overthrowing Allende.'';
Whereas the rampant human rights violations committed by the military regime of 
        Pinochet led to an estimated 40,000 people tortured and more than 3,000 
        killed, including the murder of United States citizens in Chile and 
        targeted assassinations of political opponents in the United States; and
Whereas the United States Congress played a critical role in bringing to light 
        the atrocities committed by the Pinochet regime against the Chilean 
        people, and growing congressional awareness of the role of the United 
        States in the 1973 coup and ongoing United States support for the 
        Pinochet regime led to the creation in 1977 of what is now the Bureau of 
        Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the Department of State, charged 
        with the mission of ensuring the centrality of human rights in United 
        States foreign policy: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes the decades-long effort of the pro-democracy 
        forces of Chile that, with support from human rights movements 
        in the United States and around the world, ended the 
        dictatorship and restored civilian governance in Chile;
            (2) applauds the Chilean people for rebuilding a strong and 
        resilient democracy against the forces of authoritarianism;
            (3) expresses profound regret for the United States 
        contribution to destabilizing Chile's political institutions 
        and constitutional processes and for United States assistance 
        in the consolidation of the repressive military dictatorship of 
        General Pinochet, and believes that full accountability 
        requires a full accounting in the form of disclosure and 
        declassification of remaining United States records relating to 
        events leading up to, during, and after the military coup of 50 
        years ago;
            (4) will continue to engage with the Chilean people to 
        participate in truth and reconciliation efforts and continue 
        the shared bilateral commitment to strengthen democratic 
        government institutions confronted with the current and ever-
        changing threats against democracy around the world; and
            (5) emphasizes that support for human rights is and should 
        remain a key pillar of United States foreign policy everywhere 
        in the world.
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