Before the rubble: Britain’s secret propaganda offensive in Chile (1960-1973)

ABSTRACT On 11 September 1973, a military coup was successfully launched against Chilean President Salvador Allende. British-made Hawker Hunter jets were used to attack the Chilean presidential palace, and the British government’s swift recognition of Augusto Pinochet caused outrage across the country. A solidarity campaign was launched to oppose the junta, and industrial action was taken to limit the sale of arms to Chile. While Britain’s support of Pinochet is well known, British covert action in Chile prior to the coup is not. This study will use recently declassified documents to demonstrate how, between 1960 and 1973, a secretive propaganda unit within the Foreign Office sought to prevent, and later weaken, an Allende presidency. The unit, named the Information Research Department (IRD), distributed strategically valuable information in order to damage Allende or legitimise his political opponents. Within this propaganda offensive, the IRD collaborated with the US government by sharing intelligence and assisting a CIA offshoot. Private IRD discussions suggest that this policy was guided by a geopolitical desire to keep Latin America on the ‘right side’ of the Cold War. British intervention in Chile will be contextualised by an analysis of the IRD’s furtive march into Latin America after 1949.