Camilo Valenzuela

Camilo Valenzuela was a brigadier general on active duty in the Chilean army in October 1970 and the leader of the second group of officers, with that of General Roberto Viaux, plotting to remove the army commander, General René Schneider, and prevent the inauguration of Salvador Allende.¹

The CIA dealt with him through the American army attaché, Paul Wimert. On October 18 the Santiago station asked headquarters for "three .45 calibre machine guns (grease guns) with 500 rounds of ammo each." Headquarters, shipping them by diplomatic pouch, cabled: "Will continue make effort provide them but find our credulity stretched by Navy officer leading his troops with sterile guns. What is special purpose for these guns? We will try send them whether you can provide explanation or not." Tear gas grenades first meant for Viaux were given to the officers instead, because it was "important that the attache credibility with Armed Forces officers be strengthened." A cable of October 19 set out the plan to abduct Schneider and fly him to Argentina and recorded 50,000 dollars pledged to the group. The station reported: "Military will not admit involvement in Schneider's abduction which is to be blamed on leftists." Headquarters had written three days earlier of "great and continuing interest in the activities of Tirado, Canales, Valenzuela, et al, and we wish them optimum good fortune."¹²³

Ambassador Edward Korry had earlier met Valenzuela to promote a plan under which Congress would ratify the runner-up, Jorge Alessandri, who would form a military cabinet and resign, leaving the army to oversee a new election. On October 14 Wimert was instructed: "High authority in Washington has authorized you to offer material support short of armed intervention to Chilean Armed Forces in any endeavors they may undertake to prevent the election of Allende on October 24." Under the plan of October 19, Schneider was to be seized leaving an army dinner, President Eduardo Frei would resign, and one of Valenzuela's aides would head a military government and dissolve Congress. Viaux was to carry out the abduction "using a small group of extreme right-wing civilians so that the crime could not be traced to the Chilean armed forces." When the second attempt failed on October 20, Hecksher reported: "We know that Gen. Valenzuela was involved" but "cannot prove or disprove that execution of attempt against Schneider was entrusted to elements linked with [Viaux]." After the shooting the agency's log recorded that "the die has been cast" and that "General Valenzuela has assumed control of Santiago Province." Kissinger wrote in his memoirs that the agency's men in Chile "felt they were free to continue with the second plotters, of whom the White House was unaware."⁴⁵

Schneider was shot on October 22 by Viaux's men with their own handguns. Wimert recovered the guns and the money and dropped the guns in the sea at Viña del Mar. A Chilean military court found that Valenzuela and Viaux "had been in contact throughout the coup plotting" and sentenced Valenzuela to three years in exile "for taking part in the conspiracy."¹²