Portside

Henry Kissinger's quote recently released by Wikileaks, "the illegal we do immediately; the unconstitutional takes a little longer," likely brought a smile to his legions of elite media, government, corporate and high society admirers. Oh that Henry! That rapier wit! That trademark insouciance! That naughtiness! It is unlikely, however, that the descendants of his more than 6 million victims in Indochina share in the amusement.

The historical record documents the darker side of Kissinger’s controversial tenure in power: his role in the overthrow of democracy and the rise of dictatorship in Chile; disdain for human rights; support for dirty, and even genocidal, wars abroad..

Fifty years after the military coup that brought down Salvador Allende and installed the Pinochet dicatorship, there are still top secret documents on the US role that must be declassified.

The documented U.S. role in the months, days and hours before the overthrow of Chilean President Salvador Allende. Nixon and Kissinger commiserated over the fact that they wouldn’t receive laudatory credit in the media for Allende’s demise.

The question of where Chile’s true identity lies becomes ever more pressing as the fiftieth anniversary of Pinochet’s coup approaches.

Chile’s government has announced its much-anticipated plan to search for the victims of forced disappearance and political execution under Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, which began with a coup 50 years ago next month.

Reader Comments: Racist Gun Violence Fueled by MAGA; March on Washington, Chicano Moratorium; GOP "Debate"; Capital Destruction and Maui; Hollywood Runs on Low Pay; Dolly Parton - The Book Lady; 50th Anniversary of Chile Coup; Cartoons; more....

Reader Comments: Trump Indictment; Killing Blacks a Growth Industry; David Byrne Relents-Musical to Have Live Orchestra; Readers Respond: “People’s Media” Network; Crypto Currency; 10 Years of Fight for $15; Eddie Kay Way-Street Naming Ceremony; more

Kissinger is having an extended birthday month. It has also been a month of outstanding watchdog reporting — including new revelations about previously untold mass killings Kissinger was responsible for in Cambodia.

Reader Comments: Why I voted no on the McCarthy agreement; Supreme Court rulings; Henry Kissinger; Ukraine War; UPS Ready To Strike; Karl Marx’s Critics; Wealthiest Billionaire in Each State; Bill Fletcher's New Novel; Cartoons; more....