Washington, Dec 26 (NationPress) Half a century ago, the US Congress conducted its inaugural public hearing regarding covert CIA activities aimed at dismantling a foreign government, specifically focusing on Chile.

Senator Frank Church, a Democrat from Idaho, spearheaded this hearing, emphasizing the necessity for “the American public to understand and evaluate the actions taken by their government in Chile.”

Church articulated that the aim was to illuminate “the nature and scope of the American involvement in the toppling of a democratically elected government in Chile.” He described it as an issue of “profound and ongoing public interest.”

Simultaneously, Church's Senate committee published an extensive report titled “Covert Action in Chile, 1963–1973,” which utilized Top Secret CIA documents.

The findings indicated that US covert actions in Chile were “widespread and ongoing” throughout the decade. Initially, the CIA sought to prevent Socialist leader Salvador Allende from securing the presidency, and after his election, the focus shifted to undermining his administration.

The committee cautioned about the significant repercussions of covert operations, asserting that they should only be employed against “serious threats to the national security of the United States,” concluding that “it is far from evident that this was the case in Chile.”

Newly released documents on this anniversary unveil attempts by the Ford administration to obstruct the investigation.

When Congress requested State Department communications, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger instructed aides to deny access, saying, “Shift it to the White House and let them refuse it,” as noted in a confidential transcript.

For several months, response delays were attributed to staff shortages by the White House, CIA, and State Department. CIA Director William Colby later remarked, “The White House directed us not to cooperate. They simply didn’t want to provide documents.”

The White House claimed executive privilege over crucial records, including National Security Council meeting notes from November 6, 1970, shortly after Allende's inauguration.

Handwritten notes by CIA Director Richard Helms from that meeting were withheld, documenting President Richard Nixon’s directive: “If there's a way to eliminate A[llende], we should pursue it.”

Kissinger also kept transcripts of his conversations with Nixon and Helms under wraps. These “telcons” could have illuminated his influence on US policy concerning Chile.

Additionally, the CIA withheld evidence of $35,000 in “hush money” paid to those involved in the murder of Chilean army commander Gen. Rene Schneider, as detailed by the committee.

As the investigation approached its conclusion, President Gerald Ford intervened, suggesting that a separate report on assassination plots remain classified.

On November 1, 1975, Ford signed a decision memo opposing public hearings on Chile, warning that such hearings would “set a precedent” and have “a devastating impact” on future covert collaborations.

CIA Director Colby later sought a compromise, meeting with Church and Senator Charles Mathias over an informal dinner, proposing to limit public scrutiny solely to Chile.

Despite the pressures, the committee proceeded.

On November 20, 1975, it issued a report on CIA assassination schemes involving foreign leaders. On December 4, Church unveiled the Chile case study, initiating two days of hearings.

Analyst Peter Kornbluh later commented that the hearings “set a historic benchmark” in holding the CIA accountable.

Investigators Gregory Treverton and Karl Inderfurth gave testimony, with Treverton reading Nixon's September 15, 1970, order that instructed the CIA to obstruct Allende’s inauguration.

In hindsight, Treverton reflected that the process underscored a fundamental principle: classified intelligence records belong to the government, not merely the Executive Branch.

Inderfurth stated that the Chilean records remain pertinent today, warning that covert actions inflicted the greatest harm on Chileans and tarnished the image of the United States as a “beacon of democracy.”

The work of the Church Committee later resulted in the establishment of permanent intelligence oversight committees within Congress.

This inquiry into Chile stands as one of the most conspicuous examples of lawmakers demanding transparency regarding clandestine foreign interventions and affirming democratic control over covert operations.