Augusto Pinochet rose through the ranks of the
Chilean Army to become General Chief of Staff in early 1972 before being appointed its
Commander-in-Chief on 23 August 1973 by President
Salvador Allende.
[7] On 11 September 1973, Pinochet seized power in Chile in
a military coup, with the support of the United States,
[9][10][11][C] that toppled Allende's democratically elected left-wing
Unidad Popular government and ended
civilian rule. In December 1974, the ruling
military junta appointed Pinochet Supreme Head of the nation by joint decree, although without the support of one of the coup's instigators, Air Force General
Gustavo Leigh.
[12]
After his rise to power, Pinochet persecuted leftists,
socialists, and political critics, resulting in the executions of 1,200 to 3,200 people,
[13] the
internment of as many as 80,000 people, and
the torture of tens of thousands.
[14][15][16] According to the Chilean government, the number of executions and
forced disappearances was at least 3,095.
[17] Operation Condor, a U.S.-supported terror operation focusing on South America, was founded at the behest of the Pinochet regime in late November 1975.
