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CHRONOLOGY - 1974
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MARCH 11, 1974
The military Junta defines the objectives of the regime through its "Declaration of Principles," which serves as the foundation by which to justify its permanence. The main points of the declaration are: that the regime is inspired by Christian principles and identifies exclusively with "Christian western civilization;" that Chile needs a permanent change towards a more authoritarian political style and that the regime's duration will be determined by the achievement of objectives and not by formal procedures. The declaration also recognizes the rights inherent in every individual and states that respect for the individual is the basis of democracy.
APRIL 14, 1974
The regime's fourth cabinet introduces Sergio De Castro as Economic Minister. De Castro, a former professor at the Chicago School of Economics, is key to the regime's increasing emphasis on free market economics. He is accompanied by Jorge Cauas as Finance Minister, a monetarist, who focuses on reduction of the public debt.
APRIL 24,1974
The Catholic Church sets out the conditions necessary for true national reconciliation in a document entitled "Reconciliation of Chile," released during the year designated by the Pope as the International Year of Reconciliation. The Chilean church's conditions include a return to a constitutional state and unconditional respect for basic rights and freedoms. It also deplores poverty and unemployment, which it attributes to the economic measures taken by the regime.
JUNE 14, 1974
The National Intelligence Agency (DINA), the military regime's secret police, is created. The DINA functioned with broad powers until mid-1977 under the direction of General Manuel Contreras. The DINA operated several secret detention and torture centers throughout Chile and is also later implicated in crimes committed abroad such as the assassinations of Orlando Letelier in Washington, D.C. and Carlos Prats in Buenos Aires, and the attempt on Bernardo Leighton's life in Rome.
JUNE 17, 1974
The regime declares all executive powers to lie in the president of the Junta, General Augusto Pinochet. Through Decree Law No. 527, the Junta legalizes the separation of state powers, giving the president special attributions.
JUNE 1974
All electoral registers are destroyed as stipulated by Decree Law No. 130. The Junta states that "research carried out by public and university organizations has proven the existence of grave and extensive electoral fraud," necessitating the development of a new electoral system.
AUGUST 23, 1974
The Permanent Episcopate Committee petitions General Augusto Pinochet to end the state of siege and to formally pardon individuals unduly imprisoned since the coup.
OCTOBER 5, 1974
The DINA kills Miguel Enriquez Espinoza, secretary general for the Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR), setting off a wave of repression against the party, lasting until February 1975. Eleven other MIR members are arrested and killed or made to disappear in this period.
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