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Orlando Letelier | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 13 April 1932 Temuco, Chile |
| Died | 21 September 1976 Washington, D.C., United States |
| Cause of death | Car bomb |
| Nationality | Chilean |
| Political orientation | Democratic socialism |
| Political party | Socialist |
Marcos Orlando Letelier del Solar (13 April 1932 – 21 September 1976) was a Chilean politician who served as Minister of Foreign Relations and Ambassador to the United States during Salvador Allende's presidency from 1970 to 1973.[1]
Allende government[edit | edit source]
Letelier was a lawyer and began his political career in the Department of Copper. He supported Allende's nationalization of the copper industry.[1]
Pinochet coup[edit | edit source]
On the day of the 1973 coup, Letelier was imprisoned in the Dawson Island concentration camp. He was taken to a firing squad, but his execution was canceled and he was released to Venezuela.[1]
Letelier then moved to Washington, D.C. and began planning a resistance movement against Pinochet while working for the Institute of Policy Studies. He helped start a Dutch boycott of Chile and was lobbying U.S. senators to defund Pinochet's regime. He also organized a large anti-Pinochet rally in Madison Square Garden.[1]
Assassination[edit | edit source]
On orders from Manuel Contreras, CIA and DINA agent Michael Townley killed Letelier and Ronni Moffitt with a car bomb while they were driving on Embassy Row in Washington, D.C. Michael Moffitt, who was also in the car, survived with minor wounds.[1]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Jeremy Kuzmarov (2022-09-21). "Murder on Embassy Row—46 Years On: Remembering the Assassination of Orlando Letelier and Ronni Moffitt" CovertAction Magazine. Archived from the original on 2024-07-23.