UNCLASSIFIED SERIAL U IIR 6 817 0058 89 BODY r' THIS PASS U U COUNTRY SUBJ IIR CHILE CI U JUNTA MBBTING PLEBISCITB U THIS IS AN INFORMATION INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT DOI 11848 6 817 0058 89 CHILEAN THE NIGHT OF THE WARNING EVALUATED ZS A COMBINED MESSAGE DIA PASS TO AIG REPORT NOT FINALLY OF DEFENSE 881027 SUMMARY N844BNL THE CHILEAN PRESIDENT AND CINC OF THE ARMY GEN AUGUSTO PINOCHET WAS PREPARED ON THE NIGHT OF 5 OCT TO OVERTHROW THE RESULTS OF THE PLEBISCITE ONLY THE REFUSAL OF THE JUNTA MEMBERS TO SUPPORT SUCH ACTION STOPPED HIM TEXT NOFSRN REPORTS THAT THB CHILEAN MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE JUNTAr ADM MERINOr GEN MATTHEI GEN STANGE AND GEN GORDON HAD BEEN CUT-OFF BY THE GOVERNMENT EARLY IN THE EVENING OF 5 OCT FROM RECEIVING THE GOC'S OFFICIAL PLEBISCITE RESULTS VIA THE ARMY'S NETWORK FROM THIS TIME UNTIL THEIR JUNTA MEETING AT 0105 THE MORNING OF 6 OCT IN LA MONBDA WITH GEN PINOCHET THEY HAD TO RELY QN THB 1 Declassified by DIA per f 0 12958 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PAGEi0119 RESULTS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AT AROUND MIDNIGHT ADM MERINO WAS ABOUT TO GO TO BED BUT THE OTHBR JUNTA MEMBERS INSISTED ON MEETING WITH GEN MATTHEI'S STATEMENT TO THE PRESS UPON PINOCHET ARRIVING AT LA MONEDA THAT IT APPEARED THAT THB NO INTENDED TO HAD WON WAS A DELIBERATE PRONOUNCEMENT LIMIT GENERAL PINOCHET'S OPTIONS MATTHEI TOLD THAT HZS MISSION WAS TO DEFUSE THB BOMB AND THAT MATTHEI DBSCRIBED MATTHBI THE MEETING AS VERY TOUGH HAD PREVIOUS GENERAL DISCUSSIONS WITH STANGE ABOUT THE POTENTIAL THAT PINOCHET MIGHT ATTEMPT TO OVERTHROW A NO WZN BUT THEY HAD NOT TALKED WITH MERINO nNOn COMMAND 2 C NOFORN IN THE JUNTA MEETING PZNOCHET WAS DESCRIBED AS VERY ANGRY AND INSISTENT THAT THE JUNTA MUST GIVE HIM EXTRAORDINARY POWBRS TO MEET HB HAD A THE CRISIS OF THE ELECTORZAL DEFEAT DOCUMENT PREPARED FOR THEIR SIGNATURES AUTHORIZING THIS THE MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR FERNANDEZ WAS PRESENT AND TRYING TO ESTABLISH THAT 43 PERCENT ' WAS ACTUALLY A WIN t A POINT HE LATER PEDDLED IN PUBLIC PINOCHBT SPOKE OP USING THE EXTRAORDINARY POWERS TO HAVE THE ARMED FORCES SIEZE THE CAPITAL AT THIS POINT MATTHEZ STOOD MATTHEI TOLD PINOCHET BE WOULD UP TO BE COUNTED UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES AGREE TO SUCH A THING PZNOCHET ASKED AGAIN FOR SPECIAL POWERS AND AGAIN MATTHEZ RBFUSED SAYING HE HAD HIS CHANCE AS THB PINOCHET THEN TURNED AND LOST TO THE OTHERS AND MADE THE SAME REQUEST AND WAS TENSION IN THE TURNED DOWN BY STANGE AND GORDON ROOM WAS SO HIGH AT THIS MOMENT THAT BGEN SBRGIO VALENZUELA THE SECRETARY GENBRAL OF THE GOVERNMENT COLLAPSED PROM WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE THE FIRST AT THZS POINT WITHOUT STAGE OF A HEART ATTACK JUNTA SUPPORT TO OVERTHROW THE NO WIN PINOCHET WAS LEFT WITHOUT ALTERNATIVE BUT 'TO ACCEPT A NO OFFICIAL CANDIDATE WIN VARIOUS VERSIONS OP THE tUZM GGRZQ EVENTS OF THE NIGHT OF THE PLEBISCITE HAVE MADE THEIR WAY INTO THE PRESS COMMENTSi UNCLASSIFIED This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu