Roberto Viaux, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetRoberto Viaux
Chilean Army general
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Talca, Maule Region, Chile
About Roberto Viaux
- Roberto Urbano Viaux Marambio (May 25, 1917 in Talca – September 5, 2005 in Santiago) was a Chilean Army General and the primary planner of two attempted coup d'états in Chile in 1969 and 1970.
- The first was against President Eduardo Frei Montalva, and the second sought to prevent Socialist Salvador Allende's election. Prior to his involvement in the René Schneider case, Viaux was a very well respected and admired military leader.
- He became famous when he led a small military insurrection (the Tacnazo) on October 21, 1969.
- In the Tacnazo, Viaux shut himself up with the Tacna regiment inside its barracks and went on a strike.
- He demanded a pay-raise for the Army and the resignation of both the Defense Minister and the Army Commander-in-Chief.
- After tense negotiations with the government, he ended his strike when the Commander-in-Chief resigned and the government promised to study his salary demands. On October 22, 1970, coup plotters loyal to Viaux attempted to kidnap constitutionalist Chilean Army Commander-in-chief General René Schneider, who was adamantly opposed to any prospect of a coup.
- General Schneider's official car was ambushed at a street intersection in the capital city of Santiago, Chile.
- When the general drew a gun to defend himself, he was shot point-blank several times.
- Though he was rushed to a military hospital, General Schneider's wounds proved fatal and he died three days later, on October 25.
- General Viaux was later convicted of involvement with the plot and imprisoned. Critics of U.S.
- policy in Chile at the time, including journalist Christopher Hitchens, have accused former U.S.
- National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger of conspiring with Viaux in the murder of General Schneider.
- Yet declassified U.S.
- documents show that the Central Intelligence Agency had explored the possibility of supporting a Viaux coup but decided that his ideology was "far out" and, while maintaining contact with him, did not provide direct support.
- In a declassified October 15 conversation with President Richard Nixon, Kissinger said, "This looks hopeless.
- I turned it off.
- Nothing could be worse than an abortive coup."Although contact with the Viaux group was ended, a cable from CIA headquarters to the Santiago station reveals that the CIA did arrange the delivery of submachine guns and ammunition to a group led by General Valenzuela; Schneider was shot later that same day.
- The weapons, along with $50,000, were later recovered by U.S.
- military attaché to Chile Colonel Wilmert after he "pistol-whipped" General Valenzuela, who at first refused to hand the money over.
- Wilmert then drove to Vina del Mar, where he threw the submachine guns into the Pacific Ocean.In August, 1973, Viaux was released and exiled to Paraguay.
- He was not involved in the successful Chilean coup of 1973, and was allowed to return to Chile only in 1990, by President Patricio Aylwin.
- Viaux lived quietly in retirement in Santiago, until his death on September 5, 2005.
Read more at Wikipedia