Dominguez Says Repression In Chile to Remain Strong

Chile faces a bleak future of political repression and class warfare whether or not the military junta retains direct control of the government, Jorge Dominguez, assistant professor of Government, told a group of 30 students last night in Old Leverett Library.

Dominguez said that Chile's behavior would probably follow the pattern of either Argentina or Brazil over the past two decades. Argentina's military returned power to civilians after 18 years of dictatorship, but the armed forces of Brazil have maintained their control since 1964, he said. Both governments have severely restricted individual freedom and outlawed social reforms.

Andrew Zimbalist, a fourth-year graduate student in Economics, agreed with Dominguez that rightist elements would dominate Chilean politics for at least the next several years.

Zimbalist, who returned from Chile four days before the coup, blamed the United States for overt cooperation in the overthrow of President Allende.

Zimbalist said U.S. Navy gunboats were present off the coast of Valapraiso during the coup and that American Ambassador Nathaniel Davis conferred with Secretary of State Henry A. Kissenger '50 and the National Security Council shortly before the coup. He cited these and other events as evidence of American cooperation.

"The United States took specific steps to prevent Chile from being treated as any normal nation after Allende's election in 1970," Dominguez said. "The U.S. powerfully contributed to the long-range de-articulation of the Chilean economy."

He said that although the U.S. has participated aggressively in other coups, there was inadequate evidence to prove overt American complicity.

Dominquez said the most remarkable part of Allende's downfall was the unprecedented and extraordinary antagonism between the peasants and the middle class before the coup. He said the middle class had hoarded food and necessary consumer products to cause shortages and crises among the peasants. After the coup, he said, most of the items which had been in scarce supply reappeared on the market. Despite his dismal prediction for the years ahead in Chile. Dominguez cited the country's tradition of "well-organized and systematically competitive political parties." Although political parties have been abolished by the military junta, he concluded "Chile is a country where there is much the military and politicians cannot prevent.