Chapter 318
Chapter 318
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Side Story 9: Chile Coup
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The fall of Free Vietnam.
Looking purely at the events, it was nothing more than an extremely predictable outcome.
A corrupt and incompetent national leadership, a military gripped by lust for power, a populace that refused to back the government.
In every respect, South Vietnam was a nation doomed to collapse—one that fully deserved it.
Yet even these "obvious facts" could twist into a dramatic tale with a few careful manipulations.
That was precisely the job of the KCIA's media specialists.
"Shouldn't we hit back at our American friends for meddling in our affairs? Whip up something that'll make the Yankees break out in cold sweats."
Under Kim Jung-gil's orders, the KCIA launched its anti-U.S. operation.
The result was a documentary called *The Fall of South Vietnam*.
"Propaganda using South Vietnam?"
"Listen up. It's a solid story."
The KCIA framed the fall around a narrative of buildup, twist, and coup.
"The reason Free Vietnam collapsed is simple: America and the military kept staging coups left and right, toppling a perfectly fine country."
To sell this, the KCIA didn't hesitate to fabricate evidence.
They dressed it up like a thriving nation brought low by U.S.-backed coups.
"The world's fifth-largest air force, fourth-largest army. If only its internal affairs had stabilized, Free Vietnam could have crushed North Vietnam with ease."
"It's not exactly wrong, is it?"
"And that's not all. Economically, Free Vietnam was a success story too."
Naturally, they omitted how it survived on massive U.S. financial aid.
"No need to dredge up uncomfortable truths like that."
Awash in distortions and fabrications, the documentary was exported to Latin America for next to nothing.
"South Vietnam fell like *this*?"
"It sounds off somehow, but the logic holds up... Kinda murky doc."
That was the reaction from viewers.
Latin American politicians, however, saw it differently.
"This is it."
They shouted "Eureka!" the moment they watched.
"We'll use this for political education materials."
Central and South American nations were desperate for ways to curb endless coups—and here Korea handed them the perfect rationale.
Soon, *The Fall of South Vietnam* became standard fare in military academies and ideological training across the region.
"You're seriously using this shitty propaganda for political education?"
"Propaganda? This is a KBC special documentary from Korea. You know KBC, the ones who made *Rise of the Great Powers*? They're documentary legends."
The Central and South American countries embraced *The Fall of South Vietnam* wholeheartedly.
"As *The Fall of South Vietnam* shows, even a healthy nation can be ruined by a coup."
"But there are success stories, like Lee Sung-jun."
"That's a rare exception. Most end up like Free Vietnam, collapsing the country. You don't have to look far—Latin America is full of examples."
That was the Korean line in the propaganda.
"This propaganda? I love it."
Chile, in particular, leveraged it for national enlightenment under strong backing from President Salvador Allende.
"Only if the military and people reject coups outright can we stop this country from being a U.S. puppet."
Allende's thinking stemmed from very real threats: the Chilean military and America.
The U.S. had openly encouraged coups through the press multiple times.
For a socialist like Allende, ignoring a military coup was impossible.
Chile's military brass despised Allende's push for this ideological training.
"Who does this red commie think he's fooling? South Vietnam was a clusterfuck—now he's spouting this bullshit."
Despite their backlash, the training continued.
"Just let it slide. He's the president, pushing hard—what can we do?"
The military figured it wouldn't change a thing.
Whatever either side thought, time marched on.
Then came fateful 1972.
For the first time, Chile's economy posted a -1.0% growth rate.
"Economic crash, here we come!"
Conservatives and the press—who'd been waiting for the red Allende to fail—cheered and unleashed their pens.
"You red bastard. Get ready to die."
The reelected U.S. government rubbed its hands, seeing a golden chance to oust the red president.
"Finally, we can purge this commie scum from our backyard."
America thought so, but reality defied expectations.
"20 of 50 Senate seats, 62 of 150 in the lower house. Blocked the constitutional amendment!"
"W-what?"
Chile's Social Democrats barely survived extinction.
The result enraged Washington beyond measure.
"Are the Chileans blind? How do they keep voting for the red who's tanking their country?"
Washington demanded answers from Langley.
"There's only one option."
"A coup?"
"You get it now."
Langley proposed another military coup to topple the regime.
In truth, the CIA had already committed every crime imaginable in Chile: kidnapping Army Commander René Schneider, terror attacks, press-orchestrated coup-mongering.
What was a few more coup instigations?
"Handle it quietly and swiftly. Fail this time, and heads will roll."
"No doubt about it."
Langley swiftly plotted the coup.
It involved the quasi-military group Fatherland and Liberty, plus army officers.
"Support is guaranteed, right?"
"We never break our word."
"I'll trust you on that."
With America's assurances, the coup forces mobilized.
In June 1973, Colonel Roberto Souper led the 2nd Armored Regiment toward La Moneda Palace and the Defense Ministry.
"Hey, you red bastards. I've brought the tanks."
Just 80 men strong, but with 12 tanks and 16 armored vehicles, their firepower was no joke.
They surrounded the Defense Ministry and palace, then trained their tank guns.
"See the mood? Surrender if you don't want to eat a tank shell."
When Allende refused to yield, the coup forces opened up with tank guns and machine guns.
"Firing tank rounds at the presidential palace? Are they insane?"
Civilians and reporters caught in the crossfire were killed or wounded.
As Chile's military prepared a crackdown under Chief of Staff General Carlos Prats, Allende addressed the nation.
'The Argentine president stood firm against his coup. We must do the same.'
Allende appealed for public support in his broadcast.
"The president's got some spine."
General Carlos Prats donned a helmet, visited units to rally them for the counterforce, then grabbed a Thompson submachine gun and joined the ranks.
With the president and top brass taking a hard line, Colonel Souper sensed trouble.
"Regiment commander, can we really pull this off?"
"Just wait. Things'll turn around."
Of course, they didn't.
"Oh, General, you're here too?"
"A bit late, Chief of Staff, sir."
When General Augusto Pinochet's unit arrived last, Souper's force was fully surrounded.
Pinochet's troops, armed with heavy artillery and machine guns, were psychologically overwhelming against the 2nd Armored.
"Fire!"
Souper's men fired tank rounds in desperation, but Pinochet didn't flinch.
"A few shells on the palace? Big deal."
After prolonged fighting, Souper confirmed his disadvantage, lowered weapons, and raised the white flag.
"Surrender. We surrender."
The coup troops, faces etched with disbelief, emerged hands-up amid the counterforce.
Pinochet drew one lesson from crushing the "Tank Putsch."
'Troops don't hesitate to shoot at fellow coup soldiers. What's going on?'
Normally, ordering shots at mess-hall comrades sparked reluctance.
No such qualms in the crackdown spelled bad news for an ambitious man like him.
Pinochet discreetly polled subordinates on soldiers' coup views.
The results shocked him.
'Coups are evil that must be crushed by default?'
Absurd.
Why drag morality into coups all of a sudden?
Pinochet pondered long, then pinpointed the culprit: that damned *Fall of South Vietnam* documentary.
'Fuck those Koreans.'
He concluded rash coups were off-limits.
Soon after Pinochet became army chief of staff, the CIA pitched a coup.
"If the general commits, we'll have your back."
It sounded plausible.
And politically, the timing was ripe: post-coup chaos plus opposition-fueled constitutional crisis.
But the troops' mindset on coups was the snag.
"Coups can destroy a country—we have to stop them, period."
That aversion couldn't be brushed off lightly.
It might fizzle out in action, but what if it didn't?
If things dragged into a standoff and troops flipped?
'I'd be the only one dying.'
Until that unease vanished, Pinochet had no plans to launch.
The CIA's hoped-for second coup fizzled.
The CIA's losses from the failed Chile op were catastrophic.
"Clear your desks immediately."
The director and top ops experts lost their heads one by one.
A hell of a price for one documentary.
Kim Jung-gil's revenge hit hard, but unlike Lee Sung-jun's invisible hand, it was brazen.
"So that's how you played it. Fine. We'll repay with interest next time."
America etched Kim's propaganda strike deep in its bones.