Latin America

It is firm and continuing policy that Allende be overthrown by a coup. It would be much preferable to have this transpire prior to 24 October but efforts in this regard will continue vigorously beyond this date. We are to continue to generate maximum pressure toward this end, utilizing every appropriate resource. It is imperative that these actions be implemented clandestinely and securely so that the USG [United States Government] and American hand be well hidden...,

In Cuba, life expectancy is 6 years longer than the rest of the continent. Under-five mortality is 4 times below the average. If Latin America could show the same results as Cuba, 250,000 children's lives could be saved every year. There are 5.7 million working children in Latin America. For the whole continent, there are 50 million street children. None of these situations are to be found in Cuba, where all children go to school.

My contemporaries and I, and our modern corporate equivalents, had managed to bring [Ecuador] to virtual bankruptcy. We loaned it billions of dollars so it could hire our engineering and construction firms to build projects that would help its richest families. As a result, in those 3 decades, the official poverty level grew from 50 - 70%... and the share of national resources allocated to the poorest citizens declined from 20% to 6%. Today Ecuador must devote nearly 50% of its national budget simply to paying off its debts...

Surely, [Omar Torrijos] knew that the foreign aid game was a sham - he had to know. It existed to make him rich and to shackle his country with debt. It was there so Panama would be forever obligated to the United States and the corporatocracy. It was there to keep Latin America ... forever subservient to Washington and Wall Street. I was certain that he knew that the system was based on the assumption that all men in power are corruptible, and that his decision not to use it for his personal benefit would be seen as a threat.