Mystery Solved After Decades of Debate

Three years after becoming the first democratically elected Marxist president in Latin America, Salvador Allende died in a U.S.-backed military coup on Chile. Ever since his passing on September 11, 1973, rumors have flourished regarding the ultimate cause of death. Although Allende’s family always believed that he had committed suicide as an act of bravery, many disputed this claim, believing instead that General Augusto Pinochet’s army had murdered Allende upon storming the palace. Today, however, the decades of speculation end, as an autopsy confirms that Allende took his own life during the 1973 coup. The report by Chile’s Legal Medical Services includes sparse details on the suicide, indicating that two fatal shots were fired from an assault rifle held between Allende’s legs. The rifle, a gift from Cuban leader Fidel Castro, had been set to fire automatically.

Update prepared by COHA Research Associate Carol Ciriaco