With an assist from CIA financing, of course.

This is not unlike the wave of trucking strikes and warehouse hoarding seen in Chile in the year or so before Allende's violent ouster in 1973. The secret back-door sales made to known opponents of Allende (while most of the public waited in lines at the front door) are still a subject of wry humor in Chile.

Obviously, retailers can't keep this up for too long - and that's where covert financing comes in (both from domestic right-wing sources and foreign ones). "A much as it takes," as Nixon put it.

Last edited Tue Mar 31, 2015, 07:45 PM - Edit history (1)

It worked in Chile, of course they continue to use it.

Anyone who dares to gibber they wouldn't continue to do what we know they do is a congenital you-know-what.

Nothing is below them, which they've proven repeatedly. Everything's possible when the 99% of US American taxpayers are footing the bill. Everything's possible EXCEPT expecting the 1% to contribute their tax dollars, too.

Thank you for mentioning the warehouse hoarding already played out in another leftist government the US decided to destroy.

On edit, decided to take a quick glance for a link on Chilean businesses hoarding, found one instantly:

..... Conservative sectors of society, fearful of things such as "nationalization" and reform, and disheartened by the economic growth under Allende in that first year, began actively mobilizing against him. They also tried to disrupt the economy, often reducing production of basic goods and foodstuffs or hoarding these items in warehouses in order to drive demand and prices up and create market instability. The U.S. also withdrew much of its funding to Chile upon Allende's election. Independently of internal factors, as well, the economy began to take a beating in 1971, as copper prices dropped globally, greatly impacting the Chilean economy. The right used these instances to try to further stoke discontentment, and even many moderates in Chile became disturbed by the leftward path Allende was taking. However, many on the left were equally dissatisfied, feeling that Allende was not moving fast enough. Many of his more radical and poorer supporters tried to force his hand by performing land and factory occupations and expropriations in large numbers. Many intellectuals argued that the only way true reform could happen would be if the entire system was overthrown and Chile started over. Entire sections of his coalition, such as the Socialist Party, were leery that Allende could really implement the revolution they desired.

I've asked many this and so far, zilch.

but the fact that the Nixon White House ordered the CIA, DIA, and possibly other related agencies to devote their time and spend considerable taxpayer dollars (at least $10 million at 1970 prices) into "making the Chilean economy scream" and, of course, to promote the coup itself, is no longer a matter of any real controversy.

You're certainly not the first one to try to give Tricky Dick the benefit of this doubt on this one, John; Nixon himself was keenly aware of the need that "our hand doesn't show." But, as Kissinger noted after the coup, "we helped them and created the conditions as great as possible." Creating conditions, of course, refers to economic sabotage - the focus of practically all of Nixon's known discussions of Chile. As Nixon put it: "make the economy scream;" "put the screws on them;" "squeeze them economically for one hell of an effect;" "follow the example of the imaginative and ruthless General Vernon Walters, who had a helluva lot to do with what happened in Brazil" (the 1964 coup, in which sabotage tactics were also used). "You give us a plan," Nixon pledged, "we'll carry it out." http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB123/chile.htm ; http://nixontapes.org/chile.html

As for what was precisely spent to create conditions, you can't expect them to release a laundry list of how the $10 million was disbursed; but we do know that figure was merely a starting point, discussed in the context of Project FUBELT (the assassination of the staunchly constitutionalist Army commander at the time, Gen. René Schneider). The total figure spent over Allende's three years was no doubt higher. http://foia.state.gov/Reports/HincheyReport.asp

And much higher still, if you take into account the hundreds of millions squandered to prop up the Pinochet regime once it took power - needlessly, as it turned out, because Allende himself had called a referendum on his tenure which he would have surely lost (which suggests the coup had become more important than ousting Allende himself). This was the same regime which cost U.S. banks several billion in debt writedowns during the 1980s - particularly Manufacturers Hanover, which was practically bankrupted as a result.

Those were the direct costs. The cost of Pinochet's embarrassment to U.S. standing abroad was far greater, and remains so even now.

proves that the current empty shelves in venezuelan supermarkets are the cia's fault and have nothing to do with the venezuelan government?

You constantly make those accusations, where's the proof?
And try to do it without a long dissertation of what happened over 40 years ago.

how about something more recent, maybe like in this decade?

Why is it that when asked to provide evidence of US meddling in VN, all I get from the VN mouthpieces here is events that happened over 40 years ago?

Obama = Nixon
Obama = Reagan
Obama = Bush I
Obama = Bush II

And you're not a good Democrat if you don't wholeheartedly believe that, according to DU's resident LatAm spammer.

Just look at those pictures of Nixon in Venezuela for proof!

you might remember that your earlier question pertained to the plot to oust Allende in 1973. That's how it was worded, at least.

Neither of us have proof or can say for certain either way, and you certainly can't expect the covert ops people or the Miami exile thugs at the State Department Western Hemisphere desk to produce any proof.

But you'd have to be hopelessly disingenuous or naïve to believe that, with all this precedent (including Bush's failed 2002 coup in Venezuela itself, not to mention Iraq, Ukraine, and so many others), the same thing isn't going on now. I like Obama; but he didn't seem to concerned about blowing $5 billion on installing a neo-Nazi regime in Ukraine - in Putin's doorstep, no less. He probably doesn't have too many qualms about Venezuela.

You'd hardly be the first one to be a little disingenuous about these things though. This is basically the same thing someone had to remind the robot at the State Department press room of recently:

... And looking at the pics on this site the ware house hoarding wasn't that big
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Photos-Venezuela-Exposes-Massive-Hoarding-Operation-20150203-0024.html