CIA report links Augusto Pinochet to Orlando Letelier assassination

A declassified 1987 CIA report has revealed that former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet personally ordered the assassination of former Chilean Foreign Minister Orlando Letelier. The document, titled “The role of Pinochet in the assassination of Letelier and subsequent cover-up,” was originally prepared for then-U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz during the Reagan administration.

The CIA investigation concluded there was “convincing evidence” that Pinochet instructed his intelligence chief, Manuel Contreras, to execute the 1976 attack in Washington, D.C. The report suggests Pinochet also orchestrated efforts to obstruct investigations and conceal his involvement in the crime. These findings align with recently released records from the National Security Archive, which detail how the intelligence agency reviewed files following information provided by former DINA agent Armando Fernández Larios.