Historical accounts examine military coups in Argentina and Chile

Historical investigations and interviews provide insight into military coups in Argentina and Chile. In Argentina, research led by Eduardo Luis Duhalde for the National Archive of Memory identified 308 fatalities resulting from the bombings at Plaza de Mayo in September 1955. This work supported efforts by Peronist resistance members to secure reparations, a process expanded in 2009 under President Néstor Kirchner to include victims from June 1955 onwards.

In Chile, a historical interview with former Air Force Commander-in-Chief Gustavo Leigh reflects on the 1973 coup. Leigh, a member of the Military Junta, expressed responsibility for the establishment of the government while criticizing Augusto Pinochet’s ambition for power. He predicted that the transition to democracy would be challenged by Pinochet’s grip on authority and suggested that judicial systems would eventually uncover more details regarding the regime.