Today the Department of State, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Archives are releasing newly declassified and other documents related to events in Chile from 1973-78.
These documents are part of a discretionary review of U.S. government files related to human rights abuses, terrorism and other acts of political violence prior to and during the Pinochet era in Chile. National Security Council Staff are coordinating this interagency effort on behalf of the President.
Virtually all of the documents in the initial release cover the period from 1973-78, which corresponds to the period of the most flagrant human rights abuses in Chile. The process of review continues, and additional documents from 1973-78 will be released later this year, along with documents dated 1968-1973. In a subsequent phase, agencies will review and release documents from the later years of Pinochet's rule.
This initial release consists of more than 5,800 documents, including approximately 5,000 from the Department of State, 490 from the CIA, 200 from the National Archives, 100 from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and 60 from the Department of Defense. A limited number of documents have not been released at this time, primarily because they relate to an ongoing Justice Department investigation of the murder of Ronni Moffitt and Orlando Letelier. Information also has been withheld from some of the released documents to protect the privacy of individuals, sensitive law enforcement information, and intelligence sources and methods; to prevent serious harm to ongoing diplomatic activities of the United States; or as otherwise required by law.
A complete set of the released documents is available for public
review at the National Archives in College Park, Md., at noon today.
They also are being released simultaneously in Chile. In the near
future, copies of the documents will be available on the Internet at
from a NARA press release dated June 30:
The documents will be available in the Textual Research Room at
the National Archives facility in College Park, Md., located at 8601
Adelphi Rd. Researchers will be limited to one box at a time.
Research Room hours are: Monday and Wednesday, 8:45 a.m.-5 p.m.;
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8:45 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday,
8:45 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Research cards are required. Personal property,
i.e., notebooks, briefcases, purses or fountain pens, is not
allowed in the research room. Lockers are available. Debit cards
may be purchased for the photocopying machines.
Directions:
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By car, the new facility is approximately 40 minutes from downtown
Washington, D.C. Take North Capitol Street north, turn right onto
Michigan Ave., (Michigan Avenue becomes Queens Chapel Rd. in
Maryland) continue to East West Highway, turn left on Adelphi Rd. and
follow it to the Archives II entrance on the right. Parking is
available.
By shuttle from the National Archives in Washington, D.C., board
the bus on 7th Street between Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues.
The shuttle leaves on the hour, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., returning to the
downtown building from Archives II on the hour. Researchers may use
the shuttle on a space available basis with National Archives staff
members receiving priority boarding.
For press information or additional information about obtaining
research and debit cards, contact the Public Affairs office at
301-713-6000.
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