MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chileans not surprised.

The release by the United States government of 16.000 government documents related to events leading to Pinochet's military toppling of elected Socialist president Salvador Allende in September 1973, and the first years of his regime, did not surprise Chilean public opinion.

White House officials said the documents were released following a Clinton order to allow the public to determine whether Washington actions had undermined democracy and human rights in Chile during the mandate of Socialist Allende that ended in a ruthless military coup headed by General Pinochet in September 1973.

"Actions approved by the US government during this period aggravated political polarization and affected Chile's long tradition of democratic elections and respect for the constitutional order and the rule of law", said an official statement from the White House.

Documents released prove that the CIA provided secret funds to Chilean opposition parties in the early seventies, --weeks before the military coup--, to try to undermine the Allende administration. However names of the recipients in the Christian Democratic Party and the Radical party were blacked out

CIA officials have alleged that the agency did not instigate the coup, but was well aware of the military plotting against president Allende.

In Chile political sources said that the CIA's role was not a surprise, it rather confirmed long held suspicions, although support activities to Christian Democrats going back to the 1964 presidential election and "fomenting a military coup in 1970 after Allende had been elected president", was intriguing.