The last words of Salvador Allende

On September 11, 1973, Chilean President Salvador Allende gave his last speech to the nation from the presidential palace, La Moneda. The speech was delivered at 9:10 AM, in the final hours of a US-sponsored coup d'état that would bring Augusto Pinochet to power.

 

Surely, this will be the last opportunity for me to address you.  The Air Force has bombed the antennas of Radio Magallanes.  My words do not have bitterness but disappointment.  May they be a moral punishment for those who have betrayed their oath: soldiers of Chile, titular commanders in chief, Admiral Merino, who has designated himself Commander of the Navy, and Mr. Mendoza, the despicable general who only yesterday pledged his fidelity and loyalty to the Government, and who also has appointed himself Chief of the Carabineros \[paramilitary police].  Given these facts, the only thing left for me is to say to workers: I am not going to resign!

Placed in a historic transition, I will pay for loyalty to the people with my life.  And I say to them that I am certain that the seeds which we have planted in the good conscience of thousands and thousands of Chileans will not be shriveled forever.  They have force and will be able to dominate us, but social processes can be arrested by neither crime nor force.  History is ours, and people make history.

Workers of my country: I want to thank you for the loyalty that you always had, the confidence that you deposited in a man who was only an interpreter of great yearnings for justice, who gave his word that he would respect the Constitution and the law and did just that.  At this definitive moment, the last moment when I can address you, I wish you to take advantage of the lesson: foreign capital, imperialism, together with the reaction, created the climate in which the Armed Forces broke their tradition, the tradition taught by General Schneider and reaffirmed by Commander Araya, victims of the same social sector who today are hoping, with foreign assistance, to re-conquer the power to continue defending their profits and their privileges.

I address you, above all, the modest woman of our land, the campesina who believed in us, the mother who knew our concern for children.  I address professionals of Chile, patriotic professionals who continued working against the sedition that was supported by professional associations, classist associations that also defended the advantages of capitalist society.

I address the youth, those who sang and gave us their joy and their spirit of struggle.  I address the man of Chile, the worker, the farmer, the intellectual, those who will be persecuted, because in our country fascism has been already present for many hours — in terrorist attacks, blowing up the bridges, cutting the railroad tracks, destroying the oil and gas pipelines, in the face of the silence of those who had the obligation to act.

They were committed.  History will judge them.

Surely, Radio Magallanes will be silenced, and the calm metal instrument of my voice will no longer reach you.  It does not matter.  You will continue hearing it.  I will always be next to you.  At least my memory will be that of a man of dignity who was loyal to his country.

The people must defend themselves, but they must not sacrifice themselves.  The people must not let themselves be destroyed or riddled with bullets, but they cannot be humiliated either.

Workers of my country, I have faith in Chile and its destiny.  Other men will overcome this dark and bitter moment when treason seeks to prevail.  Keep in mind that, much sooner than later, great avenues will again open, through which will pass the free man, to construct a better society.

Long live Chile!  Long live the people!  Long live the workers!

These are my last words, and I am certain that my sacrifice will not be in vain, I am certain that, at the very least, it will be a moral lesson that will punish felony, cowardice, and treason.

Santiago de Chile,
11 September 1973

***

First translated by Yoshie Furuhashi for MRzine.



Art (53) Book Review (121) Books (114) Capitalism (68) China (80) Climate Emergency (98) Conservative Government (90) Conservative Party (45) COVID-19 (44) EcoSocialism (55) Elections (83) Europe (46) Fascism (57) Film (49) Film Review (68) France (70) Gaza (60) Imperialism (100) Israel (125) Italy (46) Keir Starmer (53) Labour Party (111) Long Read (42) Marxism (49) Marxist Theory (48) Palestine (169) pandemic (78) Protest (152) Russia (340) Solidarity (142) Statement (48) Trade Unionism (141) Ukraine (346) United States of America (132) War (368)

Latest Articles

  • Remembering Vince Gillespie 1948 to 2025
    14 July was the funeral of my dear friend and comrade Vince Gillespie, who died on 22nd June after a short illness and a long life of struggle, joy and history-making, writes Jane Connor
  • Let Vlad stay!
    A Riga-based social-centre project called “Maiznica” is facing repression from state security services and the expulsion of one of their members from the country. In this press release from the Collective they aim to spread the news to a wider audience, to denounce the actions of the Latvian state, and to support the demand of for Vladislav Romanenko to be able to return to the country. They want to expose to the world how Latvia, an EU country and a supposedly “democratic” state, is taking notes from the Russian playbook and using spies against social movements and activists, and they want to bring international pressure on the government to reverse the deportation.
  • Trump, Netanyahu, and the reordering of the Middle East
    Gilbert Achcar writes on Netanyahu’s third visit to Trump since the latter’s second inauguration
  • Remembering Srebrenica 30 Years On
    11 July marked the 30th anniversary of the genocide in July 1995 of over 8,000 largely Bosniak men and male children by Bosnian Serb forces under the command of Ratko Mladic. They were buried in mass graves. Many thousand more fled into the forest and embarked on a harrowing journey lasting up to 7 days before reaching the eastern Bosnia village of Nezuk. Geoff Ryan reflects on what led up to the massacre and how it has been treated compared to two other wars: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians..
  • Abortion and the Fight for Decriminalisation
    Reproductive rights are on the line in Europe and the States, with the principle of bodily autonomy at stake. Paris Wilder and Liz Lawrence give the historical context of UK abortion law whilst exploring the implications for achieving full decriminalisation.

Join the discussion

MORE FROM ACR