- Carlos Prats
Infobox Person
name=Carlos Prats
caption=
birth_date=birth date|1915|2|24|mf=y
dead=dead
birth_place=Talcahuano,Chile
death_date=death date and age|1974|9|30|1915|2|24|mf=y
death_place=Buenos Aires ,Argentina General Carlos Prats González (
February 24 ,1915 -September 30 ,1974 ) was aChile an Army officer, apolitical figure , minister and Vice President of Chile during PresidentSalvador Allende 's government, and GeneralAugusto Pinochet 's predecessor as Commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army. He was killed with acar bomb inBuenos Aires ,Argentina , in 1974.Background
He was born in Talcahuano on 1915, the oldest son of Carlos Prats Risopatrón and Hilda González Suárez. He joined the Army in 1931, and graduated top of his class. In 1935 he was commissioned as an artillery officer. Three years later he became a Sub Lieutenant. Soon he returned to the Military Academy, this time as a teacher. He taught there and at the War Academy until 1954. In 1944, he married Sofia Cuthbert Chiarleoni, with whom he had 3 daughters.
In 1954, he was promoted to Major, and sent to military mission in the US, as adjunt military attaché, until 1958. That year he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, and returned as teacher to the War Academy. In 1961, he became commander of the Artillery Regiment Nº3 “Chorrillos”, and in 1963, became commander of the Regiment Nº1 “Tacna”.
In 1964 is promoted to Colonel and sent as military attaché to
Argentina . He returned to Chile in 1967 as commander of the III Army Division. In 1968 is promoted to Brigade General and Chief of the General Staff. The following year is promoted to Division General, and after a brilliant career, was named Commander-in-chief onOctober 26 ,1970 , by PresidentEduardo Frei Montalva , following the assassination of his predecessor, GeneralRené Schneider a few days earlier, onOctober 22 . His nomination allayed all fears of a possible military intervention because of the election ofSalvador Allende to the presidency.Public role during the Allende years
General Prats became the head of the "constitutionalists", all members of the armed forces who lined themselves behind the
Schneider Doctrine . With time, he became the strongest supporter of President Allende, and was a member of his cabinet several times, even becoming his vice-President in 1972.Alejandrina Cox incident
Tanquetazo
On
June 29 ,1973 , he was the key player in putting down a bloody coup attempt known as the "Tanquetazo" .Resignation
Shortly afterwards another very public incident occurred. This one involved the wives of his Generals and officers who, on
August 22 ,1973 , staged a rally in front of his home and called him a coward for not restoring civil order in Chile. That event made clear to him that his policies had no support among his fellow officers. This time General Prats resigned his position both as Interior minister and as Commander in Chief of the Army the very next day. With only two other generals in favor of a constitutional solution to the political crisis, Generals Mario Sepúlveda Squella andGuillermo Pickering (both in key troop command positions), also presented their resignations in a show of support. His replacement as Commander in Chief of the Army was his second in command and an officer thought to be loyal to Allende, GeneralAugusto Pinochet .General Pinochet took over the position on
August 23 ,1973 . General Prats' retirement removed the last real obstacle for a military coup, same that took place only three weeks later, onSeptember 11 ,1973 . Immediately after the coup, onSeptember 15 ,1973 , he exiled himself and his wife toArgentina .Death
On
September 30 ,1974 , inBuenos Aires , he was killed along with his wife Sofia Cuthbert, outside his own apartment, by a radio-controlledcar bomb , throwing debris up to the ninth storey balcony of the building across the street. Later, it was found that the assassination was planned by members of the Chilean secret policeDINA , led byMichael Townley , who also carried out theOrlando Letelier assassination.Legal aftermath and investigations
In
Chile , the judge investigating this case,Alejandro Solis , definitively relaxed Pinochet on this particular case, after theChilean Supreme court rejected in January 2005 a demand to lift the ex-dictator's immunity. The direction of DINA, including chiefManuel Contreras , ex-chief of operation and retired generalRaúl Iturriaga , his brotherRoger Iturriaga , and ex-brigadiersPedro Espinoza andJose Zara , are accused in Chile of this assassination.
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