Chile, Pinochet, and the Caravan of Death [Paperback]

Patricia Verdugo (Author), Marcelo Montecino (Translator), Paul E. Sigmund (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Originally published in 1989 under the title Los Zarpazos del Puma (The Claws of the Puma), Verdugo's report covers the executions of 75 political prisoners in Chile following the September 11, 1973, military coup that replaced President Salvador Allende with General Augusto Pinochet. The original title refers to the Puma helicopter that carried General Sergio Arellano Stark's special commission from one provincial Chilean town to another, leaving a trail of dead officers and civilians, political prisoners executed without trials. Verdugo has assembled oral testimonies about this Caravan of Death. Although the first three chapters outline the attack plan of the military coup and clarify Pinochet's late arrival, most of her book is comprised of long, in-depth, often disturbing interviews (" `Were you tortured?' `Yes....' `Electricity?' `No.' `Were you hung?' `Yes.' [Tears began to run down his face...]"). She talks with a helicopter pilot, military officers in charge of sentencing, court-martialed officers accused of treason, and officers and soldiers who escorted others suspected of treason. In Cauquenes, for instance, some of the soldiers ordered to execute four political prisoners knew the victims well. Though Verdugo interviews some spouses and family members of the executed prisoners, she concentrates primarily on the military, making for a somewhat one-dimensional account. Nonetheless, this insightful, informative book is excellently researched and well written. The fact that it was used as evidence for and incorporated into the 1990 Chilean Commission of Truth and Reconciliation demonstrates the importance of investigative journalism and the success of Verdugo's efforts.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 230 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Miami North South Center Pr (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574540858
• ISBN-13: 978-1574540857
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,831,055 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars VERDUGO'S INSIGHTFUL BOOK, July 3, 2003

By 

Guillermo Reyes (Phoenix, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chile, Pinochet, and the Caravan of Death (Paperback)

On a recent visit to Chile, I read Patricia Verdugo's insightful book on a specific trail of murders conducted by the infamous "caravan of death" led by General Sergio Arellano- Stark in the aftermath of the 1973 military coup. Verdugo interviews families of the victims, but even more impressively, interviews military officers themselves who have since felt the need to speak out. Apparently, officers in the northern regions were being criticized by their superiors in Santiago for their relatively peaceful takeover during the coup and for failing to create a reign of terror already prevalent in the rest of the country. Hence, Arellano-Stark arrives in his helicopter with his people, overruling local officers, taking political prisoners and executing them, leaving behind a trail of death. One gathers Pinochet himself sent the general to create fear and to send the message he was in charge. Verdugo documents the murders with paintstaking journalism, but is not afraid to also provide perspective and opinion on this inevitably emotional issue. For readers who seek an even more personal perspective, I'd also recommend Verdugo's Bucarest 187 (I don't know if the book is in translation, however) in which she chronicles the disappearance of her own father in the aftermath of the coup. The two books together allows us insight into the work of an excellent Chilean journalist who maintains a rigorous journalistic ethic of investigating the facts to the best of her ability in what must have been trying times for her personally.