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127 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1986
[Even] Littín briefly finds himself reflecting that he could easily live in this country. He and the teams of filmmakers he deploys like a spymaster throughout the country never seem to be in any real danger. There is some suspense over Littín's being unmasked, but one senses it would lead to nothing graver than his expulsion from the country; the reign of terror in this locked-up Chile seems to have subsided. There is little in this book that might disturb the tranquility of those who argue that, on balance, the coup and the Pinochet dictatorship were worth enduring because of the relative prosperity and stability, and the return to democratic rule that was its undeniable result.
The new Pudahuel airport, however, lies on an expressway with a modern lighting system and that was a bad start for someone like me who, convinced of the evil of the dictatorship, needed to see clear evidence of its failures in the streets, in daily life, and in people's behavior, all of which could be filmed and shown to the world. But now my disquiet gave way to frank disappointment. [...]
Contrary to what we had heard in exile, Santiago was a radiant city, its venerable monuments spendidly illuminated, its streets spotlessly clean and orderly. If anything, armed policemen were more in evidence on the streets of Paris or New York than here.
But with the same rigorousness she was to display every moment of the days to follow, she would not open the door until the password game was complete.
"Goddammit! I muttered to myself, thinking not just of Elena but of Ely [his real wife] too. "They're all alike." And I continued to reply to the interrogation in the manner I most detest in life, that of the housebroken husband.
Allende rejiminin sonuna kadar Şili yalnızca alçakgönüllü bir ülke olarak kalmıyordu, aynı zamanda tutucu burjuvazisi bile sadeliği ulusal bir erdem olarak görüyordu. İşbaşına gelen askeri cunta, ülkenin varlık içinde yüzdüğünü etkileyici bir biçimde göstermek isteyince Allende'nin kamulaştırdığı her şeyi hemen yeniden özelleştirdi, değerli ne varsa girişimcilere ve çokuluslu şirketlere sattı. Bunun sonucunda, gösterişli lüks mallarda büyük bir patlama oldu, kamu işlerinde göz boyayıcılık aldı yürüdü, böylece de ülkede görülesi bir zenginlik ve ekonomik denge olduğu yanılsaması yaratılmış oldu.