September 21, 1976: The Assassination of Orlando Letelier

September 21, 1976: Orlando Letelier is assassinated by a car bomb in Sheridan Circle in Washington, D.C. He was 44.

He had served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Defense under President Salvador Allende of the South American nation of Chile until the coup d'état of September 11, 1973 that killed Allende. (It was no suicide, as reported in the world's anti-Communist press.) He was arrested, tortured and imprisoned. Upon his release, he came to America, and became the leading voice in the Chilean resistance.

Pinochet was a thin-skinned fascist piece of slime, so he decided Letelier had to be taken out. His aide Ronni Moffit was also killed, and her husband Michael survived. Letelier left a wife and 4 children.

Among those prosecuted was an American professional hitman, Michael Townley, who confessed, and served 5 years before going into the Witness Protection Program. As of September 21, 2022, he's still alive. Letelier isn't. It should be the other way around.

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September 21, 1976 was a Tuesday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Baltimore Orioles, 11-8 at Yankee Stadium. Ken Singleton, later to broadcast for the Yankees, singled Tom Shopay home with the winning run in the top of the 10th inning. Brooks Robinson did not play. Reggie Jackson, in his only season with the O's, went 1-for-3. Doug DeCinces hit a home run for the O's, and Roy White hit one for the Yanks.

* The New York Mets lost to the Montreal Expos, 4-0 at Jarry Park in Montreal. Dan Warthen (2-8) pitched a 2-hit shutout, outpitching Jerry Koosman (20-9, having become the 1st lefthanded pitcher to win 20 in a season for the Mets). Ellis Valentine and Earl Williams hit home runs for the Expos.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-1 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Tom Underwood outpitched future Phillies Cy Young Award winner John Denny. Returning Phillies legend Dick Allen and Phillies legend-in-the-making Mike Schmidt hit home runs. Lou Brock singled as a pinch-hitter.

* A doubleheader was split at at Fenway Park in Boston. The Boston Red Sox won the opener, 7-1. Luis Tiant outpitched Moose Haas, winning his 20th game of the season. The Milwaukee Brewers won the nightcap, 3-1. Over the 2 games, Carl Yastrzemski went 2-for-7 with a walk. Robin Yount went 1-for-7. Hank Aaron, in his last full month as an active player, did not play in either game.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the San Diego Padres, 9-1 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Pete Rose went 2-for-5. Johnny Bench went 1-for-5 with 2 RBIs. Dave Winfield did not play.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-3 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Indians player-manager Frank Robinson, in his last full month as an active player, did not put himself into the game.

* Theoretically, a person in Chicago could have seen 3 MLB games that day, since Wrigley Field didn't have lights until 1988. The Chicago Cubs split a doubleheader with the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley. The Pirates won the 1st game, 4-3. Willie Stargell went 2-for-4. The Cubs won the 2nd game, 2-1. Manny Trillo singled Jerry Morales home with the winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning. Stargell struck out as a pinch-hitter.

* And in a night game in Chicago, the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox, 13-6 at Comiskey Park. Rod Carew went 1-for-6 with an RBI, Lyman Bostock went 4-for-4 with 2 walks and 2 RBIs, Bob Randall went 3-for-5 with 5 RBIs, and Larry Hisle hit the Twins' only home run, going 2-for-4, also with a walk and 3 RBIs.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics, 3-1 at Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium) in Kansas City. George Brett went 0-for-2 with 2 walks.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros, 6-2 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* The California Angels beat the Texas Rangers, 2-1 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim).

* And the Los Angeles Dodgers beat their arch-rivals, the San Francisco Giants, 3-2 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

September 11, 1973: The CIA-Aided Coup In Chile

Salvador Allende

September 11, 1973: President Salvador Allende of the South American nation of Chile is overthrown and murdered in a fascist coup orchestrated by General Augusto Pinochet, with aid from America's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Allende was elected President on his 4th try, in 1970, with a coalition government. He nationalized industries, improved education, and elevated the living conditions of the working class. But the right wing still controlled the National Congress, and openly feuded with him.

Unlike many other South American countries, Chile was recognized as a politically stable democracy for decades, until General Augusto Pinochet got involved. He got a lot of help from the Nixon Administration. President Richard Nixon wanted Allende out, and he authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations to destabilize Allende's government, and make it ripe for a coup d’état. One of the more direct things the CIA did was pay for the assassination of the chief of the Chilean Army, who was opposed to a coup, so that a more coup-friendly general could take command. That would be Pinochet.

The CIA created turmoil, but the real damage was done via American economic policy, leading international reprisals against Chile that nuked that nation's economy. This led to rampant inflation, strikes, food shortages, and violence between left and right, making it ripe for Pinochet to lead a violent overthrow of the government.

Pinochet demanded that Allende resign. Allende refused. Pinochet sent rockets and sent fighter jets to bomb the presidential palace. As troops approached, Allende took his gun and took his own life. He was 65 years old. For years, world's leftists alleged that he'd stood his ground, and been shot by one of Pinochet's soldiers. But in 2011, his body was exhumed and examined by an international team of independent experts, and suicide was confirmed.

For the next 17 years, Pinochet ruled Chile as military dictator. A lot of people were killed. A lot of others were "disappeared." Nixon let him do whatever he wanted. So did President Gerald Ford. President Jimmy Carter was a strong advocate for human rights all over the world, and cut U.S. aid to Chile. But President Ronald Reagan loved the guy, and restored it.

Augusto Pinochet

But by 1990, economic conditions in Chile were so bad that not even President George H.W. Bush could save Pinochet. He was forced to call a democratic election, lost, and accepted the result and stepped down. In 1998, he was charged with human rights violations, and placed under house arrest. He died in 2006. Chile remains a democratic nation.

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September 11, 1973 was a Tuesday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Cleveland Indians, 7-3 at Yankee Stadium. Gaylord Perry outpitched Pat Dobson. Future Yankee Oscar Gamble, tremendous Afro and all, hit a home run.

* The New York Mets lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-4 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Jim Lonborg outpitched Jerry Koosman. Rusty Staub hit 2 home runs. But the Phils got home runs from Greg Luzinski (2 of them), Mike Schmidt and Billy Grabarkewitz. Willie Mays, in his last month as an active player, did not play.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox, 8-3 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Brooks Robinson went 3-for-4 with a 3-run home run. Carl Yastrzemski went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-5 at Atlanta Stadium (later renamed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium). Dusty Baker singled home Ralph Garr with the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning. Hank Aaron drew a walk as a pinch-hitter.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-3 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Pete Rose went 0-for-4. Johnny Bench went 2-for-2 with 2 walks. Ken Griffey Sr. hit a home run.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-0 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Burt Hooton pitched a 4-hit shutout. Willie Stargell went 0-for-3.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-2 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Mickey Stanley won it with a home run in the top of the 10th inning. Al Kaline did not play.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Texas Rangers, 6-3 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Harmon Killebrew did not play, but Rod Carew went 1-for-4.

* The Montreal Expos beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-1 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

* The Houston Astros beat the San Diego Padres, 4-2 at San Diego Stadium. In the top of the 10th inning, Padre catcher Fred Kennedy tried to pick Bob Gallagher off 1st base, but threw the ball away, allowing Roger Metzger, on 3rd base, to score the winning run.

* The California Angels beat the Chicago White Sox, 3-1 at Anaheim Stadium (now named Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Nolan Ryan outpitched Wilbur Wood.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Kansas City Royals, 3-1 at the Oakland Coliseum. Reggie Jackson did not play.