Chile Pinochet and the Caravan of Death by Patricia Verdugo

Chile Pinochet Verdugo

Patricia Verdugo's Chile, Pinochet, and the Caravan of Death is a complex and chilling portrait of the time of a brutal dictator. Her book is a highly credible and effective account of the Caravan of Death, a euphemism for the mass execution of 75 political prisoners that marked the beginning of General Augusto Pinochet's brutal regime in Chile. The Caravan of Death killings were carried out by Sergio Arellano Stark. Verdugo's investigations and her book played an important role in incriminating Pinochet directly in killings during his 17-year dictatorship. Prior to Pinochet's Chilean trial, lower-level military officers took the blame for the killings (Franklin).

This review will provide a detailed analysis of Verdugo's book. The impact of the book's title and chapter headings will be investigated, and her writing style will be critiqued. Further, Verdugo's writing style will be critiqued, and her reasons for writing the book and any potential conflicts of interest will be investigated. Finally, the scholarship and credibility, and the ultimate success or failure of the book will by analyzed.

The title of Verdugo's book is highly descriptive and closely reflects the author's intentions and main thesis. Certainly, the phrase 'Caravan of Death' tells the reader that the book is going to deal with a disturbing aspect of Chile's history. Further, it foreshadows Verdugo's disturbing and graphic descriptions of the Pinochet's actions. As such, there is little discrepancy between the author's intentions as suggested in the book's title, and the actual contents of the book. The title was not misleading, and I felt that it accurately described the contents of the book.

At a first glance, the table of contents indicates that the book is divided into a number of chapters, with titles that resemble chapter titles in a book. For example, titles include: What Are We Going To Do, General, Only the Colonel's Jeep Returned, and Five Massacres and an Amnesty. Certainly, the content of the book does not resemble that of a novel. Verdugo's book is a non-fictional account of General Pinochet's role in the torture of Chileans. The contents consist largely of interviews of military personnel that often detail torture and killings, material that does not represent the initial impression of a novel.

Verdugo reveals little about her thesis or argument in the table of contents, other than a mention of General Pinochet, Copiapo, and the 'Special Commission'. Instead, her table of contents is cryptic, and it is difficult to ascertain the contents of the book from such titles as Everything is Ready, General, and General Pinochet Said.

Further, the titles in the table of contents seem to indicate that the material will be relatively light and entertaining. In this way, the entertaining and pithy chapter titles seriously misrepresent the content of the book. While the chapter titles suggest an entertaining and amusing read, the content of the book is emotionally charged and often difficult to read. The book contains detailed descriptions of torture and abuse, often making the reader uncomfortable and saddened, a fact not represented by the chapter titles.

While the content of Verdugo's book is chilling and disturbing, her writing style is largely entertaining and compelling. She often lets the subjects of her interviews speak for themselves, limiting editorializing and analysis. For example, in one interview she writes, 'Were you tortured?' 'Yes....' 'Electricity?' 'No.' 'Were you hung?' 'Yes." The end effect is highly emotionally charged and disturbing, and important in making the reader identify with the victims of Pinochet's rule.

In the introduction, Paul E. Sigmund notes that Chile, Pinochet, and the Caravan of Death is an important book for anyone interested in Chilean history. Further, he notes that the book is useful for individuals who are interested in Latin American politics and the role of the military. In addition, he argues that the book is an important reference for human rights issues, and the complexities of relations between Chili and the United States of America.

Verdugo's book was published while Pinochet was in power, a personally dangerous move for Verdugo, which she refers to as a "matter of honour" (Jamasmie). Clearly, to oppose Pinochet, a man who Verdugo paints as an insecure, cold and calculating killer, was personally dangerous for Verdugo.

Given the personal danger inherent and writing Chile, Pinochet, and the Caravan of Death, Verdugo's decision to publish the book at all was courageous. In an interview with Cecilia Jamasmie, Verdugo notes that "the truth needed to be told somehow" (Jamasmie). Her father's disappearance played an important role in her decision to reveal many of the secrets of Pinochet's crimes (Jamasmie).

Verdugo's father was killed by Pinochet's regime, giving the author a potentially strong bias against the regime. However, the strong influence of her father's murder was balanced by the fact that a large proportion of Verdugo's extended family were men who supported Pinochet's regime, giving Verdugo considerable reason not to attack Pinochet. Interestingly, Verdugo claims, "I've never hated (Pinochet) despite his responsibility for my father's assassination" (Jamasmie).

The research and scholarship in Chile, Pinochet, and the Caravan of Death is impressive and painstaking. Verdugo obviously went to great lengths to obtain the testimony of Pinochet's military men, which makes up the majority of her book. Given that these men were previously loyal to Pinochet, and often difficult to locate, her feat in obtaining their testimony is impressive. Further, the testimony of the military men is crucial to the credibility and success of Verdugo's claims. Verdugo herself notes that the testimony of the military officers was absolutely crucial in establishing the credibility of the book (Jamasmie).

While the majority of Verdugo's book consists of the testimony of Pinochet's military men, it also contains some interviews with civilians. These interviews with civilian casualties of Pinochet's regime are especially shocking and disturbing, as they provide first-hand accounts of the Brutality of the Caravan of Death. While the interviews with the military men provide credibility and a great deal of evidence for the book, the interviews with civilians provide a human face to the suffering inflicted by Pinochet's regime. As such, the book would have likely been even more emotionally persuasive if Verdugo had added more interviews with spouses and families of those hurt by Pinochet's brutal rule.