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The main controversy over the American role in Chile was an alleged attempt on the life of Chilean general Rene Schneider in 1970, due to his support for the appointment of Allende. The Church hearings found that the CIA did in fact give weapons to a group of men who it knew had attacked him twice before, ostensibly as a test of loyalty so that the CIA would remain privy to their information, but that the weapons provided and the group thereby armed were not the ones who actually killed him.  The weapons were returned unused to the CIA and then discarded in the Pacific Ocean.<ref>http://www.history-matters.com/archive/church/reports/ir/html/ChurchIR_0120a.htm</ref><ref>http://archive.frontpagemag.com/Printable.aspx?ArtId=15648</ref>  Schneider was assassinated by a separate group of right-wing extremists.<ref>http://www.history-matters.com/archive/church/reports/ir/html/ChurchIR_0120a.htm</ref> On June 11, 1971, Kissinger and Nixon said the following in a private conversation:   

The main controversy over the American role in Chile was an alleged attempt on the life of Chilean general Rene Schneider in 1970, due to his support for the appointment of Allende. The Church hearings found that the CIA did in fact give weapons to a group of men who it knew had attacked him twice before, ostensibly as a test of loyalty so that the CIA would remain privy to their information, but that the weapons provided and the group thereby armed were not the ones who actually killed him.  The weapons were returned unused to the CIA and then discarded in the Pacific Ocean.<ref>http://www.history-matters.com/archive/church/reports/ir/html/ChurchIR_0120a.htm</ref><ref>http://archive.frontpagemag.com/Printable.aspx?ArtId=15648</ref>  Schneider was assassinated by a separate group of right-wing extremists.<ref>http://www.history-matters.com/archive/church/reports/ir/html/ChurchIR_0120a.htm</ref> On June 11, 1971, Kissinger and Nixon said the following in a private conversation:   

: '''Kissinger''': —when they did try to assassinate somebody, it took three attempts—   

: '''Kissinger''': —when they did try to assassinate somebody, it took three attempts—   

: '''Nixon''': Yeah.   

: '''Nixon''': Yeah.   

: '''Kissinger''': —and he lived for three weeks afterwards.<ref>http://blog.washingtonpost.com/spy-talk/2010/07/nixon_tape_reveals_oval_office.html</ref>

: '''Kissinger''': —and he lived for three weeks afterwards.<ref>http://blog.washingtonpost.com/spy-talk/2010/07/nixon_tape_reveals_oval_office.html</ref>

According to ''Commentary,'' however (quoting from the Nixon Tapes):

According to ''Commentary,'' however (quoting from the Nixon Tapes):

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The death of Schneider had the opposite effect of what was intended by the Nixon administration--even as the CIA worked to buy off the Congress so as to prevent Allende's appointment, it ensured that the nation would rally behind the otherwise polarizing leader.  At the very least, Kissinger's comments to Nixon were callous, if not incriminating.

The death of Schneider had the opposite effect of what was intended by the Nixon administration--even as the CIA worked to buy off the Congress so as to prevent Allende's appointment, it ensured that the nation would rally behind the otherwise polarizing leader.

 

Fermandois argues that not only did the CIA not play a role in his death, it never intended to.  He argues that the CIA was quite shocked and caught completely by surprise at the news of Schneider's death:  "We can see the desperation in the comments of the agents in Chile because they cannot control events.  The history of those sixty days is an example of North American impotence, at least if we understand it as Washington manipulating events.  All this has a somewhat macabre colophon. When Schneider was wounded in the kidnapping attempt (he died three days later), the agents in Chile believed that the coup was unfolding, since in the new state of affairs General Valenzuela was effectively the new head."<ref>www.cepchile.cl/dms/archivo_3236_1698/r92_fermandois_ing.pdf</ref>

Hitchens, (who has praised the "valiant guerillas" of the Viet Cong and who openly admires [[Vladimir Lenin]]) has gone further than most in his condemnation of Kissinger (he is renowned for his use of hyperbole).  Although he acknowledges that the US refused to directly assist any military coup against Allende and instead sought to influence the Chilean Congress; he nevertheless asserts that Kissinger attempted to ''orchestrate'' a military coup against the Chilean government in 1970 (by contrast, most left-wing sources sensationally refer to the meetings with Chilean generals in which US officials stated that they would not cut off aid in the event of a coup, although they would not assist one, as an ''attempt to instigate'' a military take-over).  He generates this conclusion by stating that the CIA attempted to kill Schneider in 1970; it planned to make his death appear to be the work of left-wing terrorists; it hoped that this would "inspire" the Chilean military to intervene against Allende; and Kissinger was directly and personally involved in approving all of these operations.<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/feb/24/pinochet.bookextracts</ref>  Kissinger has refused to debate with Hitchens, saying "''I'm not going to deal with Christopher Hitchens,''" while his colleague [[Alexander Haig]] has called Hitchens "''a sewer pipe-sucker.''"

Hitchens, (who has praised the "valiant guerillas" of the Viet Cong and who openly admires [[Vladimir Lenin]]) has gone further than most in his condemnation of Kissinger (he is renowned for his use of hyperbole).  Although he acknowledges that the US refused to directly assist any military coup against Allende and instead sought to influence the Chilean Congress; he nevertheless asserts that Kissinger attempted to ''orchestrate'' a military coup against the Chilean government in 1970 (by contrast, most left-wing sources sensationally refer to the meetings with Chilean generals in which US officials stated that they would not cut off aid in the event of a coup, although they would not assist one, as an ''attempt to instigate'' a military take-over).  He generates this conclusion by stating that the CIA attempted to kill Schneider in 1970; it planned to make his death appear to be the work of left-wing terrorists; it hoped that this would "inspire" the Chilean military to intervene against Allende; and Kissinger was directly and personally involved in approving all of these operations.<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/feb/24/pinochet.bookextracts</ref>  Kissinger has refused to debate with Hitchens, saying "''I'm not going to deal with Christopher Hitchens,''" while his colleague [[Alexander Haig]] has called Hitchens "''a sewer pipe-sucker.''"