Another side of Pinochet

Re “Dictators right and left,” editorial, Dec. 11

No doubt Augusto Pinochet was a brutal dictator. Nonetheless, he did promise a referendum at a specified date, which he lost. However grudgingly, he gave up power. Chile under Salvador Allende was a dreadful economic mess and undoubtedly ripe for a Soviet incursion. The Pinochet regime, repressive as it was, never quite evolved into a totalitarian regime controlling all aspects of life, as did communism.

Jeane Kirkpatrick’s thesis was not in error. The Soviet Union did not evolve into a democracy but collapsed under the weight of totalitarian control, corruption and economic misery. It is also revealing how much more negative condemnation Pinochet received in the West than the equally, if not more, brutal dictators on the left. Did any Spanish judge indict Fidel Castro for brazenly violating human rights?

THOMAS A. EDELMAN

Santa Monica

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Re “Sic semper tyrannis,” Opinion, Dec. 11

One can’t defend the methods Pinochet used to eliminate the communists and their sympathizers from Chilean society. But left-wing bile such as that spilled by Marc Cooper cannot obscure the fact that Pinochet stepped aside peacefully in 1990, leaving a thriving free market that has made Chile the strongest economy in South America. Chile’s economy has done more to eliminate poverty in that country than any amount of socialism might have accomplished.

BOB CONDON

Clyde Hill, Wash.