Foreign and Military Policies
General Velasco's other main goal besides the nationalization of the main areas of the Peruvian economy and the agrarial reforms, was to militarily reconquer the lands lost by Peru to Chile in the War of the Pacific.
It is estimated that from 1970 to 1975 Peru spent up to 2 Billion USD on Soviet armament. According to various sources Velasco's government bought between 600 to 1200 T-55 Main Battle Tanks, APC`s, 60 to 90 Sukhoi 22 warplanes, 500,000 assault rifles, and even considered the purchase of a British carrier Centaur-class light fleet carrier HMS Bulwark. 3.
The enormous amount of weaponry purchased by Peru caused a meeting between former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Chilean president, general and US-backed dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1976. Velasco's military plan was to launch a massive sea, air, and land invasion against Chile. At that time Chile was almost broke financially and even in 1999 General Pinochet claimed that if Peru attacked Chile during 1975, Peruvian forces could have penetrated deep into Chilean territory all the way to Copiapó city located half way to Santiago. To defend itself the launching of a preventive war was considered by the Chilean Armed Forces. Though, Chilean Air Force General Fernando Matthei opposed a preventive war and responded that I can guarantee that the Peruvians would destroy the Chilean Air Force in the first five minutes of the war.
The D-Day for a Peruvian attack was supposed to be on October 5, 1975.
Alvarado has stated the government never had any intentions of attacking Chile at all, and that the military exercises were merely defensive. They informed of their border exercises to Chilean army and authorities.
Some analysts believe the fear of attack by Chilean and US officials as largely unjustified but logical for them to think that considering that the Pinochet dictatorship had come into power last year with a coup against democratically elected president Salvador Allende. According to sources, the alleged invasion scheme could be seen from the Chilean's government perspective as a plan for some kind of leftist counterattack.
| “ | Chileans should stop with the bullshit or tomorrow I shall eat breakfast in Santiago | ” |
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- —Juan Velasco Alvarado
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Read more about this topic: Juan Velasco Alvarado
Famous quotes containing the words foreign, military and/or policies:
“There is a close tie of affection between sovereigns and their subjects; and as chaste wives should have no eyes but for their husbands, so faithful liegemen should keep their regards at home and not look after foreign crowns. For my part I like not for my sheep to wear a stranger’s mark nor to dance after a foreigner’s whistle.”
—Elizabeth I (1533–1603)
“[I]t is a civil Cowardice to be backward in asserting what you ought to expect, as it is a military Fear to be slow in attacking when it is your Duty.”
—Richard Steele (1672–1729)
“... [Washington] is always an entertaining spectacle. Look at it now. The present President has the name of Roosevelt, marked facial resemblance to Wilson, and no perceptible aversion, to say the least, to many of the policies of Bryan. The New Deal, which at times seems more like a pack of cards thrown helter skelter, some face up, some face down, and then snatched in a free-for-all by the players, than it does like a regular deal, is going on before our interested, if puzzled eyes.”
—Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884–1980)