Chileans Gustavo Martin and Víctor Marillanca have spent a lifetime meeting with Australian government officials, advocating for an investigation into the secret involvement of the country's intelligence services (ASIS and ASIO) in the overthrow of President Salvador Allende, following a request from the United States' Central Intelligence Agency.
After decades of advocacy, their hopes for answers were again renewed, when they learned the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) was evaluating the release of the historical dossiers detailing the operations of Australian spies in Chile between 1971 and 1974.
However, after months of deliberation, , stating that doing so “would cause damage to the security, defence or international relations of the Commonwealth".
According to the AAT, its decision was based on the need to protect Australia's ability to keep secrets, and to be seen as a nation that continues to do so, despite the passing of time.
In response, Chilean researcher and historian Gustavo Martin, who was taken in by Australia in 1974, told SBS Spanish that it was an unjustifiable decision.
“It is very unfortunate. I really don't understand, because the CIA has declassified thousands of documents regarding the participation of the US government in the Chile coup. How can Australia reward itself with this privilege?," he questions.
Mr Martin escaped the dictatorship in Chile because he was part of Allende's administration. He views Australia's stance as vulnerable.
“This signals a very great weakness, it seems the Australian intelligence services are still in a primary, adolescent stage. If they were mature, they would have the courage to inform the international public opinion of what they did."
It is a sentiment shared by former Australian military intelligence officer Dr Clinton Fernandes, , as a probe into Australia's record as a 'good international citizen'.
"This doesn't make sense ... The idea that we have to be seen as protectors of secrets 50 years later is inconsistent with the fact that our allies (the United States and the United Kingdom) have already declassified their files."
Mr Martin explains that declassified intelligence documents in the United States describe how the CIA undermined the democratically elected government of President Allende by creating a "coup environment" in Chile.
“The CIA has revealed what it did. It revealed how their agents bribed the truckers' union to go on strike, to hamper the operation of public transport in Chile, by blocking the roads. The CIA revealed how it had asked business owners to block access to food and other goods from the Chilean people, so to create food shortages and instability. That's in the documents,” he says.
Mr Martin explains that, once the Allende administration managed to neutralise the clandestine activities of the CIA in Chile, the latter requested Australia's help so that they "continue the same activities, undetected".
In response, Australia established an ASIS station in Santiago, where three covert agents operated, according to US records.
"The CIA revealed that the Australian intelligence services ... continued these activities," he explains.
The CIA exposed ASIS, but ASIS is still trying to be loyal… They are more Catholic than the Pope!
“I would not be surprised if the Australian intelligence asked the CIA for permission to reveal its own documents, and that the CIA said 'no' because it's in the CIA's best interest to taint the Australian intelligence services, as the international public opinion pointed the finger at the CIA and the US government for the overthrow and death of President Allende in Chile."
'I don't buy it'
The proceedings to evaluate if the Chile and Allende records were ‘safe’ for release were held mostly behind closed doors, given Attorney-General Michaelia Cash issued a public interest certificate days prior, suppressing the disclosure of evidence provided by government agencies, ASIS, ASIO and DFAT.
This meant Dr Fernandes and his lawyer, Barrister Ian Latham, were precluded from the evidence and claims presented by the government to counter their appeal.
However, the Tribunal decision document contains excerpts from the public affidavits made by ASIS, ASIO and DFAT representatives, explaining why the declassification of these files would still represent a danger to Australia's national security, almost half a century after the events.
In this regard, both the ASIS and ASIO representatives argued that the disclosure of records on Chile and the overthrow of Allende would hamper the current work of Australian agencies, by revealing aspects that could lead to the identification of intelligence agents, the relationships between them and other government agencies, and other foreign agencies and their operatives.
Salvador Allende July 5 1973 Source: AAP
“The public disclosure of the remaining material in the Chile and Allende records that have been exempted from release could reasonably be expected to compromise the activities of ASIS and impair its ability to carry out its statutory functions” as, in some cases “the passage of time has not been sufficient to remove or degrade the sensitivity of the information to the point where it can be released,” ASIS said.
While the events of the 1970s are seemingly frozen in time, the facts surrounding them can have implications for the present.
Víctor Marillanca, who was taken prisoner during the dictatorship for being part of the Socialist Youth, considers the arguments presented in the Tribunal suspicious 'excuses'.
"I don't buy it," he says.
Mr Marillanca, who came to Australia in 1975, says the open statements from former ASIS and ASIO employees imply that Australia would be involved in similar activities in other countries today, using the same techniques and methods as 50 years ago, which is implausible.
“These are excuses for not releasing the information. We need to pressure them for answers," he says.
Mr Marillanca also questions why transparency laws are not being applied to the Chile files, after so many years.
What is the danger to those Australian secret agents? They must all be retired, old, and some may have died. What is going to happen to them? Nothing!
He says he was "quite surprised by the decision" because he thinks it doesn't hold up as valid.
Dr Fernandes told SBS News that the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marise Payne, should “take the initiative and show leadership and declassify these 50-year-old records”.
"To continue to maintain secrecy is an insult to the memory of the victims."
However, neither Mr Martin nor Mr Marillanca expect a response from Ms Payne, who also failed to answer two .
SBS News asked members of the government and the opposition in the Australian Parliament for comment on the case, but none responded.
Senator Rex Patrick said the ATT decision sends a worrying signal to foreign intelligence services.
"This decision just sends a disturbing message to other intelligence services, that Australian intelligence services can do things that other intelligence services can't do because we have no effective oversight."
Dr Fernandes says he will go back to the archives to get more documents declassified.
"If possible, we will try to appeal," he says.
But for Mr Martin, and the Chilean community in Australia, this is not the end of the road. The historian says that his children, as well as the next generations of Chilean-Australians, will insist on the declassification, despite the multiple refusals.
"This is very unfortunate, and leaves me with a terrible impression on the Australian intelligence services," he adds.
"I hope, for our sake, that Australia never engages in any kind of warfare, because, with these intelligence services, Australia has no place in the international arena."
Read and Listen to this Report in Spanish:
“No la compro”: Indignación y suspicacia por negativa de Australia de desclasificar expedientes secretos sobre golpe en Chile
