by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
I received a letter dated May 23 from Mr. Juan Gonzalo Larraín Campbell, director of the Chilean Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property. I believe it deserves the full attention of the Brazilian people, so I am pleased to publish it.
While traveling through this country, which I admire not only for its natural beauty but especially for the qualities of spirit that distinguish the people of this vast nation, I am benefiting from Brazil’s highly advanced healthcare by receiving medical treatment at the Beneficência Portuguesa hospital in São Paulo.
As the director of the Chilean Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property, I am writing this letter to clarify to the Brazilian public, which is very dear to Chile, a news item from some international agency that gives an inaccurate view of my organization’s actions.
In fact, on the 15th of this month, I read in O Estado de São Paulo a news item stating that violence continues to disrupt the Chilean election campaign and that right-wing and left-wing extremists have chosen terror as their weapon of choice. After presenting the Castroist Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR) as the most active communist organization in the country, the news item added: “Right-wing extremists have in the Fiducia movement — Chilean Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property — one of the most active organizations in the struggle. These two offensives have a common basis: people’s exasperation.” Then comes the insinuation that the Chilean TFP was responsible for the actions of the farmers who opposed the land reform program, which, according to reports, provoked the incident during which Mr. Hernán Mery, an employee of the Agrarian Reform Corporation, died.
In this regard, I would like to clarify the following:
- The Chilean TFP has always acted entirely within the law. Its activities are clearly confined to the ideological sphere and openly expressed in public through various campaigns, whether selling the magazine Fiducia, distributing manifestos, or gathering signatures. Contrary to some claims, TFP’s actions have consistently been peaceful and strictly lawful. This has become especially evident now, on the eve of the presidential elections. In this context, any violent act could only benefit the establishment of a leftist dictatorship (whether masked or not with a right-wing guise). To prevent this, which we see as a disaster, we, the TFP of my country, published a manifesto in El Mercurio on April 11, stating: “…To this end, we ask that you observe particular and scrupulous compliance with the laws and contribute to maintaining a climate of tranquility and order in everything related to the upcoming elections to avoid even the slightest pretext for suspending them.”
Furthermore, in a recent advertising campaign against the resurgence of terrorist unrest, the TFP urged the public to refrain from all violence to avoid any pretext for a potential dictatorship, which, incidentally, would aggravate the confiscatory rural socialism that is making my country unhappy, as stated by El Diario Ilustrado on April 26.
- It is utterly false that the Chilean TFP had any involvement in the death of Mr. Hernán Mery, an employee of the Agrarian Reform Corporation, as suggested by the information published by the aforementioned São Paulo morning newspaper.
The Chilean press has neither stated nor implied anything about this matter. It reported that the death was caused by a peasant from an expropriated farm who refused to accept the implementation of the Frei government’s land reform. To further demonstrate to the Brazilian public that the Chilean TFP acted entirely within the law, one only needs to look at its response to the expropriation of Mr. Patricio Larrain Bustamante’s farm, who is my relative and president of that organization’s National Council. Mr. Larrain owned 79 hectares in the Curacavi Valley, 60 km from Santiago. He had the support of more than 800 farmers in the area who requested that his land not be expropriated. Ignoring this plea and violating the most basic laws of justice, the Christian Democratic government expropriated at a bargain price this well-managed farm belonging to one of its major opponents. During this event, the TFP did not react violently in the slightest.
- Comparing the attitude of the Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR) with the TFP is utterly biased. The former is known as a terrorist and Castroist movement, whose leaders are held responsible by the police for bank robberies, attacks on businesses and other crimes. During numerous TFP street campaigns, our volunteers have been violently attacked multiple times by MIR and Communist Party members. These organizations brazenly use sharp and blunt weapons to harm those who bravely and peacefully try to save Chile from a Red regime. As a result, Chilean TFP National Council members were seriously injured in these attacks, along with some of our volunteers.
Dear Dr. Plinio: While accusations can be expressed briefly, a defense almost always requires a detailed explanation. Please excuse this lengthy letter and consider publishing it in the respected morning newspaper that features your insightful contributions.
Thank you in advance. Sincerely, Juan Gonzalo Larraín Campbell.