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Similarities Between Nick Berg and Charles Horman (Chile 1973)

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION
by J.P.R. Jenkins

I couldn't help but be reminded today, while hearing the U.S. Gov't distance themselves from the unfortunate beheading victim Nicholas Berg; of the case featured in the 1982 Costa-Gavras movie, "Missing".

As you may recall, the movie is about the murder, and search for information regarding, American freelance writer Charles Horman. Horman went missing in Santiago Chile shortly after the U.S. sponsored coupe de tat led by Pinochet that began on, of all dates, September 11th, 1973.

As the U.S. government helped to obscure the ultimate fate of the missing American, it came to light that police in Chile arrested Horman, interrogated, murdered, then Dumped on the side of a road his body.

Justifications given by the Chileans, and our own State Dept. Representatives, were that Charles Horman shouldn't have been where he was, when the coupe was orchestrated. Further, he ran into many American's who were helping to choreograph the coupe, and was seen taking notes on the conversations. In short, Charles Horman was asking to be murdered.

The Horman family filed suit against the U.S. Government, and certain players including then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. The case is still ongoing, both in the U.S. and in Chile, where the first arrest was made in December 2003.

Aside from the way the Bush Administration is distancing itself from having anything to do with Nicholas Berg's custody in Iraq, over the last month (yeah, right), there are other similarities with the Horman case.

Horman, on the day of the coupe, Sept 11th, 1973 (ironic, isn't it?), had the misfortune to be in Vina del Mar. Vina Del Mar is a resort town, where American advisors to the coupe were residing. Horman had the misfortune to talk to a few of them, and was seen taking notes of the conversation.

According to emails home, before he was arrested by Iraqi police, Berg, did some work at the notorious prison at the center of attention in the growing torture scandal.

Berg's body was found on the side of a road, just like Horman's. Horman was murdered by police.

It is interesting that Berg was an outsider. His father even dared to sue Donald Rumsfeld, unlike most other Americans in Iraq. An easy sacrificial lamb, for the sadistic, homicidal maniacs being employed by our government in Iraq.

The propaganda coupe that the beheading video is creating for what was a crippled administration hours before the release of the video is also suspicious timing.

Recently, documents were released through the FOIA regarding the Horman murder. Although still censored, they do indicate that the CIA at the bare minimum had pointed the finger at Horman to the Pinochet thugs.

George Washington University, among others, has great online resources regarding the Horman case, a Google search for "Charles Horman" will return many links, and much valuable information.

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/19991008/

http://www.namebase.org/foia/ch04.html

http://www.wsws.org/news/1998/oct1998/horm-o23.shtml

http://www.fact-index.com/c/ch/charles_horman.html

It is plausible, that our own government had it's hands in, or at least, foreknowledge of the brutal murder of Nicholas Berg.

History does tend to repeat itself.

J.P.R. Jenkins

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION