How the CIA Destroyed the Socialist Internet: Cybersyn, Part 1 | Kernel Panic | Mashable

Summary

The script delves into the CIA's role in the 1970s Chilean coup, highlighting the U.S. government's efforts to destabilize President Allende's socialist regime. It contrasts the ARPANET's development into today's internet with Chile's Cybersyn project, a unique, short-lived endeavor in cybernetic management. The narrative explores the impact of political and technological interventions on democracy and societal progress, revealing the complexities of power, control, and communication during a pivotal historical period.

Takeaways

• 🏭 The script discusses a unique factory where the CIA deciphers and decodes material from American spy satellites, highlighting the secretive nature of intelligence operations.
• 📰 It reveals that the CIA was involved in the military coup in Chile, having funded groups opposing President Allende, demonstrating U.S. interference in foreign politics.
• 💡 The historian emphasizes that Allende's success was partly due to U.S.-provided machinery, but his government was destroyed by the CIA, leading to a decline in Chile's democracy.
• 🌐 The script contrasts the ARPANET, the precursor to the modern internet, with Project Cybersyn, a network project in Chile with a different ethos and design.
• 🛠️ Project Cybersyn aimed to use cybernetics to manage nationalized industries more responsively to the needs of the people, showcasing an alternative approach to technology and governance.
• 📚 Stafford Beer's work on cybernetics and management provided the intellectual foundation for Cybersyn, offering a new perspective on control and communication between humans and machines.
• 🌎 The script describes Chile as an exceptional case in Latin America with strong democracy and institutions, yet economically underdeveloped and unequal due to U.S. corporate control.
• 🔄 Salvador Allende's election as president represented a significant shift in Chile's direction, with plans to nationalize key industries and transform the economy.
• 🛑 The U.S., particularly Nixon's administration, viewed Allende as a threat to their influence in Latin America, fearing his success could inspire similar movements elsewhere.
• 💔 The script suggests that the CIA's actions in Chile, intended to destabilize Allende's government, inadvertently contributed to its downfall and the loss of a unique opportunity for democratic socialism.
• 📈 The U.S. government's strategy to 'make the economy scream' in Chile was part of a broader effort to create conditions for a military coup, illustrating the lengths to which they were willing to go to prevent Allende's vision from succeeding.

Q & A

What is the significance of the factory mentioned in the script?

The factory mentioned in the script is significant because it is where the CIA deciphers and decodes material obtained from American spy satellites, as revealed by a Washington newspaper.

What role did the CIA play in the military coup in Chile?

The CIA played a role in the military coup in Chile by sending millions of dollars to groups opposing President Allende, who was overthrown in the coup, indicating an attempt by the United States to influence the government of a foreign country.

How did Salvador Allende's government plan to change Chile's economy?

Salvador Allende's government planned to nationalize key industries, such as copper mines and telephone services, which were previously controlled by U.S. multinational corporations, to make the economy more responsive to the needs of the Chilean people.

What was the purpose of Project Cybersyn in Chile?

Project Cybersyn was a network project in Chile that aimed to have a completely different purpose, ethos, and design from the American network, focusing on a unique approach to management and communication within the nationalized industries.

What was the reaction of the Nixon administration to Allende's policies in Chile?

The Nixon administration feared Allende's policies and what they represented for the rest of Latin America, viewing them as a potential signal to other governments and revolutionary groups about what they could achieve.

How did the traditional management of industries in Chile differ from the new approach proposed by Allende's government?

The traditional management involved bureaucrats preparing memos and sending them through the post, which was slow and inefficient. Allende's government proposed a new approach using Cybernetics to connect information with communications for faster and more efficient management.

What was the impact of the CIA's involvement in Chile on Salvador Allende?

The CIA's involvement led to the destabilization of Allende's government and ultimately his death, as they acted to destroy the government and undermine the democratic process in Chile.

What was the role of Stafford Beer in Project Cybersyn?

Stafford Beer provided intellectual contributions to Project Cybersyn, offering an alternative approach to management and control through Cybernetics, which was instrumental in shaping the project's unique perspective.

How did the United States attempt to destabilize the Allende government?

The United States, under Nixon's orders, attempted to destabilize the Allende government by providing weapons and money to groups plotting a military coup, and by implementing economic measures aimed at making the Chilean economy 'scream'.

What was the broader significance of the ARPANET project mentioned in the script?

The ARPANET project was significant as it aimed to connect large mainframe computers separated by thousands of miles, and it eventually became the basis for the modern internet, reflecting the purpose and worldview of its time.

What was the historical context of Chile's relationship with the United States in the 1960s?

In the 1960s, Chile was part of the informal U.S. empire, both economically and politically, with key industries controlled by U.S. multinational corporations, leading to a society that was politically advanced but economically underdeveloped and very unequal.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 CIA's Role in Chile's Coup and the Birth of ARPANET

This paragraph discusses the CIA's involvement in deciphering materials from American spy satellites and its role in the military coup in Chile. It highlights the CIA's funding of groups opposing President Allende, who was later overthrown. The paragraph also touches on the post-Watergate era's revelations and the impact of the CIA's actions on Chile's democratic government. Additionally, it introduces the development of computer networks in the 1970s, particularly the ARPANET, which aimed to connect mainframe computers across long distances and would eventually become the foundation of the modern internet.

05:02

🗺️ Chile's Political Shift and Cybersyn's Vision

This section delves into Chile's political landscape in the 1960s, characterized by a seemingly strong democracy with significant U.S. influence. It describes the economic disparity caused by U.S. multinational corporations and the election of Salvador Allende in 1970, which marked a radical shift in the country's direction. Allende's government aimed to nationalize key industries, including copper mines and telephone services. The paragraph also introduces Project Cybersyn, a unique network project in Chile with a different purpose and ethos from the American ARPANET, emphasizing its potential before its loss due to the political upheaval.

10:03

🤖 Cybernetics and the Inspiration Behind Cybersyn

The paragraph explores the concept of cybernetics as an alternative to traditional management and communication methods, particularly in the context of nationalized industries in Chile. It discusses the influence of Stafford Beer's work on cybernetics and management, which inspired the creators of Cybersyn. The narrative includes personal accounts of individuals involved in the project, their encounters with Stafford Beer, and the discussions around the management of the nationalized industry. It also touches on the political climate of the time, including the Nixon administration's efforts to destabilize Allende's government.

15:05

🚨 Nixon's Dirty Tricks and Chile's Economic Warfare

This final paragraph focuses on the Nixon administration's direct involvement in undermining Chile's economy and democracy. It details Nixon's explicit orders to the CIA to create conditions for a military coup, including providing weapons and funding to groups plotting against the Chilean government. The paragraph reveals the failed attempt to kidnap the head of the army and the subsequent consolidation of Allende's legitimacy. It also includes Nixon's conversation with CIA director Richard Helms, where he expresses his belief in 'dirty tricks' and instructs to 'make the economy scream' as part of the strategy against Chile.

Keywords

💡CIA

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the foreign intelligence service of the United States, responsible for gathering and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals. In the video, the CIA is depicted as being involved in the political affairs of Chile, specifically in the destabilization of the Allende government, which is a central theme of the video.

💡ARPANET

ARPANET stands for Advanced Research Projects Agency Network and was the precursor to the modern internet. It was a project funded by the U.S. government to connect large mainframe computers across long distances. In the video, ARPANET is contrasted with Cybersyn, a project in Chile, to illustrate the different approaches to network development and the political and social contexts in which they were created.

💡Cybersyn

Cybersyn was a project initiated in Chile during the Allende administration, aimed at creating a network for managing the nationalized industries in a more responsive and democratic way. The video discusses Cybersyn as an alternative vision for networked systems, which was different from the ARPANET and had a unique purpose and design.

💡Allende

Salvador Allende was the President of Chile from 1970 until 1973, when he was overthrown in a military coup. He is a central figure in the video as his socialist government was a target of U.S. intervention, which sought to destabilize his administration and ultimately led to his death and the decline of Chile's democratic government.

💡Nationalization

Nationalization refers to the process where the government takes control of industries or services that were previously owned by private entities. In the context of the video, Allende's government planned to nationalize key industries such as copper mines and telephone services, which were previously controlled by U.S. multinational corporations, as part of their economic project.

💡Military Coup

A military coup is the overthrow of an existing government, typically by the military, which then assumes control of the state. The video discusses the military coup in Chile, which resulted in the end of Allende's presidency and the establishment of a military dictatorship, a significant event that had long-term effects on Chile's political landscape.

💡Stanford Research Institute

The Stanford Research Institute, now known as SRI International, is a research institute that was involved in the development of ARPANET. In the video, it is mentioned as the location of the Network Information Center, which played a role in the early stages of computer networking and resource sharing.

💡Resource Sharing

Resource sharing in the context of computer networks refers to the ability of different systems to share data and communicate with each other. The video highlights the importance of resource sharing in the development of computer networks, which allowed for more efficient communication and data handling, a concept that was integral to both ARPANET and Cybersyn.

💡Cybernetics

Cybernetics is the study of systems and processes that involve feedback or communication and how these can be applied to control and communication in both humans and machines. In the video, cybernetics is presented as the intellectual foundation for Cybersyn, offering a new approach to managing complex systems, such as the nationalized industries in Chile.

💡Stafford Beer

Stafford Beer was a British scientist, researcher, and author known for his work in management cybernetics. In the video, he is presented as a key intellectual influence on the Cybersyn project, providing the theoretical framework for the system's design and implementation.

💡Economic Sanctions

Economic sanctions refer to measures taken by one or more countries to impose economic penalties on another country by limiting trade and financial transactions. In the video, it is mentioned that the Nixon administration aimed to 'make the economy scream' in Chile as part of their strategy to destabilize Allende's government, which is an example of economic sanctions.

Highlights

The CIA's involvement in deciphering and decoding materials from American spy satellites at a non-ordinary factory.

Revelations about CIA activities, especially concerning its headquarters outside Washington, being the hot news stories.

CIA's financial support to groups opposing President Allende in Chile, leading to his overthrow in a military coup.

The United States' attempt to instill a government of its preference in a foreign country, as seen in Chile.

Historian's perspective on the success of Allende's government and the CIA's role in its downfall.

The emergence of computer networks as a valuable means of interaction and resource sharing.

The ARPANET's goal to connect mainframe computers across long distances, funded by the U.S. government.

The evolution of the ARPANET into the foundation of the modern internet, reflecting the purpose and worldview of its era.

Project Cybersyn in Chile, with a distinct purpose and ethos from the American network, aimed at a unique networked world.

Chile's status as an exceptional case in Latin America with strong democracy and institutions, yet underdeveloped economically.

The control of Chile's key industries by U.S. multinational corporations and the societal inequality it created.

Salvador Allende's election and the radical change in direction for Chile, including plans for nationalization of industries.

Allende's intention to expropriate copper mines and telephone services controlled by U.S. corporations.

Nixon administration's fear of Allende's influence on the rest of Latin America and its implications for socialism and democracy.

The idea of an industrial sector run by the government, aiming to produce goods for the masses rather than a few.

The challenge of managing nationalized industries with traditional methods and the need for a new approach.

Inspiration from Stafford Beer's work on cybernetics and management, offering an alternative to traditional management.

Cybernetics as a new science for managing the world of computers and human-machine communication.

The computer's potential to revolutionize management and the need for a new understanding of control and communication.

Stafford Beer's invitation to Chile to discuss the management of nationalized industries and the development of Cybersyn.

The political significance of Allende's victory as a demonstration of the possibility of socialism through democracy.

Nixon's explicit orders to create conditions for a military coup in Chile, including the CIA's role in providing support.

The failed coup attempt and its impact on consolidating Allende's legitimacy as the winner of the election.

Nixon's directive to 'Make the economy scream' as part of the strategy against Allende's government.

Transcripts

- [Reporter] This is no ordinary factory.

But look at a recent edition of a Washington newspaper

and you will learn

that this is where the CIA deciphers

and decodes all the material it gets

from the various American spy satellites.

Such disclosures about the CIA, and above all,

about what goes on here

at its headquarters, just outside Washington,

these are the hot news stories of the moment.

Meanwhile, the full story of the military coup

in Chile, is causing the CIA yet more trouble.

As post-Watergate digging continued,

it came out that the CIA had sent millions of dollars

to various groups who opposed President Allende,

who was overthrown in the coup.

The United States was attempting

to get the sort of government it liked into power,

in a foreign country.

(solemn music)

(cassette player clicking)

- [Historian] I'm glad to repeat this story

because, there's a new generation growing up

who believe what they're told by history books, I suppose.

And it wasn't at all like that.

Allende was very successful,

and of course, the machinery he was using,

which we provided, was part of that success.

The CIA acted, and moved in,

and destroyed the government, and killed Allende.

And, I've often felt that, if we hadn't been so successful,

Allende would still be alive,

and the democratic government

of Chile wouldn't have gone into decline

for all those years.

By, a very strange quirk of fate,

I think that the very success of what we did

in Chile, was instrumental in bringing down the government.

(equipment whirring)

(light techno music)

- Within the computing community

within the last decade, the key thing

that was being observed was,

that there was a lot better way to interact with a computer.

Computer networks were, not only needed, but were valuable.

And they are gradually coming into fruition.

(suspenseful orchestral music)

- [Narrator] In California in the 1970s,

something new was happening.

- The Network Information Center, which is located

at Stanford Research Institute in California,

sees the network as this multi-leveled experiment.

And resource sharing, allows data

to be shared, computers to talk to each other, and so forth.

- [Narrator] The ARPANET had one goal,

to connect large mainframe computers, separated

by thousands of miles.

The U.S. government, who financed the network,

and the American universities carrying out the work,

wanted the fastest possible way

to communicate, with the fewest obstacles.

- [F.J Corbato] It's quite clear

that, material will be moved, and handled,

and stored in computer systems,

rather than in filing cabinets.

- [Narrator] We know the end of this story,

the ARPANET would become the basis for the modern internet.

The networks we now depend on, still reflect the purpose,

and worldview of its time,

and place, open, uncontrolled, and uncontrollable.

But there is another story.

A hemisphere way, a group of programmers

in Santiago, Chile, were building a network

of their own.

Project Cybersyn had a purpose, ethos,

and design, completely different

from the American network.

In the two brief years it lasted,

Cybersyn's creators saw the shape of something unique,

something that was lost

before we ever really learned what it could have meant

to a networked world.

- [Reporter] With the Andes Mountains

only a few miles away, Santiago, capital of Chile,

has a spectacular setting.

Growing each year, in size, and importance,

Santiago's population approaches the million mark.

Santiago is a real metropolis.

Perhaps what most impresses the newcomers,

is the modern architecture.

(solemn techno music)

- Chile was a, for many, an exceptional case

in Latin America,

because it was, an apparently strong democracy

with strong institutions,

and it had developed in the '60s, a close relationship

with the United States.

- Chile, was part of the informal U.S. empire,

both economically, and politically.

The key industries in Chile were controlled

by U.S. multinational corporations.

- So, Chile had this image of a country

that was politically advanced, but, its society lived

in still underdeveloped economic conditions,

which made Chilean society very unequal.

The corporate companies, the U.S. corporate companies

in Chile, have taken more out of the country

than they had actually left in the country.

And that was, the mark of Chilean politics in the 1960s.

The idea that transformation was necessary,

that radical change in some areas was necessary.

- In 1970, there was the election

of a new president for Chile.

And, at that time, the person who was

at the forefront was Salvador Allende.

He was elected, and that was an extraordinary change

in the direction of the country.

- Allende, and his government promised,

and planned, nationalizing,

that is expropriating, some particular factories,

some businesses, that they thought were central

to the carrying out of their economic project.

- [Lubna] Allende intended to expropriate the copper mines,

and the telephone service, which were controlled

by these U.S. multinational corporations.

The Nixon administration feared Allende

for what he represented for the rest of Latin America.

- [President Nixon] Everything we do

with the Chilean government, will be watched

by other, governments,

and revolutionary groups in Latin America

as a signal as to what they can do and get away with.

- The idea was to have an industrial sector,

run by the government.

The idea was to nationalize a number of industries,

rather than having big televisions to very few.

The companies were transformed

to produce small televisions

for the large number of people.

I was there, working in aspect of regional development.

Curiously enough, Fernando Flores was given responsibility

for regional development, as well.

He was the person, who

was the tutor of my own work.

- And I was 27 years old,

I found myself a very important job

in the government Allende,

in charge of the, of the supervision

of the whole, industrial complex.

I was, more mature than the people of that age.

They were all young people,

that's what revolutions have.

I reached position of influence, and power,

and intellectual that none of my companions get.

Not because I was more intelligent,

it's because I said I was more involved with it.

And involvement is something very important in life.

This is not all theory for me,

it was always about, how to improve the problem,

the issue, the organization I am working.

- We need to change the direction of the industry.

We need to, make it much more responsive

to the needs of the people.

- We knew that we have a big challenge

that, with the normal idea of management,

it's going to work.

- The traditional way of sending reports,

and managing industries,

where you have the bureaucrats preparing memos,

sending them through the post,

and if you wanted to have an overview

of the whole company, of the whole industry,

it might have taken months.

It was necessary for us.

And, I think it was particularly important for me,

to connect information with communications.

- Inspiration of Cybersyn,

the political merit in myself,

and the intellectual contribution, Stafford Beer.

I found his book,

that he called "Cybernetic and Management".

And year after, I recalled a second book

of him called, "Decision and Control".

- [Raul] So, he arrived with a book,

and passed it to a number of us,

and new things came of it.

- [Fernando] Stafford have the talent,

then he can see things that we don't see.

- Suddenly, our eyes we're opened.

Cybernetics offered an alternative.

- Cybernetics, dealt with a new world.

It offered mechanisms to dealing with things,

that nobody knew anything about.

I mean, it's almost impossible, even for my generation

let alone yours, to understand, what it was like

to be confronted by, a computer!

I mean, these people had only just come

to grips with the steam engine (laughs).

I used to go to my father's office,

and see these, huge machines.

They spat out bits of paper that people had to decode.

And as I say, they had virtually no function,

they could just add up, and subtract if you were lucky.

Nonetheless, it was shocking, these great big machines

that had all this potentiality that was emerging.

How do you manage a world like that?

We need a new science, that moves between the gaps,

between the sciences to cope with the, new world.

The science of control, and communication

in the human, and the machine.

(mellow instrumental music)

- [Stafford] The computer can generate untold variety.

And all of this is pumped into a system,

originally designed to handle the output

of 100 quill pens.

If one of those unworkable institutions

we were discussing buys a computer, what happens?

- [Reporter] Computers have made it possible

for IRS to process millions more returns,

than would have been possible by hand.

- [Stafford] It uses the thing

to do more elaborately, exactly what was done before.

You know how this looks.

The institution's activity is divided into chunks.

In every chunk, there is a boss man,

with lesser bosses reporting to him,

and running the smaller chunks.

We're not dealing with pistons, pumps, and distributor arms,

but with people, and the connections

between the parts are not crankshafts,

pipes, and electrical wires, but human relationships.

- Myself, and Flores, we start

to talk about how to proceed

with the management of the industry.

- There, I begin to think how it can go to the sources,

we send this letter to Stafford Beer.

And he replied to me, "You come to London,

please come to see me, because we can talk more."

I never been in Europe, and I went there,

and I meet with Stafford Beer.

- And they discussed how to proceed,

with these ideas of the nationalized industry.

- Surprise, surprise, during the conversation,

he offer himself, to come to Chile,

something unexpected with me.

We knew also that, maybe we don't have the time,

that it going to be a, coup before.

- The victory of Allende would be a sort

of demonstration that, there was a possibility

of socialism through democracy,

and that there was no vital contradiction

between socialism, and democracy,

which is what the political discourse

of the United States in the Cold War was.

You can't have socialism, and democracy at the same time.

- [Henry Kissinger] He's heading for a one-party state.

He's getting control of the press.

He's isolating the military.

He's treating the military just like Hitler did.

There'll never be another free election in Chile.

I think, unless we become too dangerous

to tackle, there's going to be a constant erosion

of our international position.

- There were two different means to achieve that end.

But the one that actually was implemented,

in all its breadth, was the attempt

to create conditions for a coup, for a military coup.

And that was done, under Nixon's explicit orders.

So, the CIA provided weapons, and money

to these groups that were plotting,

to kidnap the head of the army,

and provoke an institutional crisis,

and push the army to intervene, taking over.

The attempt was botched, the general was killed,

and no coup occurred.

It lead to, the opposite effect,

a consolidation of the idea

that Allende, was the legitimate winner of the election.

And that's because, it was very apparent

that there was some sort of foreign intervention in it.

- [Lubna] Nixon summoned CIA director, Richard Helms

to the Oval Office.

- [President Nixon] The real thing you need

to have from me is first, this assurance.

- [Richard Helms] That's all I want.

- [President Nixon] I am not going to embarrass the CIA,

because it's terribly important.

Second, I believe in dirty tricks.

I think we've got to do it.

- [Lubna] And gave Helms a list of instructions,

and on this list was the expression,

"Make the economy scream."

(solemn music)