Blame Uncle Sam
Must the US government be blamed for every conflict that is happening in the world? It's rather hard to answer the question with a yes or no. Politics is one gray area, but the political figures that the White House butted heads against would rather be black and white in their views.
Take the case of the Spanish American wars of independence. Have you wonder why Brazil has the largest land area in South America? The answer won't be simple. Many historians would point it as the cause of the continent's other problems. Put it in another ways, the fight for freedom - and more land - would influence the chain of events (in that region). The renowned authors from Latin America have written about that subject. Some of the best pictures from the region touched on that delicate issue. Authorities have a choice of words when asked about it.
The year of living dangerously
After many years of working in US media, Charles Horman decided to relocate to Chile and worked as a freelance writer. It happened that a coup d'état overthrew the socialist government of Salvador Allende. Horman's family became worried when they never heard from him for days. They traveled to Chile and looked around. They became despondent, sensing that the junta not only repressed the left-wing political activity.
Thomas Hauser's "Charles Horman: An American Sacrifice" recounted how Ed Horman, Charles's father, went to South America with anger and disappointment. He blamed his son for whatever happened to him, as he was exalted at the overthrow of Allende's government. But it was replaced with pain, and then anger, after it dawned on him that the junta, headed by Augusto Pinochet, may be responsible for his son's disappearance.
Seven months after Ed left Chile, Charles's remains arrived in the US. There was no official statement on who was responsible for his death. A Chilean court ruled that the US government played a role on his murder. Not a few suspected that Horman was one of thousands who were beaten and imprisoned by the junta. Some would add that he was fortunate to be found and returned to the US.
The book touched a sensitive part, as it put the US government on the hot seat. Richard Nixon was the president (during that time) and Henry Kissinger was the Secretary of State. Both were unpopular figures. Nixon became the only US president to resign from his post. As for Kissinger, there seemed to be no love lost between him and the (American) public during a recent Senate hearing. (Republican Senator John McCain went ballistic at the anti-war protestors.) The 70s wasn't a peaceful time. In the case of the junta, the White House would insist that there wasn't any involvement from their side. But many find it hard to believe that they didn't foresee its coming.
Costa-Gavras, whose works have political themes, adapated Hauser's book to the big screen. "Missing", which won the Palm d'Or at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award (for Best Writing), was far from being melodramatic. There was hardly a musical score. The life of Charles Horman was shown - and how it ended. Ed couldn't understand why his son died. And he wasn't the only one.
