Charles Horman

Charles Horman (May 15, 1942 – September 20, 1973), an American journalist, was one of the victims of the coup d'état led by General Augusto Pinochet in Chile on September 11, 1973 which deposed the democratically-elected socialist president, Salvador Allende. Horman's case was made famous by Costa-Gavras's 1982 film Missing.

Imprisonment and death

On September 17, 1973, six days after the US-backed military takeover, Horman was seized by Chilean soldiers and taken to the National Stadium in Santiago, which had been turned by the military into an ad hoc concentration camp, where prisoners were interrogated, tortured and executed. One month later, Horman's body turned up in a morgue in the Chilean capital. A second US journalist, Frank Teruggi, met with the same fate.

Related Topics:
September 17 - 1973 - Santiago

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At the time of the military uprising, Horman was in the resort town of Viña del Mar, near the port of Valparaíso, which was a key base for both the Chilean coup plotters and US military and intelligence personnel who were supporting them.

Related Topics:
Viña del Mar - Valparaíso

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While there, he spoke with several US operatives and took notes documenting the role of the United States in overthrowing the Allende government.

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This discovery led to his secret arrest, disappearance, and execution. Efforts by his family to determine his fate were met with resistance and duplicity by US embassy officials in Santiago, who knew he was dead and why he had been killed (c.f. Hauser).

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