Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
Set against the romance of revolution and the terror of a military coup, this arresting mystery is also a reckoning with the callousness of U.S. foreign policy.
In 1972 two idealistic young Americans, Charles Horman and Frank Teruggi, arrived in Chile to participate in President Salvador Allende's socialist and democratic revolution. A year later they were secretly executed as Chile's military, with U.S. backing, deposed Allende. Following a sham investigation and cover-up, a Chilean defector leveled a stunning but ultimately false accusation: a CIA agent was in the room when one of the killings was ordered.
The defector's tale inspired the acclaimed 1982 film Missing and established U.S. involvement as the accepted narrative. But Chile in Their Hearts exposes the tale as a fabrication and leads us to a more intriguing reality. This book will force readers to rethink what they thought they knew about this infamous case. Renowned investigative journalist John Dinges scoured U.S. and Chilean archives and interviewed new witnesses to reveal the true story of the killings and the compelling adventure of the two Americans' lives against the backdrop of U.S. intervention in Chile.
In 1972 two idealistic young Americans, Charles Horman and Frank Teruggi, arrived in Chile to participate in President Salvador Allende's socialist and democratic revolution. A year later they were secretly executed as Chile's military, with U.S. backing, deposed Allende. Following a sham investigation and cover-up, a Chilean defector leveled a stunning but ultimately false accusation: a CIA agent was in the room when one of the killings was ordered.
The defector's tale inspired the acclaimed 1982 film Missing and established U.S. involvement as the accepted narrative. But Chile in Their Hearts exposes the tale as a fabrication and leads us to a more intriguing reality. This book will force readers to rethink what they thought they knew about this infamous case. Renowned investigative journalist John Dinges scoured U.S. and Chilean archives and interviewed new witnesses to reveal the true story of the killings and the compelling adventure of the two Americans' lives against the backdrop of U.S. intervention in Chile.
Price: $27.95
Pages: 287
Publisher: University of California Press
Imprint: University of California Press
Publication Date:
29 April 2025
Trim Size: 9.00 X 6.00 in
ISBN: 9780520413191
Format: Paperback
“With his unique credibility on the topic, Dinges eschews ideological presumptions for a dogged, comprehensive investigation of the facts. His courageous findings debunk the conventional wisdom reflected and amplified by Missing: there is no evidence that the U.S. government was involved.”
"[Dinges's] conclusions are triumphs for intellectual honesty."
“Chile in Their Hearts may read like a true-crime novel . . . [yet] Dinges is quite convincing in criticizing US and Chilean investigators.”
“Chile in Their Hearts reads like a nuanced crime novel that tells the story of soulless bureaucrats, hopeful revolutionaries and bloodthirsty fascists.”
“Most importantly, Chile in Their Hearts tells the untold story of the two Americans, resurrecting Charles Horman and Frank Teruggi as conscientious defenders of Allende’s revolution — portraits of their personal and political journeys that have been missing from previous coverage of their cases.”
"Reads like a riveting true-crimework . . . Remarkably well sourced and fair, Chile in Their Hearts is a memorable work about a lamentable historical episode."
“[Dinges] is a living monument to hard-hitting investigative journalism and I marvel at his tenacity and rigorous sticking to the facts. . . . Chile In Their Hearts is a must-read, and an excellent read for anybody interested in Latin America, the era of dirty war dictatorships, and the grotesque contours of U.S. foreign policy in the region.”
“Dinges writes with both logic and humanity.”
“Both as a compelling page-turner and an overdue correction to the historical record, this important and thoroughly documented work amounts to a master class in investigative journalism.”
— Ariel Dorfman
"[Dinges's] conclusions are triumphs for intellectual honesty."
“Chile in Their Hearts may read like a true-crime novel . . . [yet] Dinges is quite convincing in criticizing US and Chilean investigators.”
“Chile in Their Hearts reads like a nuanced crime novel that tells the story of soulless bureaucrats, hopeful revolutionaries and bloodthirsty fascists.”
“Most importantly, Chile in Their Hearts tells the untold story of the two Americans, resurrecting Charles Horman and Frank Teruggi as conscientious defenders of Allende’s revolution — portraits of their personal and political journeys that have been missing from previous coverage of their cases.”
"Reads like a riveting true-crimework . . . Remarkably well sourced and fair, Chile in Their Hearts is a memorable work about a lamentable historical episode."
“This new account by John Dinges aims to sift the facts from the fictionalised account, focusing on the issue of supposed collusion of US officials in the killing of the two men.”
“[Dinges] is a living monument to hard-hitting investigative journalism and I marvel at his tenacity and rigorous sticking to the facts. . . . Chile In Their Hearts is a must-read, and an excellent read for anybody interested in Latin America, the era of dirty war dictatorships, and the grotesque contours of U.S. foreign policy in the region.”
“Dinges writes with both logic and humanity.”
“Both as a compelling page-turner and an overdue correction to the historical record, this important and thoroughly documented work amounts to a master class in investigative journalism.”
"Dinges confirms in these hundreds of pages what has made him such a superb investigative journalist. . . . I am, in any case, entirely convinced that Dinges has reached the right conclusions, despite the healthy skepticism with which I kept appraising his analyses.”
— Ariel Dorfman
“Dinges, whose journalistic career in Chile is long and distinguished, took a deep dive. . . . The resulting book is fascinating and highly readable, truly hard to put down.”
“Illuminates the lives of Horman and Teruggi and exposes the willingness of US officials to protect their Chilean allies rather than push for an honest accounting of the death of two US citizens.”
John Dinges lived in and reported from Chile during its most violent period (1972–78). A correspondent for the Washington Post, and later managing editor at NPR, he is Professor Emeritus of Journalism at Columbia University. His books include The Condor Years: How Pinochet and His Allies Brought Terrorism to Three Continents.
Contents
Introduction: Chile's Allure
Part I. Roads to the Revolution
1. Charlie and Joyce
2. Frank
3. Living the "Chilean Process"
4. New York
5. The Coup
6. Valparaiso
7. Vicuña Mackenna
Part II. The Search
8. Missing
9. The Embassy
10. Investigations
11. Distract and Deceive
12. Mr. Horman Goes to Chile
13. Disappeared in Plain Sight
Part III. Unraveling the Truth
14. The Making of "The Man Who Knew Too Much"
15. How and Why
16. Scenario for a Movie
17. A Trial in Chile
Part IV. Conclusions
18. The U.S. Role
19. Leads Not Followed
Acknowledging a Legacy
Sources and Methods
Notes
Index
Introduction: Chile's Allure
Part I. Roads to the Revolution
1. Charlie and Joyce
2. Frank
3. Living the "Chilean Process"
4. New York
5. The Coup
6. Valparaiso
7. Vicuña Mackenna
Part II. The Search
8. Missing
9. The Embassy
10. Investigations
11. Distract and Deceive
12. Mr. Horman Goes to Chile
13. Disappeared in Plain Sight
Part III. Unraveling the Truth
14. The Making of "The Man Who Knew Too Much"
15. How and Why
16. Scenario for a Movie
17. A Trial in Chile
Part IV. Conclusions
18. The U.S. Role
19. Leads Not Followed
Acknowledging a Legacy
Sources and Methods
Notes
Index