Richard Helms

United States state institutions Conservatism and Christian democracy 1913.3.30.–2002.10.23. ○ Natural causes

CIA director who wrote down Nixon's "make the economy scream" and ran the operations in Chile

His notes of the White House meeting at 15:25 on 15 September 1970 run: "1 in 10 chance perhaps, but save Chile!", "no involvement of embassy", "48 hours for plan of action".

Born in Pennsylvania, Helms served in the Office of Strategic Services in the Second World War and was a founding officer of the CIA in 1947. He was Director of Central Intelligence from 1966 to 1973. On 15 September 1970 President Nixon ordered him at the White House to stop Allende taking office, and he wrote down phrases such as "$10,000,000 available, more if necessary" and "make the economy scream"; the notes mark the start of the coup operation known as Track II. Pushed out by Nixon in 1973, he became ambassador to Iran and testified to the Church Committee. In 1977 he pleaded to misdemeanour charges of misleading Congress over the Chile operations, becoming the only DCI ever convicted.

Also known as: Richard McGarrah Helms