◆ SpookStack

5f. T Within the gover'nment, Al1ende's closest collaborators had not been the leaders of his own -Socialist Party, but those of the Communist Party who were more discipl ined, unified, ahd capable. Commun'ists largely were responsibl e for running the' economic program, counting heavily on Soviet support There were 1 200-odd Soviets in Chile and as of March 1972 Soviet Bloc credits of some $200 million dollars had been extended to that country. Additionally, the Soviets were dangling an offer of 5300 million to the Chilean military for the purchase of military equipment Allende viewed himself as the man who would do what Castro had 'fa H ed to do: d i sp'I ace American hegemony in Latin America by using constitutional tools 'to fashion a Marxist revolut'ion which would be irreversible. While. he and Castro chose to fol'low different roads in pursu ing their revolution, they had a common objective As Allende had said during his campaign, "Cuba in the Caribbean 'and a Socialist Chile in the Southern part of South America will bring about tEe. r'evolution in Latin America as a whole. " The Soviets left to the Cubans .most of the revolutionary guidance and support provided to the Allende regime. Allende was a close fri end of Castro and After Allende's inauguration, 'the official Cuban presence grew from zero to 54 (and eventually to more nearly 100)