Alejandrina Cox incident
Encyclopedia
The Alejandrina Cox incident was a traffic incident involving General Carlos Prats
, then Minister of the Interior for President Salvador Allende
, that altered the course of Chile
an history by helping launch to the Chilean coup of 1973
.
's policies. General Carlos Prats
, Army Commander-in-chief
and Interior minister, was responsible for maintaining order in an increasingly polarized country.
On June 27, 1973, at about 3 PM, General Prats was being driven to his office in his official car. The animus of the people at the time was such that as soon as he was recognized he was insulted from many of the cars driving by.
As Prats' car was at a busy intersection in Las Condes
, a then-quiet upper-class suburb of Santiago
, a small red Renault
car placed itself next to the general's and from inside two people (two men as he described them later) started laughing, mocking him and making obscene gestures. The general snapped and asked his driver to hand him his handgun. Then he opened his side window, and pointing at the red car, ordered the driver to stop. Since the other driver ignored him, the general resorted to waving his side arm, demanding an apology at gunpoint. As none was forthcoming, in an enraged and clearly irrational reaction, he shot the red car in its left front fender.
Both cars immediately stopped and the drivers came out. At that moment, the general discovered that the other driver was an upper-class housewife named Alejandrina Cox. She wore her hair cut short and that had led him to confuse her with a man. As he was remonstrating Mrs. Cox a crowd started to gather around him openly siding with her. Very soon he was being insulted and jeered and his official car was blocked. A passing taxi driver had to rescue him from further violence, after he had his car graffitied and his tires slashed.
From the scene of the incident, General Prats had himself immediately driven to La Moneda and presented his resignation to President Allende. The president refused to accept it and managed to convince him to stay. Nevertheless, the news of the incident was immediately splashed across the front pages of all the newspapers and the opposition had a field day, accusing him of cowardice and of being mentally unfit to command because of his firing on an unarmed woman. The government press defended him hinting that he had been provoked and that it could have been a failed attempt on his life. The Army general staff backed him, but the controversy surrounding the issue and the underlying problems associated with it did not die down.
- that is, deliberately keeping the army out of civilian affairs - was totally shattered. This single incident, admittedly bizarre and embarrassing though it might have been for him, had tremendous impact on Chilean history beyond the purely episodic. It made General Prats a laughingstock and seriously weakened him in the eyes of the officer corps of the Chilean Army
, of which he was the Commander-in-chief. Prats and Mrs. Cox eventually gave public apologies to each other, but his public position was seriously undermined nonetheless and he only managed to remain in office for less than two months after the incident. During that period he recovered somewhat his public standing with his brave stance during the Tanquetazo
, but lost it again after the public protests of the wives of his generals and officers in front of his home on August 22, 1973. His resignation as Army Commander-in-chief
removed the last obstacle for the Chilean coup of 1973
.
Carlos Prats
General Carlos Prats González was a Chilean Army officer, a political figure, minister and Vice President of Chile during President Salvador Allende's government, and General Augusto Pinochet's predecessor as commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army...
, then Minister of the Interior for President Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
, that altered the course of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an history by helping launch to the Chilean coup of 1973
Chilean coup of 1973
The 1973 Chilean coup d'état was a watershed event of the Cold War and the history of Chile. Following an extended period of political unrest between the conservative-dominated Congress of Chile and the socialist-leaning President Salvador Allende, discontent culminated in the latter's downfall in...
.
Incident
At the time of this incident, civil unrest was at its height in Chile, both in favor and against Salvador AllendeSalvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
's policies. General Carlos Prats
Carlos Prats
General Carlos Prats González was a Chilean Army officer, a political figure, minister and Vice President of Chile during President Salvador Allende's government, and General Augusto Pinochet's predecessor as commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army...
, Army Commander-in-chief
Chilean Army
The Chilean Army is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 45,000-person army is organized into seven divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade....
and Interior minister, was responsible for maintaining order in an increasingly polarized country.
On June 27, 1973, at about 3 PM, General Prats was being driven to his office in his official car. The animus of the people at the time was such that as soon as he was recognized he was insulted from many of the cars driving by.
As Prats' car was at a busy intersection in Las Condes
Las Condes
Las Condes is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. The area is inhabited primarily by upper-mid to high income families...
, a then-quiet upper-class suburb of Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, a small red Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
car placed itself next to the general's and from inside two people (two men as he described them later) started laughing, mocking him and making obscene gestures. The general snapped and asked his driver to hand him his handgun. Then he opened his side window, and pointing at the red car, ordered the driver to stop. Since the other driver ignored him, the general resorted to waving his side arm, demanding an apology at gunpoint. As none was forthcoming, in an enraged and clearly irrational reaction, he shot the red car in its left front fender.
Both cars immediately stopped and the drivers came out. At that moment, the general discovered that the other driver was an upper-class housewife named Alejandrina Cox. She wore her hair cut short and that had led him to confuse her with a man. As he was remonstrating Mrs. Cox a crowd started to gather around him openly siding with her. Very soon he was being insulted and jeered and his official car was blocked. A passing taxi driver had to rescue him from further violence, after he had his car graffitied and his tires slashed.
From the scene of the incident, General Prats had himself immediately driven to La Moneda and presented his resignation to President Allende. The president refused to accept it and managed to convince him to stay. Nevertheless, the news of the incident was immediately splashed across the front pages of all the newspapers and the opposition had a field day, accusing him of cowardice and of being mentally unfit to command because of his firing on an unarmed woman. The government press defended him hinting that he had been provoked and that it could have been a failed attempt on his life. The Army general staff backed him, but the controversy surrounding the issue and the underlying problems associated with it did not die down.
Importance
The public perception of General Prats as a serious, level-headed bulwark of the so-called Schneider DoctrineSchneider Doctrine
Schneider Doctrine was a political doctrine originally espoused by Chilean General René Schneider, which allowed the election of Salvador Allende as President of Chile, and was the main ideological obstacle to a military coup d'état against him.-Background:...
- that is, deliberately keeping the army out of civilian affairs - was totally shattered. This single incident, admittedly bizarre and embarrassing though it might have been for him, had tremendous impact on Chilean history beyond the purely episodic. It made General Prats a laughingstock and seriously weakened him in the eyes of the officer corps of the Chilean Army
Chilean Army
The Chilean Army is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 45,000-person army is organized into seven divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade....
, of which he was the Commander-in-chief. Prats and Mrs. Cox eventually gave public apologies to each other, but his public position was seriously undermined nonetheless and he only managed to remain in office for less than two months after the incident. During that period he recovered somewhat his public standing with his brave stance during the Tanquetazo
Tanquetazo
El Tanquetazo or El Tancazo of 29 June 1973 are the names used to refer to the failed coup attempt in Chile led by Army Lieutenant Colonel Roberto Souper against the government of Socialist president Salvador Allende. It is called such because the rebelling officers primarily used tanks...
, but lost it again after the public protests of the wives of his generals and officers in front of his home on August 22, 1973. His resignation as Army Commander-in-chief
Chilean Army
The Chilean Army is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 45,000-person army is organized into seven divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade....
removed the last obstacle for the Chilean coup of 1973
Chilean coup of 1973
The 1973 Chilean coup d'état was a watershed event of the Cold War and the history of Chile. Following an extended period of political unrest between the conservative-dominated Congress of Chile and the socialist-leaning President Salvador Allende, discontent culminated in the latter's downfall in...
.