Santiago, Chile.
Coup d'etat, September 11, 1973
September 11, 1973 around 8:30 in the morning. President Allende on balcony. When I arrived that morning I saw President Allende on the balcony, I rapidly took two photographs. My first of two photographs of that day. For years I wondered what had become these missing images. Till I saw them for sale by Horacio Villalobos. (Missing negative)
A few of the images sold by international news organizations (Reuters and Getty Images) by a photographer who wasn't there. The moment the first tanks arrived, all photographers and cameramen disappeared down the under ground garage of the Carrera Hotel. Only Sylvain and myself remained. And yet there's a photographer by the name of Horacio Villalobos who claims that he took these photographs. (Missing negative)
There were only two of us, Sylvain Julienne and myself. While Sylvain was still alive he confirmed that these images weren't his. (Missing negative)
Regretfully, there always will be photographers who somehow obtain film they have not shot and will claim rights to images they have not taken. (Missing negative)
Neither of the news organizations answered my repeated request for an explanation. (Missing negative)
See any similarity between these two images? (105 mm lens) Taken from the exactly the same spot with different cameras. I constantly changed cameras so I could record the same scenes in b&w as well as in color. This is one of the approximately 24 images for sale by the Argentinian 'photographer' Horacio Villalobos. (Missing negative)
This image I still have. Both images were taken from exactly the same spot but with different cameras but with a 200mm lens. (I carried four cameras, one with a 24mm lens, a 35mm, a 105mm and a 200mm)
Also claimed by Horacio Villalobos. This was photographed by me with a 105mm lens. Study the next frame. (Missing negative)
This negative I still have and was shot from exactly the same spot with a 200mm lens.
Around 07:30-08:00hrs in the morning of Sept. 11, 1973
The armored cars which had surrounded the Moneda are leaving.
Aides-de-camp desert La Moneda palace.
When the tanks arrive the journalists and the carabineros leave.
Around 09:45 hours. the carabineros have changed sides and leave the Intendencia.
The carabineros have changed sides and are leaving.
After what seems about half an hour, the tanks and ground troops are leaving after having fired massively at the front facade of the Moneda palace.
Tanks and troops are leaving, only to return around 12:30, after the Moneda has been bombed.
The Moneda has been bombed, the tanks return firing their 50 cal machine guns, the remaining spectators flee for safety. (12:30hrs)
Tank rattles down Calle Moneda, cal. 50 machine gun roaring. soldiers hide in doorways.
After the first bomb hit the Moneda palace, the last of the spectators fled.
Calle Moneda just after the first bomb dropped on the Moneda palace.
General Pinochet with Cardinal Raul Silva Henriquez. Archbishop de Santiago.
The newly blessed members of the Junta.
In the early morning of September 11, 1973, around 0700 hrs, the telephone rang.
“Chas! Wake up!”
“Silvain? Is that you?”
“Listen! I can see from my hotel window that the Carabineros have surrounded the Presidential Palace with armored cars. You better get your ass over here, something is happening!”
In a hurry I packed my camera bag with my four Nikon F’s, four lenses: a 24mm, 35mm, 105mm and a 200mm and around 30 rolls of b&w and 20 rolls of color film. Half an hour later I arrived in front of the Moneda Palace and saw President Allende on the first-floor balcony of the Moneda. I took two shots, he was turning away. Did I get him? Or was I a second too late? Damn! (Years later I saw many of my images I took that day for sale on the Getty and Reuters websites. Some of these images could not have been taken by another photographer because there were no other photographers there. The moment the tanks arrived, around 09:30 hrs that morning, all the journalists had disappeared down the off-ramp into the underground parking lot of the Carrera hotel.) And Sylvain Julienne and I were the only two photographers left, till 5 1/2 hrs later we were told at gunpoint, by a sergeant and two soldiers, to leave or else. We left, it wast 15:00hrs.