Manuel Contreras
As the ruthless chief of Pinochet's secret police, he orchestrated a regime of terror and became the most convicted official of the Chilean dictatorship.
1929–2015 (age 86)·Chilean general·Birthday: May 4·The Silent Generation
Biography
Manuel Contreras was the architect of state terror under Augusto Pinochet. A career army officer, he was handpicked to create and lead DINA, Chile's secret police force, after the 1973 coup. From a clandestine headquarters in Santiago, Contreras built a vast apparatus of surveillance, torture, and assassination aimed at eradicating leftist opposition. His operations extended beyond Chile's borders, most infamously in the 1976 car bombing in Washington, D.C., that killed former ambassador Orlando Letelier. For years, he operated with absolute impunity, a feared and shadowy figure. The return of democracy began to peel back that shield. Contreras became the defiant face of the dictatorship's crimes, fighting every legal step but ultimately being convicted in dozens of cases. He spent his final years in a special military prison, a symbol of the long-delayed reckoning for Chile's darkest chapter.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Manuel was born in 1929, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Manuel Was Born
The biggest hits of 1929
#1 Movie
The Broadway Melody
Best Picture
The Broadway Melody
Manuel's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1929Born
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1934Started school
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1942Became a teenager
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1945Could drive
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1947Could vote
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1950Turned 21
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1959Turned 30
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1969Turned 40
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 50
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 60
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 70
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 80
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2015Died at 86
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Founded and commanded DINA, Pinochet's notorious secret police agency, from 1973 to 1977.
- Was convicted for masterminding the 1976 assassination of Chilean diplomat Orlando Letelier in Washington, D.C.
- Received cumulative prison sentences totaling over 500 years for human rights violations including kidnapping and murder.
- Was one of the highest-ranking officials of the Pinochet regime to be tried and imprisoned for his crimes.
Did You Know?
His nickname was 'Mamo'.
Before leading DINA, he received military training in the United States at the School of the Americas.
He kept detailed archives of DINA's operations, which were later used as evidence against him and others.
At the time of his death, he was the inmate with the most accumulated sentences in Chilean history.
“The state's security is the supreme law.”
