Publishing and Anti-revolutionary Conspiracy at Quimantú: the Case of The Secret Documents of the ITT

Abstract

We propose to understand the publication of Documentos Secretos de la ITT by Editora Nacional Quimantú (1971-1973) from a series of tensions with the economic and communicational context during the Unidad Popular in Chile. If the book emerges as a response to the scandal of the documents revealing the conspiracy of a multinational to prevent the government of Salvador Allende, we are interested in the role of the printed book in a revolutionary government in addressing the anti-revolution. We will see that the book puts traditional categories of the book market in tension and questions its place in the political process. The ITT appears as an enemy in economic and political terms, and as a cultural actor to which it is decided to give voice. Along with representing the conspiracy in a new way, the book is inscribed in a scenario typical of an information society.