New lead into Chile murder

A third and final declassification is to come in September

By Paul Reynolds in Washington

US human rights activists have welcomed the release of government documents relating to the 1973 coup in Chile, saying they offer a new lead into the killing of American journalist Charles Horman.

Mr Horman's widow, Joyce, however, said she was disappointed that the mystery remained about her husband's death, which was the subject of the 1982 Oscar-winning film, Missing.

The document was one of a group made public on Friday as part of a declassification process on events in Chile.

It is a report from the US Embassy in Santiago in 1987 which said that an informant had named the then deputy head of the Chilean secret police, Pedro Espinoza, as the man who gave the order for Mr Horman's execution.

We have not found the answer... Our quest is not over

Joyce Horman

However, this informant later disappeared and his information was not followed up.

His name has been removed from the published document and his veracity was never established.

More to come

Mrs Horman said that efforts would be made to find out who he was.

Jack Lemmon starred in Missing as the journalist's father

She also expressed overall disappointment with the quality of documents relating to two other cases released under the administration's policy of declassifying Chilean reports.

There had been only six from the CIA , she said, and each had been heavily redacted.

The CIA said it was withholding 10 further reports on security grounds.

A CIA document on the death of an American hitchhiker, Boris Weisfeiler, in 1986 was more forthcoming.

It said that an informant had reported that Mr Weisfeiler had been kidnapped by the Chilean military and then beaten to death.

There is to be a third and final declassification in September.