Military dictatorship of Chile (1973–1990) themselves by trying to burn and destroy incriminating evidence. Such actions had the effect of justifying the existence of heavily armed forces in Chile. And by extension, justified the dictatorship's conduct against such "violent" offenders. In the 1970s junta members Gustavo Leigh and Augusto Pinochet clashed on several occasions beginning in the day of the 1973 Chilean coup d'état. Leigh criticized Pinochet for having joined the coup very late and then pretending to keep all power for himself. In December 1974 Leigh opposed the proposal to name Pinochet president of Chile. Leigh recalls about that moment that, "Pinochet was furious,
Ministry of the Interior and Public Security (Chile) Salaberry. In the absence (because of travel, death, or other impediment) of the President of Chile, the Minister of the Interior becomes Vice President; however this is not a true Vice Presidential position, but rather a position of a Designated Acting President, as the post of Vice President of Chile has no existence independent from the Ministership of the Interior. During the first days of the independence movements, the senior "secretary" of the respective Junta would function as the "Secretary of Government". The office officially first came to be on October 27, 1812, when it was one of the two