Joyce Horman and Edmund Horman Papers
Scope and Contents Note
Materials written and collected by Joyce Horman and Edmund Horman, wife and father of Charles Horman, document events resulting from Charles Horman's abduction, torture, and execution during General Augusto Pinochet's September 1973 coup d'êtat in Chile. The collection is currently arranged in seven series: Charles Horman Biographical Files, Edmund Horman Correspondence, FOIA Request Documents, Joyce Horman, et al., v. Henry Kissinger, et al. , Press Clippings, Additions to the Horman Papers, and 2019 Additions to the Horman Papers.
Charles Horman Biographical Files contains personal information sheets about and written works by Charles Horman.
Edmund Horman Correspondence contains correspondence from 1973 to 1980 between Edmund Horman and multiple parties.
FOIA Request Documents contains documents, including declassified materials, obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
Joyce Horman, et al., v. Henry Kissinger, et al. contains court materials from the October 1977 lawsuit that charged former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and the rest of the State Department with complicity in the detention and death of American journalist Charles Horman during the 1973 Chilean coup.
Press Clippings contains media coverage on the Hormans as well as the 1982 movie Missing and the 1978 book The Execution of Charles Horman.
Additions to the Horman Papers contains additional correspondence from Joyce and Edmund Horman, FOIA requests and documents, materials from Joyce Horman, et al., v. Henry Kissinger, et al. , and news clippings and collected published materials. New materials also cover the 1983 lawsuit Nathaniel Davis, et al., vs. Constantin Costa-Gavras, et al. , in which former U.S. ambassador to Chile Nathaniel Davis and two ex-embassy aides filed a libel suit against the makers of the 1982 movie Missing and the 1978 book The Execution of Charles Horman. Also new are production and promotional materials from Missing; materials on additional lawsuits; and audiovisual materials, including television interviews with the Hormans.
2019 Additions to the Horman Papers contains correspondence, FOIA request documents, press clippings and published materials, and the 2001 book The Trial of Henry Kissinger.
Dates
- Creation: 1950-2014
Language of Materials
English, Spanish
Access Restrictions
Unrestricted.
Use Restrictions
Standard copyright restrictions apply.
Historical and Biographical Notes
Charles Edmund Horman, a Harvard educated American freelance journalist, was abducted, tortured, and executed in Chile during General Augusto Pinochet's coup d'êtat that began on September 11, 1973 to overthrew the government of Salvador Allende. After Horman's disappearance his family, including wife Joyce Horman and parents Edmund and Elizabeth Horman began an effort to find him, and then, following the eventual discovery of his body, to determine who was involved in his murder. In 1976 Joyce Horman, on behalf of the Horman family, filed the landmark suitJoyce Horman, et al., v. Henry Kissinger, et. al. that charged Kissinger and other Nixon Administration officials with the wrongful death of Charles Horman and with its concealment. In 1980 the case was dismissed "without prejudice."
In 1978 the bookThe Execution of Charles Horman by Thomas Hauser, and then in 1982 the filmMissing by director Costa-Gavras publicized allegations that the United States government had known aboutand perhaps been complicit inthe abduction and murder of Horman. The film elicited a libel lawsuit against Costa-Gavras and Universal Studios by Nathaniel Davis, who had been U.S. Ambassador to Chile in 1973. The suit was later dismissed.
In 1999 a previously classified State Department memorandum from 1976 [ published on-line by the National Security Archive at George Washington University] was released. The memo stated that "U.S. Intelligence may have played an unfortunate part in Horman's death. At best, it was limited to providing or confirming information that helped motivate his murder by the GOC [Government of Chile]. At worst, U.S. Intelligence was aware the GOC saw Horman in a rather serious light and U.S. officials did nothing to discourage the logical outcome of GOC paranoia."
More information about Joyce Horman's continued legal efforts against Pinochet and on behalf of victims of human rights violations in Chile can be found at the Charles Horman Truth Project, on-line at http://www.hormantruth.org/index.htm
Full Extent
10.5 linear feet
Abstract
Papers of Joyce Horman and Edmund Horman, wife and father of Charles Horman who was abducted and executed during Pinochet's September 1973 coup d'êtat in Chile. The Hormans sued Henry Kissinger and Nixon Administration officials over Charles Horman's wrongful death and its concealment.
Acquisition Information
Information of acquisition method not available.
Additions
No further materials are expected for this collection.
Processing Information
Collection processed by multiple Benson staff members since 2008. Last updated by Rodrigo Leal, Special Collections GRA, 2019.
- Title
- Joyce Horman and Edmund Horman Papers
- Status
- Edited Partial Draft
- Author
- Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection
- Date
- 2008
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Revision Statements
- 2019 January: Encoded boxes 21, 22, 23, normalized dates, updated scope and contents, removed empty elements - Rodrigo Leal, Special Collections GRA
- 2021 June: Edited by D Ryan Lynch to fix compliance check errors to prepare for the migration to new TARO website.
- 2021 November: Edited by Devon Murphy to update control access terms and formatting based on the TARO Control Access List.
- 2025 July: Revised by Ryan Sullivant to fix validation errors prior to ingestion into ArchivesSpace.
Repository Details
Part of the Benson Latin American Collection, The University of Texas at Austin Repository
2300 Red River Street
Austin Texas 78712 United States
(512) 495-4578
bensonspecialcollections@austin.utexas.edu