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Workers in hardhats and bearing pitchforks march in Santiago in support of the Allende administration during brief nationwide strikes by pro- and anti-Marxist elements in mid-June 1973.> -Wide World Photosgovernment. Production declined sharply after the Lakeovers, the opposition got fresh fuel for its claim that the expansion of state control of industry was teing carried out through extralegal channels, and "yter popular" as expressed in the worker occu-pations—appeared to some extent to pose a possibit threat of an alternative to the power of the central government.After the June 29 revolt, Allende made new efforts to secure military involvement in the government, but his negotiations with the armed forces were "unsuccessful." Instead, they embarked on a policy of vigorous enforcernment of the Arms Control Law, a measure which had been adopted in October 1972 but only sporadically enforced thereafter. This law authorized any, military or police commanders to carry out arms searches if there was "a presumption I the clandestine existence of illegal firearms."The right wing Patria y Libertad organization had fem announced publicly that it was going under-ground in an attempt to overthrow the government by force, and military intelligence was also aware of the initiation of arms training by all the govern. ment parties, even the centrist Radicals." In the course of their crackdown, the military found arms caches in factories in Santiago and Concepción, and the king of a worker in one such arms raid pro-voked protects from the leftist parties.At this point, the Chilean Communist Party and the Cattolic Church both concluded independently that the only solution to the Impasse in Chite was one more atternpt at an agreement between the Allende government parties and the Christian Demo-crats. The Cornmunists initiated a campaign against civil war almost simultaneously with a statement by the Chilean hierarchy calling for a renewal of dia-logue. Probably in response to these pressures on both sides, two lengthy discussions took place on July 31 between UP and PDC representatives. Both Allende and the Christian Democrats agreed on the necessity of enforcement of the Arms Control Law. but disagreement continued on the constitutional reforms. Allende offered to sign the arnendment on the "Three Areas of Property" in return for a con-stitutional amendment specifying that the Congress could caly override presidential vetoes of constitu-tional amendments by a two-thirds vote. He also proposed the establishment of joint committees to work out further agreements. However, the Christian Democrats denounced these proposals as "dilatory" and broke off the negotiations.A few days before the dialogue was Initiated, the truckers began another strike, which was to last from July 26 until the coup on September 11. As in October, the truckers were joined by the other gremios. Coming at a time when the 12-month inflation rate, fueled by massive goverriment budget deficits and subsidies to the nationalized Industries and agriculture, had reached 323 percent—and in a situation where inventories had not yet been built up from the October strike—the truckers' action created much more serious problems for the govern-ment than the earlier strike. This new crisis once again raised the question of military participation in the cabinet, and General Prats persuaded his fellow commanders that it was their patriotic duty to re-enter the cabinet in order to settle the strike.[^1] ating accounts of those negotiations appear in Ercilla los abril, July 11-17, 1973, pp. 7-10.[^2] 17,198, 0.80 Oficial (Santiago). Oct. 21, 1972. By a has come to Allence's desk in the midst of the and since it had the strong support of the armed mpened to sign is despite the opposition of the and the MIR.[^3] Allende's personal bodyguard had organized courses In arms-training at his vacation house outside of Santiago. The MAPU began arms-training in December 1912, and the Radicals als so in July 1973. The armed forces were aware of Inis al least by the end of July. See documents in Libro Blanco, pp. 43-45, 192-93, 196-200.57