After the 1973 military coup against Chilean President Salvador Allende, the Cuban Embassy was under fire by tanks and Cubans were returning fire from the windows; Edelstam took a Swedish flag in hand and walked in front of the tanks as bullets hurled past. He fetched the Cubans out of the embassy and took them to the Swedish Embassy, then got them out of Chile to safety. After the incident, the Cuban Embassy in Santiago de Chile remained under Swedish protecting power for 18 years until 1991. Prime Minister Olof Palme gave him all his support.