Original sentence: (Pinochet's Chile, for example, is often cited by critics as an example of this, although others argue that the threat of communism to Chile was very real.During the Cold War many authoritarian regimes, often supported by the US, used the fear of communism as a means of legitimizing repression or as an excuse to persecute its opponents.Others, however, have argued that extreme measures were needed to prevent the spread of communism during the height of its expansion.The alleged or demonstrated complicity of the CIA with these regimes seriously discredited anticommunism and the pretense of the US to represent a "Free World" in the eyes of critics
Edited sentence: During cold war many dictatorial regimes, often supported by the US, used the fear of communism as a mean of legitimation (Pinochet's Chile, for example) or an excuse to persecute its opponents.The alleged or demonstrated complicity of the CIA with these regimes seriously discredited anticommunism and the pretense of the US to represent a "Free World"