I think what Devine is getting at is there is a difference between being directly behind a coup calling the shots and being in support of a coup and some of the events leading up to it.

As for the coup itself, Devine is correct that the coup was totally of the making of the Chilean military. There was no CIA puppet that was in charge during the coup. The US did not have advance knowledge of the exact date and time of the coup.

However, the US did help facilitate some of the conditions which made the coup possible. It is true that Allende's economic policies did produce problems for Chile but the economic debacle was helped along by financing the pots and pans marches and the truckers strike. The CIA allowed for popular discontent to physically come into being. Without CIA money, the marches and strike that were part of the military's calculation to launch the coup would not have happened. Without these events, it is hard to say whether the military would have acted.

In the end I think Devine makes an important distinction that some have forgotten. However, to claim that the US didn't have a large role in the 73 would be disingenuous at best.