The election of Salvador Allende as president of Chile in 1970 baffled much of the Western world. An avowed Marxist was coming to power by democratic means, offering an alternative to Castro's Cuba. The fear was linked to the possibility of a domino effect, which was notorious in Buenos Aires and in Madrid. Paradoxical as it may seem, the relations established between Allende's Chile and the Argentine and Spanish dictatorships were excellent, because an unexpected coincidence of interests and people facilitated a highly pragmatic approach. A secondary "Detente" that connected with Ibero-American "deep forces".