Guatemala Times
Justice for Arbenz
Military dictator Carlos Castillo Armas 1954
President Jacobo Arbenz gets
overthrown in a coup detat!
A couple years into the Cold War, the
United States continues to exert their
efforts on the containment of communism
in third world countries. Because
Guatemala has accepted socialist views, the
US is now forced to intervene. Recently
Guatemala's President Jacobo Arbenz has
been secretly overthrown through a
military coup set forth by the United States
CIA. Ultimately during this current time of
the Cold War, the United States is claiming
that their goal is to contain communism.
However, their actions are being proven
inconsistent with their values. The United
States actions in Guatemala demonstrate
By:Serenity Masuno
Monday, June 28 1954
US intervenes in Guatemalan government
1951-1954
How the coup detat began
Guatemala's first democratically elected
President, Dr. Juan Arevalo created a
reform called the agrarian reform bill. This
bill was made to redistribute Guatemala's
land back to the citizens. However the bill
soon became a big problem for the United
States. The United Fruit Company (US
privately owned business) was located in
Guatemala and the United States would
lose a big profit without that land. When
Jacobo Arbenz took over the presidency in
1951, he told the people of Guatemala he
would carry on Arevalo's reforms.
Months later, this action led to US
President Harry S Truman authorizing the
CIA to arrange for the overthrow of
Arbenz. The US knew that Arbenz was
going to pass the agrarian reform so they
needed to take action to prevent the loss of
land. Guatemala tried to compromise with
the United States and offered to trade the
$0.25
Volume 1
President Jacobo Arbenz resignation speech
1954
Thoughts from Arbenz Himself
Due to the resignation of
President Arbenz just yesterday, we have
decided to bring him in for an interview.
Rumors have been going around regarding
the real reason why Arbenz has resigned
and we are determined get to the bottom of
it.
Emily: Hello Mr. Arbenz, my name is
Emily, and I am here to ask about the event
that has just taken place.
Arbenz: I would be happy to answer any
questions you have.
Emily: Do you believe US actions were
justified?
Arbenz: I think the United States used
communism as an excuse to force me out
of presidency.
Emily: Can you please explain?
that the United States intervened only when
its economic and ideological interests were
supported. Consequently, American actions
during this time of the Cold War have
created instability in Guatemala and
undermined the nations values of
independence and freedom.
In March of 1951 Guatemala's second
democratically elected President Jacobo
Arbenz took office. Yesterday June 27,
1954 President Arbenz resigned as
President of Guatemala. In his resignation
speech he stated They have taken the
pretext of Communism. The truth is
elsewhere-- in financial interests of the
United Fruit Company and other US firms
that have invested much in Guatemala
(Arbenz). President Arbenz later in the
speech speaks of the goals he had for
Guatemala when he took office. He hoped
for Guatemala to be free and economically
independent. Guatemala is a third world
country, and the United States owns much
of the Guatemalan land. Arbenz understood
that in order to become an independent
successful country, Guatemala had to take
back the land in which the United States
owned. He was trying to give jobs back to
the Guatemalans and bring down the
poverty rate. To the US this was seen as
actions of communism, so the US helped
with the overthrow of Arbenz replacing
him with a military dictator. The citizens of
Guatemala know Eisenhowers true
reasoning for the coup was because Arbenz
disagreed with the United States economic
actions in Guatemala.
Although Arbenz presented himself as
more capitalist, some of his actions during
presidency took a more leftist approach. In
a Statement on Growth of Communism in
Guatemala the country's communist
actions come from, This handful of
dedicated men, banded together in
conspiratorial secrecy for years, have now
forged an open Communist Party which has
emerged with astonishing rapidity
(Statement on Growth of Communism in
Guatemala). Communist men had
dominated the government and because of
that the United States labeled Guatemala as
Communist. However many of Guatemala's
actions and goals for the country were not
Communist. Guatemala had their own
problems in creating a new government,
and the United States acted against their
own values in overthrowing the President,
because Guatemala's freedom was taken
away. They as a country voted for Abenz
land for bonds which equaled the lands
value. The US responded to this by saying
that Guatemala was offering too little for
the land, but in reality the US wanted to
keep the land so they made the price
impossible for Guatemala to afford.
Therefore, United States continued with
their original plans.
John Foster Dulles and Allan Dulles
were both board members of the United
Fruit Company. John being secretary of
State, and Allan being the CIA director,
gave the Dulles brothers the power to
recommend the coup to Eisenhower.
Eisenhower did not want the domino effect
to occur nor to lose money in exports so in
1953 he was fully on board with the coup.
The US planted Soviet weapons in
Guatemala to try to prove to the rest of the
world that Guatemala was communist and
siding with the Soviet Union. They used
this tactic to convince everyone else that
their future actions in Guatemala would be
rational. Soon after the US Air Force
attacked, forcing Arbenz to resign as
President because the Guatemalan army
refused to defend Arbenz in the attack. The
US planned this attack and then provided
Guatemala with a military dictator who in
the eyes of Guatemalan citizens could
protect them. The new military dictator
Carlos Castillo Armas had close relations
to the US and benefited the US because he
made communist leaders on a hit list given
by the CIA disappear. Consequently, US
actions in Guatemala clearly illustrate how
unconstitutional they proved to be. The US
tried to be secretive and sneaky about what
their true intentions were. Eisenhower
never cared about Guatemala being a
successful country, he cared about
America's own economic gain. In the
process putting a struggling country in an
even worse position.
Victims lay dead on the ground while Armas is
shaking hands with the Americans.
Arbenz: I had socialist ideas yes, but I was
democratic. I had to try to make everyone
in Guatemala equal in order to fix the
economy. 2% of Guatemala's population
owns 60% of the land, and that is where
most of our profit comes from. Guatemala
will never come out of poverty if the
wealth is not distributed to all citizens.
Emily: Do you believe Guatemala was in
the best interests of the US?
Arbenz: No, because the US was profiting
off of Guatemala, which damaged our
economy drastically, demonstrating the
US manipulation of a weak third world
countrys vulnerability.
Emily: Last question, What are your
feelings toward the US?
Arbenz: I am surprised by the United
States, they took from Guatemala, instead
of aiding to us. They lied to Americans and
made me and my leadership sound like
something it was not. The United States is
not the great country everyone speaks of.
They care about their own country and
only their own country.
Emily: Looks like the people of the world
now know what the true intentions of the
US were during the recent coup that took
place in Guatemala. Thank you Mr. Arbenz
for your time we greatly appreciate it.
Statistics
As of 1954 Guatemalan
economy shows to be very weak in
comparison to the stronger
countries. However in relation to
the other third world countries
Guatemala can be seen as one of the
stronger countries. Afghanistan and
Cambodia both having a lower
GDP but a higher population, than
Guatemala who has a higher GDP
and a lower population. Meaning
overall Guatemala is making more
and the United States used their power to products and exporting more and
take that away from Guatemala.
The United States owns much of
they have a lower population, thus
Guatemalan land which they use for banana making their economy stronger.
farms. They export the bananas out of Guatemala's infant mortality rate is
Guatemala and make a profit. Arbenz saw
what the US was doing and wanted to take also low compared to other third
back the land in order to economically and world countries. Guatemala's infant
socially strengthen the country. In a radio
mortality rate being 211.2
address by the United States they state, ...
the government of the United States will compared to Afghanistan having a
continue to support the just aspirations of 358.6 mortality rate. Overall
Guatemalan people (Dulles)
acknowledging their stance in Guatemala
Guatemala is growing and has a
now that the President has changed. But stable economy for being a third
that is just what they want the citizens to world country. However compared
believe. They did not support Guatemala's
desires when Arbenz was in charge so they to first and second world countries
got rid of him and replaced him with their economy is very weak.
someone that they would support. The
United States has tried to cover up their
true actions in Guatemala. Recently ...the
United States began using a more subtle
technique, the clandestine coup detat to
depose foreign governments each of the
four coups was launched against a
government that was reasonably
democratic, and each ultimately led to the
installation of a repressive dictatorship
(Kinzer). The United States cares more
about the economic ties they have with
Guatemala then the true democracy and
independence of Guatemala as a whole.
Overall, Arbenz distributed jobs and money
equally which can be seen as socialist
reforms, but in order to bring his country as
a whole out of poverty he needed to help
the poor first. He did not support the
United States economic actions in
Guatemala, so Eisenhower replaced him
with a military dictator who would support
the US wants. That is the true reason the
former President Jacobo Arbenz of
Guatemala resigned yesterday. The United
States ultimately took advantage of this
third world country because they are more
powerful and have the resources to do so.
They failed to give Guatemala the
freedoms in which they preach; they used
their power to overtake a country in order
to contain communism, but in reality
used dictator actions making them no better
than a totalitarian regime.
 Citations
Arbenz, Jacobo.Resignation Speech of President Jacobo Arbenz. 27 June 1954

phil-ochs.blogspot.com/2009/02/final-speech-oh-jacobo-arbenz-guzman.html. . Cold War

World Lesson #4: Hot Spots Research Project , The Regents of the University of California, 2013 Pg.31.

Dulles, John.Radio Address by Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. July 1954. Cold

War World Lesson #4: Hot Spots Research Project , The Regents of the University of California, 2013

Pg.31.

https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=64994961

Kinzer, Stephen. Overthrow: Americas Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq. 2006.

https://mrhanchettshistoryclass.wikispaces.com/Period+3+Guatemala+Coup+against+Arbenz+(1

954)

http://phil-ochs.blogspot.com/2009/02/final-speech-of-jacobo-arbenz-guzman.html

Statement on Growth of Communism in Guatemala. 25 Feb

1954,www.foja.cia.gov/docs/DOC0000916926/DOC 0000916926.pdf. Cold War World Lesson #4: Hot

Spots Research Project , The Regents of the University of California, 2013 Pg.30.

https://swlynch.com/2012/12/01/why-the-u-s-ruined-guatemala-merging-the-cold-war-ethos-and

-economic-determinism-as-an-explanation/