THE STORY of the AMERICAN COUP in GUATEMALA Author: Stephen Schlesinger and Stephen Kinzer by Jasmine Barboa
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BITTER FRUIT THE STORY OF THE AMERICAN COUP IN GUATEMALA Author: Stephen Schlesinger and Stephen Kinzer By Jasmine Barboa Chapter 1 The Battle Begins ■ Character Introductions – Jacobo Arbenz- originally a – Carlos Castillo Armas: The defense minister in Guatemala “Voice of Liberation” and and was the President longtime enemy of President overthrown by the U.S. Arbenz ■ Overthrown in his fourth year during his six-year term – Juan Jose Arevalo- President before Jacobo Arbenz ■ Guatemala's second president elected under a – Guilermo Toriello- Foreign democratic constitution in minister, diplomat, and 133 years of independence spokesperson for his country’s cause abroad Chapter 1 The Battle Begins ■ Character Introductions ■ Events – John Peurifoy- a heavy-handed – The United States government diplomat who had been was the secret creator and chosen to exert pressure on sponsor (through the CIA) of Arbenz and in failure of that, to the “Liberation Movement” over throw him believed to be ran by Castillo – Dulles- Secretary of State who Armas had also planned the over – Actual Reason: The Arbenz throw land reform act included the expropriation of some of the vast acreage belonging to the United Fruit Company – Given Reason: Fear of Communism controlling Guatemala Chapter 1 The Battle Begins ■ United Fruit Company – Controlled nearly 40,000 jobs in Guatemala – Investments in the country were valued at $60 million – Owned Guatemala’s telephone and telegraph facilities, administered its only important Atlantic Harbor – Monopolized its banana export – Owned the International Railways of Central America (IRCA) and owned 887 miles of railroad track in Guatemala (which is nearly every mile in the country) Chapter 1 The Battle Begins ■ Battle Begins ■ Day 3 (June 20) – June 18, 1954 – Air bombardment continues while Armas’ men stay still ■ Day 1 (Jun 18) confusing the townspeople – Leaflets are thrown out of planes carrying the bold ■ The people did not know that demand “Guatemala's Armas’ weird behavior was because President, Jacobo Arbenz, he was awaiting orders from the must resign immediately U.S. who had recruited him, trained, and paid his men ■ Day 2 (June 19) ■ The U.S was in full control of what – Air bombardment occurs while was being staged as a domestic the ground “invasion” led by uprising Castillo Armas advanced slowly Chapter 2 A Teacher Takes Power ■ June of 1944- protest begins to rise ■ June 1- Ubico resigned from office in Guatemala during the harsh in shock after a petition of protest dictatorship of General Jorge Ubico was personally handed to him by – School teachers, shopkeepers, friends and colleagues skilled workers, and students ■ General Federico Ponce- Replaced were the main groups who Ubico staged the protests – Good: raised teacher salaries ■ Roosevelt’s New Deal inspired many and instituted modest reforms Guatemalans to fight for a in the universities government actively devoted to – Bad: intensifies political public good surveillance, prohibited private meetings and demonstrations and kept the government in the hands of soldiers and local bosses who had helped run the country under Ubico Chapter 2 A Teacher Takes Power ■ Ponce (attempting a democratic ■ The election held by Ponce never façade) decreed free election to happened present himself for popular ratification due to protests from the ■ Major Francisco Arana and Captain same group who made Ubico resign Jacobo Arbenz (officers who had fled to plan a revolt) arrived in Guatemala ■ The protest group chose Dr. Juan – They staged attacks against Arevalo Bermejo police stations and other military – He wished to spread the installations principles of the New Deal – On October 22 Ponce accepted throughout Latin America and a settlement with the rebels and embodied the end of fled to the Mexican Embassy dictatorships – This “October Revolution” brought forth the junta: Major Arana, Captain Arbenz, and Jorge Toriello – They immediately announced the nation’s first free election under a democratic constitution Chapter 2 A Teacher Takes Power ■ Arevalo became president in – Committed to a fair and honest December 1945 (officially March political system: Congressman 15, 1945) with more than 85 limited to two, four year terms, percent of the (literate male) vote presidents cannot be elected after a single six-year term, ■ He wrote, with help from the and military men were Guatemalan Bar Association, the forbidden to run for office liberal constitution – Censorship of press was – Divided power among forbidden executive, legislative and judicial branches – The right to organize was sanctified and voting rights – Individual rights were were expanded guaranteed and the Jeffersonian principle of – Equal pay between sexes, popular sovereignty was sexes under marriage were dominant stated equal, racial discrimination was made a crime Chapter 3 An Age of Reform ■ By the middle of Arevalo’s term in ■ On the other side, Jacobo Arbenz was 1948, unrest began to grow due to no part of the band of liberals anxious to cohesive programs and constant move on with the next phase of the press attacks reformation promising social transformation ■ Many plots to overthrow him were thought to be connected to Colonel ■ It was going to be a battle between Francisco Arana (the hero of 1944 the conservative populist Arbenz and October Revolution) the less assertive Arbenz – Arana continued to gain power ■ However on July 18, 1949 Arana was to the point where he held a killed through a gun battle virtual veto over presidential decisions – It is rumored that Arbenz arranged the gun battle ■ Jacobo Arbenz was chosen to become President on November 13, 1950 where he became Guatemala’s second democratically elected President Chapter 4 The Clouds Gather ■ Arbenz’s Reform Bill ■ The reform caused hostile and – Agrarian Reform Bill- frightened and greedy feelings from government could expropriate peasants, landowners, and the United uncultivated portions of large Fruit Company plantations ■ The Communist leaders however, – The land taken would be paid for encouraged the frightened feelings by a 25 year bond with the and urged takeovers of land from government bearing a 3% greedy peasants interest rate – Arbenz could not crack down on – The valuation of the land would them because the Communists be determined from its declared helped him in his campaign taxable worth – Arbenz tolerated Communists ■ This was bad for the United and believed that they could “not Fruit Company because they be all bad” undervalued their land in order to reduce tax liability – This idea caused anger and was ultimately the “reason” the U.S. used to verify their cause for overthrowing him Chapter 5 The Overlord: The United Fruit Company ■ Samuel Zemurray “Sam the Banana ■ United Fruit was Guatemala’s Man”- he had started a banana largest employer, landowner and empire of his own (Cuyamel exporter and exercised enormous Company) that was doing better economic control than the United Fruit Company – Exercised economic control ■ The UFCO bought Sam out for $31.5 because thy controlled the port million in 1930 Puerto Barrios therefore controlling the nation’s ■ When the Depression hit, the UFCO international commerce was hit bad causing Sam to come back, take control, and repair the ■ Under Ubico’s dictatorship, UFCO damages while stating “You people was granted total exemption from have been botching up this internal taxation, duty-free business long enough” importation of all necessary goods and a guarantee of low wages Chapter 5 The Overlord: The United Fruit Company ■ Many Guatemalans felt the UFCO represented the alliance of American government and business arrayed against their efforts to attain full economic independence ■ The UFCO bribed politicians, pressured governments, and intimidated opponents to gain favorable concessions ■ It was being exploited by foreign interests which took huge profits without making much contribution to the nations welfare ■ Guatemalans felt economically a captive of the U.S. corporations Chapter 5 The Overlord: The United Fruit Company ■ In March 1953 the land reform ax fell ■ On April 20, 1954 a formal complaint upon the UFCOO was delivered to Guatemalan – In four separate decrees a total authorities by the U.S State of 386,901 acres of uncultivated Department (whose top officials had land was expropriated close ties to the UFCO) – 85% of UFCO’s land was ■ The note demanded $15,854,849 in uncultivated because they compensation bonds by declaring claimed it was insurance against “bears not the slightest resemnlance plant diseases to just evaluation” ■ The government was going to pay in ■ The amount offered by Guatemala bonds $627,572 for the seized averaged around $2.99 per acre property while the State Department wanted – Remember the company about $75 per acre when they only undervalued its property in paid $1.48 for it twenty years earlier official declarations to reduce its tax liability; the bonds were based on the declared value of the land Chapter 5 The Overlord: The United Fruit Company ■ The UFCO and its powerful supporters in Washington were angry ■ They called quite but effective meetings in Washington to convince the American government that Arbenz was a threat to freedom and must be deposed ■ The company hired lobbyists and talented publicists to create a public and private climate in the U.S. favorable to Arbenz’s overthrow Chapter 6 Advertisements for Myself ■ Edward Bernays- a shrewd counsel on ■ Bernays had long been working to public relations hired by Sam convince