The CIA in Guatemala: The Foreign Policy of Intervention

301 Pages·1983·4.84 MB·English

by  Richard H. Immerman

THE CIA IN GUATEMALA

The CIA in Guatemala
THE FOREIGN POLICY OF INTERVENTION
by Richard H. Immerman
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS PRESS, AUSTIN
Copyright © 1982 by the University of Texas Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Ninth paperback printing, 2004
Requests for permission to reproduce material
from this work should be sent to Permissions,
University of Texas Press, Box 7819, Austin, Texas 78713-7819.
© The paper used in this publication meets the minimum
requirements of American National Standard for Information
Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials,
ansi Z39.48-1984.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING IN PUBLICATION DATA
Immerman, Richard H.
The CIA in Guatemala.
(The Texas Pan American series)
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
I. United States—Foreign relations—Guatemala.
2. Guatemala—Foreign relations—United States.
3. United States. Central Intelligence Agency.
I. Title. H. Series.
E183.8.G9145 327.7307281 81-16312
ISBN 0-292-71083-6 AACR2
TO MARION

Contents
Preface ix
I. Truman, Eisenhower, and the Cold War in Latin America
%. Underdevelopment, Repression, and Revolution 20
3. The Revolutionary Governments: Communism or
Nationalism? 44
4. The View from the North 68
5. From Truman to Eisenhower: The Road to Intervention
6. Project pbsuccess: The Preparation 133
7. Project pbsuccess: The Coup 161
8. Project pbsuccess: The Legacy 187
Notes 203
Bibliography 259
Index 279

Preface
This is a book about United States relations with Guatemala. It is
also a book about the United States and Guatemala. I had not in­
tended it to be so when I began the study as a graduate student in
1973. At that time, imbued with the spirit of antiwar protests, I set
out simply to expose the perfidy of the cia. Over the years, however,
as I pored over the literature, filed my Freedom of Information Act
requests, and spoke with the actors, I realized that to dwell on the
cia would be misleading. The intervention involved much more
than a covert operation to defend the United Fruit Company. The
basis for the conflict between the two countries was, in sum, this:
during the period of cold war tension, neither the United States gov­
ernment nor the public could understand Guatemalans.
The effects of this misunderstanding continue, and subsequent
events suggest that the United States success in 1954 may turn out
to be one of its most serious failures. I have attempted to explain
why. Many people have helped along the way. I am grateful to the
staffs of all the archives and libraries I visited, especially those at the
National Archives, the State Department, the Truman and Eisen­
hower libraries, and Princeton University. They not only brought me
their documents but also guided me through the intricate declassifi­
cation process. Peggy Fulton wrestled with my prose, and Jean Wiggs
deciphered my scribblings to type clean drafts. Scott Lubeck and
Holly Carver of the University of Texas Press turned the manuscript
into a finished product.
The list of those who pointed me toward additional material,
shared their thoughts, or read the manuscript seems endless. Thank
you, Stephen Ambrose, Severyn Bruyn, William Chase, Blanche
Cook, Chester Dunning, Lloyd Gardner, Arch Getty, George Her­
ring, Susanne Jonas, Walter LaFeber, Arnold Offner, Alan Rogers, and
Martin Sherwin. I would like to extend special thanks to Fred Green-
x Preface
stein. His wisdom, encouragement, and friendship never failed to
get me over that last hurdle and then the one after that.
I owe my deepest debt to my family and friends. These wonder­
ful people, including those mentioned above, lived with my toil for
close to a decade. I could ask for no more.
RHI
Princeton, New Jersey