The CIA in Guatemala: The Foreign Policy of Intervention PDF
Preview The CIA in Guatemala: The Foreign Policy of Intervention
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
The list of books you might like
