Unveiling CIA's Role in Overthrowing Arbenz' Regime

Throughout the past 60 to 70 years there has been speculation as to the involvement of the United States in the overthrowing of Jacobo Arbenz’ regime. The United States, through the CIA, although not officially confirmed, did participate in overthrowing Arbenz and his government. It was because of Arbenz’ land reforms, including that of United Fruit Co., that the CIA decided to invade Guatemala. They intervened to prevent Guatemala from falling to Communism by invading her to overthrow Arbenz’ government, which they believed was already following Communistic ideals. The main reason the intervention has been criticized is because it makes it confusing for people to know whether the CIA’s intervention actually helped Guatemala. The CIA’s intervention

in Guatemala did help because it did prevent more Communistic ideas from taking hold in Guatemala, that might of ended up creating an entirely Communist society like Cuba.
This whole situation started with Jacobo Arbenz. It was his presidency and his actions that led to U.S. intervention. One of the major criticisms that Arbenz received during his presidency was his political openness to Communism. Many newspapers painted him as “merely a weak man who was easily influenced.” They argue that because he was easily influenced, he was open to Communistic ideals, which is why he openly recognized Communists. Because of this, “Arbenz’ rule led Guatemala to be the first foothold that Communists had in the Western Hemisphere.”
One newspaper article attributed Guatemala’s easy influence and draw to Communism, to its long history of dictatorship. It said that this history of “false independence” showed that “Guatemala was overripe and in need of much social and economic reform,” which is why she was eager to find comfort in these programs, regardless of its Communistic tendencies. Since Guatemala was in need of reform, Arbenz’ plans were a good idea but were soon used for ulterior motives.
During Arbenz’ rule, he enforced a major land reform program, where he also tried to enforce spiritual socialism.

In trying to implement this program, laws were created that allowed the government of Guatemala to “expropriate private and government-owned land,” that was then allowed to be divided among farmers and peasants who had no land of their own. This land reform program was created after looking at a land consensus in 1950, the consensus showed that “2.2% of all landowners possess 75% of all land privately owned, and 76% of them own only 10% among them.” This meant that most of the land were owned almost entirely by 2% of the population while the majority of the population only owned 10% communally. This program called for the “Guatemalan government’s “seizure” of more than 200,000 acres of the company’s land on the west coast of Guatemala.” After having dispersed this land among the peasants, the United Fruit Co. appealed to the Guatemalan government to give back the land. The company argued that since the land was theirs, the government had no right to distribute the land, especially because that land would help for emergencies… Arbenz denied this appeal and United Fruit Co. later moved to appeal to the Guatemalan Supreme

Court.
Although he himself was not a Communist, Arbenz constantly received help from Communist members, and because they supported his government, the United States feared that Arbenz was falling to Communism. He also showed an acceptance of Communist ideals by allowing Communist Party members to remain within his government, despite U.S. pressure. The U.S. did not want any Communist members within Arbenz’ government because they feared it would be easier for Communists to gain control. They also knew that if Guatemala fell under Communist rule, then its geographical standpoint would also pose a threat to the United States. Guatemala played a very important role within the United States because it was geographically close to Miami, New Orleans, within Central America, and only 750 miles from the Panama Canal. “The United States feared that if the Communists gained control over Guatemala, it would threaten the safety of the canal and of the United States.”
This soon led to the United States involvement to overthrow Arbenz. “The CIA sponsored an exile invasion to expel President Arbenz. It was a successful CIA mission because it accomplished its one goal, to overthrow Arbenz’ government.” Arbenz resigned after anti-Communist rebels invaded Guatemala in an attempt to overthrow his government.” It was also said that United Fruit Co. was behind the invasion. Since the CIA thought that Arbenz was being controlled by Communists, they went to Honduras and trained 200 soldiers, led by Castillo Armas that would lead the invasion of Guatemala. Along with the soldiers, there were two airplanes that wee meant to bomb Guatemala, but they crashed. President Eisenhower wanted to dispatch more planes but feared that doing so would make their intervention obvious. These rebels, led by Castillo Armas, succeeded in overthrowing his government. Arbenz plagued with fear of bombs and soon resigned and left the presidency in the hands of Colonel Carlos Diaz. With the fall of this regime, the expropriation of land from the United Fruit Co. was not carried out. After resigning, Arbenz sought refuge in Mexico. Before he left, he was threatened by crowds at the airport.
What is left to determine is whether the CIA’s intervention in overthrowing the Arbenz regime was really worth it. The CIA and the United States as a whole hoped to replace the Communist-controlled government with a more liberal one, through this intervention. Ultimately, “there is no certainty that, without American intervention, Guatemala would have gone the way of Cuba,” that is to say that it would have become an entirely Communistic society.