Why Did The Usa Fight Against The Arbenz

The United States State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency under went various efforts to undermine and overthrow the Arbenz government back in 1954. The reasoning behind the U.S.’s attack against Guatemala’s government was the fact that Arbenz, the current elected president at the time, was creating popular land reforms. The United Fruit Company, whose highly profitable business had been affected by the land reforms in Guatemala, engaged in an influential lobbying campaign to persuade the U.S. to overthrow the Guatemalan government. It also didn’t help that the U.S. saw Guatemala as a communist country and Arbenz had the Communist Party legalized when he became president. Unfortunately, the U.S. could not physically take Arbenz out of power. The U.S. had made an agreement to not invade a nation militarily unless everyone in the Western Hemisphere agreed. This lead to more creative ways of the U.S. trying to overthrowing the Arbenz government.
took towards undermining the Arbenz government was the cancellations of all American military supplies to Guatemala. However, the U.S. denied that it had anything to do with the United Fruit Company. They claimed communism to be the sole reason that they no longer wished to share military arms. The authors even state, “american officials replied each time that the disagreements between the U.S and Guatemala had nothing to do with the United Fruit Company, but rather concerned the failure of President Arbenz to oust Communists from his government” (pg 105). Communism would continue to be the scapegoat behind the U.S.’s motive as their plans