Guatemala essays

Guatemala essays During the Cold War, the United States found many countries as a threat to the changing government of Democracy. In 1947, when President Truman signed the National Security Act, enabling several Top Secret government agencies to form, he formed the CIA. One of the countries that posed a threat to the United States was Guatemala. The CIAs job was to employ methods of paramilitary operations against any government deemed a threat to U.S. interests. In 1949, the socialist leaning Jacobo Arbenz was elected President of Central America in Guatemala. Since Jacobo Arbenz was a socialist his views of government leaded towards Communism, something the United States wanted to abolish. From the start, Eisenhower was on board for a CIA sponsored coup in Guatemala. But more and more, he saw Communism as a monolithic force that had to be combated with extralegal means. United States prepared to take over the Guatemalan Government by securing a condemnation of Guatemalas actions to form the tenth Inter- American Conference in 1954. The CIA decided to take an Open Skies approach. While putting together a small air force, the airplanes readied, a radio station set to broadcast on behalf of the rebels, and the liberator of Guatemala was chosen, all to overthrow the government. They used air support to launch an attack on Guatemala City on June 18th and overthrew Arbenz. When overthrowing Arbenz, America was in effect of making a new decision in the Cold War. Internal subversion and Communism was the cause of action. The purpose was to lessen the amount of countries with communist powers and to stop it before it spread to the United States. The U.S. had to react fast because of where Guatemala was located. ...