Management of a Cover-up: The Secrecy Behind the 1954 Guatemalan Coup

Authors

  • R Dillion

Abstract

A discussion of the 1954 CIA-sponsored coup in Guatemala, codenamed PBSUCCESS. Despite gradual declassification of related documents, the full details remain undisclosed. The coup was driven by fears of communism amid the Cold War, triggered by Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán's agrarian reform ambitions. Various historians have examined the coup's complexities, and their research sheds light on the tactics employed by the U.S., including covert and psychological operations for both the coup and the subsequent cover-up. Different authors present varied perspectives on the coup, analyzing motives and actions. The U.S. used planted evidence and manipulation to distance themselves from the coup's responsibility and shift blame to communists. Despite their belief in protecting the hemisphere from communism, the U.S. invested significant effort in the cover-up.

Author Biography

R Dillion


R. Dillon is passionate about writing historically, and considers it a privilege to tell the stories of the minority who do not have the voice to do so. Medieval and ancient histories are often forgotten, the lives of those who lived centuries ago often overlooked, and Dillon considers it a duty as a writer to tell their stories and allow them a place in history. They use writing as an opportunity to tell those forgotten stories, at any means necessary, so that others may learn from those who came previously.

Downloads

Published

2023-07-18

How to Cite

Dillion, R. (2023). Management of a Cover-up: The Secrecy Behind the 1954 Guatemalan Coup. The Rutgers-Camden Undergraduate Review, 1(2), 17. Retrieved from https://rcur.libraries.rutgers.edu/index.php/rcur/article/view/2129

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 2 (2020): The Undergraduate Review - Fall 2020

Section

Articles