Bitter Fruit: The Story of the American Coup in Guatemala, Revised and Expanded (Series on Latin American Studies)

I think by now the idea that the United States government may do something internationally for their own sometimes narrow self-interest, even if it violates other things we claim to care about like democracy or human rights is not a radical concept, but one can still feel a sense of outrage and disdain for the events depicted in Bitter Fruit as the US government launched a coup against the elected government of Guatemala on the flimsy grounds of Guatamala becoming a hotbed for Soviet/Communist activity when in reality it was really a powerful American owned company that had its business interests threatened.One can feel the indignation as they turn the pages of Bitter Fruit that the coup plan would extend so far into the US government at a point in time where the US government had just won World War II and stood for freedom and democracy for such a relatively minor business interest. As we sit and think about it, maybe it was just a harbinger of things to come, is it not a similar idea behind Middle Eastern oil or Geopolitical self-interests? The United States will support any bad guy as long as they give the US what they want.Perhaps the big story is not that it happened, but that it could happen again.

Nietzsche's advice to aspiring monster-slayers to take care to avoid becoming a monster ("Wer mit Ungeheuen kämpf, mag zusehn, daß er nicht dabei zum Ungeheuerwird") should have warned Americans involved in this dark adventure. Sadly, they ignored it.`Operation Success' deposed Guatemalan president Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán in a 1954 CIA-inspired coup and replaced him with Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas, a compliant proxy. It benifited the few at the expense of the many, and offered United Fruit Company only a brief respite as a feudal monopoly. Like the removal of Mossadegh to reinstitute Anglo-Iranian Oil's 90% revenue share in Iran in 1953, decades of bloodletting, poverty, unrest, and anti-Americanism followed.The authors' lucid history of the coup, principles, and events has become justifiably famous since publication in 1982. The interaction between the Boston-based United Fruit Company (with it's close ties to the Dulles brothers) and the CIA anticipates current government-corporate partnerships like Treasury and Goldman-Sachs. Fear is a remarkably effective tool in preserving corporate privilege.One can argue President Eisenhower's greatest mistakes were Iran and Guatemala, but that's little solice to Iranians or Guatemalans. Two years later (1956) he courageously acted against France, Britain, and Israel in their Suez occupation. On 5 Jan 1961 his staff warned CIA adventures might detract from the agency's intelligence function. The Bay of Pigs was left for John F. Kennedy to regret. Decades later the absence of fabled WMDs after a 2003 Iraqi `regime change' (blamed on "intelligence failure") caused less embarrassment.Highly recommended.

I first heard of the book, Bitter Fruit, when I was traveling in Guatemala. Our half Mayan guide told some stories of his country's recent history, of massacres and bombings, and of the severe hardships his family endured while he was growing up. Although he mentioned that those horrors were executed by those who were financed, trained, and directed by the USA, I had no knowledge of the history of that part of the world or of my country's intervention. When I returned home, I ordered the book on Amazon for about half the price it sold for in Guatemala.I had thought it would be hard reading as an academic production. I was wrong. This carefully documented book gives in great detail the recent history of Guatemala, and America's role in that history. For me, it was extremely interesting. It read like a John Grisham novel; I couldn't put it down; I wanted to know what happened next. Tragically, it is a true horror story, with terrible consequences for Guatemala and thus for all of us. An estimated 200,000 Guatemalans died in a civil war begun by the clearly illegal and immoral actions of the USA CIA and army, with the knowledge and approval of US Presidents starting with President Eisenhower. As a result, progress in such matters as land reform and justice for all in Guatemala has been compromised to this day.I hope that all Americans read and take to heart this very powerful book.

Whether you're a connoiseur with a PhD in international relations, a high-school dropout looking to enhance their missing education, or someone who just wants to read an engrossing book with a little intellectual flare to it, one can be both entertained and appalled by the story contained in "Bitter Fruit".Kinzer and Schlesinger's writing is impeccable, and somehow manages to stay apolitical. The authors do an excellent job of not flaunting the miscues of the American overthrow of Guatemala's democratically elected government, but merely let the facts from all angles tell their own story. In addition, the writing is quite fast-paced in style but pays attentive detail to fact and exhautively denotes the sources behind the writing. I purchased this for reading as part of a class assignment - and then cited it in two places in my senior essay!So instead of buying a FICTIONAL thriller or adventure or spy novel for your downtime reading, why not pick up a book where the plot . . . actually happened?! In addition, despite being originally published a quarter century ago, the book is amazingly relevant to issues in today's foreign policy (*cough* Iraq *cough*). Also, I HIGHLY recommend for history buffs like myself - but this book can be enjoyed by anyone. Well, "enjoyed" isn't really the word - after reading this book, I felt a sense of anger towards our government for their selfish actions 50 years ago, and a sense of pity toward the people of Guatemala, who had no idea what hit them. But the feelings weren't on the level as to wish that I had never read the book - on the contrary, it made me feel more enlightened both about the Cold War era as well as today's international climate.

Great book with s lot if facts and information on this less than known chapter of the Americas!

Tras la Revolución de Octubre del 44 y el fin de la dictadura de Jorge Ubico, parecía que Guatemala tenía un futuro promisorio. El nuevo rumbo progresista de los nuevos gobiernos democráticos caló en los prejuicios y miedos de las élites guatemaltecas y de la United Fruit Company, acostumbrada a obrar como quisiese en el país "bananero". En 1954, instigado por los EU, se da un golpe militar que " se saldría de lugar" y que provocaría una guerra civil, una serie de dictaduras militares, terrorismo y supresión política