The 1954 Guatemalan Coup d'État
Revisiting the Guatemalan Coup d'État of 1954 through a scholarly lens. Analyzing historical interpretations, perspectives, and legacy.
Photograph of the military junta in Guatemala in 1954, organized by the CIA.
"An Affluent Society, 1953-1960," in Give Me Liberty! An American History, 7th high school ed. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2023), [757].
Background
On June 27, 1954, a CIA-sponsored coup overthrew democratically elected Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz, resulting in 36 years of violent civil war. [1] The US had significant economic interests in Guatemala through the United Fruit Company (UFCO), an American agricultural trade company with large landholdings in the country. [2] Arbenz had initiated land reform policies that seized and redistributed large properties, addressing Guatemalan concerns over land inequality. [3-4] In a time defined by Cold War tensions between the US and Soviet Union and fear over the spread of communism, these reforms alarmed the US. The seizure of much of the UFCO’s land under Arbenz’s reforms threatened the US’s economic foothold in Guatemala. After failed negotiations between the UFCO and Arbenz, the Eisenhower Administration ultimately authorized the covert CIA-sponsored Operation PBSUCCESS for the armed overthrow of Arbenz. [5]
Map depicting Guatemala and Honduras
Diego Rivera, Gloriosa Victoria, 1954, illustration, accessed April 25, 2026, https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/jacobo-arbenz-guzman-deposed/.
[1] "June 27, 1954: Elected Guatemalan Leader Overthrown in CIA-Backed Coup," Zinn Education Project, accessed April 23, 2026, https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/jacobo-arbenz-guzman-deposed/. ; James Rogers, "The 1954 Guatemalan Coup D'état," February 26, 2023, in Warfare, podcast, audio, 44:20.
[2] Baltimore County History Labs Program, "RS#01: Background on the Guatemalan Coup of 1954," UMBC Center for History Education, accessed April 23, 2026, https://www2.umbc.edu/che/tahlessons/pdf/historylabs/Guatemalan_Coup_student:RS01.pdf. ; Rogers, "The 1954."
[3] "June 27, 1954," Zinn Education Project.
[4] Decree 900 was a land reform law passed by the Arbenz government which stated that all land over 600 acres and not cultivation would be expropriated and redistributed to landless peasants.
[5] "June 27, 1954," Zinn Education Project
[6] Donald Grant, "Guatemala and United States Foreign Policy," Journal of International Affairs 9, no. 1 (1955): [69], https://www.jstor.org/stable/24355574?seq=1.
[7] It is important to contextualize Grant’s writing in 1955, as he did not have the same hindsight or access to then-classified CIA documents as Marshall.
[8] For definitions of US foreign policy perspectives, please see the “Schools of Thought” section under the home page.
[9] Grant, "Guatemala and United," [65].
[10] Grant, "Guatemala and United," [72].
JennyWrenPrintsandCo, "Guatemala & Honduras. original antique 1870's map, Vintage wall map, Home decor. Atlas. Travel," Etsy, last modified January 16, 2026, accessed April 25, 2026, https://www.etsy.com/listing/1562807873/guatemala-honduras-original-antique.
The 1954 painting "Gloriosa Victoria" by Diego Rivera tells the story of the coup. He depicts Coup colonel Castillo Armas greeting Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, who holds a bomb with the face of Eisenhower. CIA director Allen W. Dulles whispers in his brother’s ear.
American Colossus
The US acts to protect its empire and power, which typically means repression of other peoples’ and nations’ self-determination. The US is a threat to world peace and the independence of other countries.
US Foreign Policy Schools of Thought
Before diving into analyses of scholarly essays, let's define some signficant historical perspectives...
Realpolitik
The US acts to protect its national interests. The US should not be faulted for any action that promotes these interests (focused on results rather than values/morality/ethics).
International Good Guy
The US acts on behalf of human rights, democracy, etc. Even when US foreign policy is mistaken, it is pursued in the best interests of these principles. This is the perspective that appears in most US History textbooks!
Conclusion
Marshall’s argument is most compelling because it is grounded in government and CIA material that demonstrate catalysts beyond the communist threat. Whereas Grant focuses on the US’s fear of the “communist apparatus of control” over Guatemala, Marshall argues that the covert CIA operation was heavily motivated by US economic interests. [17] He argues that relationships among the UFCO, US government, and CIA, played important roles in shaping US foreign policy toward Guatemala. In a May 1954 telegram to the State Department, US Ambassador to Guatemala John Peurifoy shared that Guatemala’s Foreign Minister complained about UFCO’s exploitation of Guatemala through its control of infrastructure and low tax payments while doubting the “impartiality of Secretary Dulles,”—a former partner at UFCO’s representative law firm—in resolving the issues. [18] Peurifoy warned the State Department to “play down fruit company problem…and concentrate on the Commie issue.” [19] Peurifoy’s warning corroborates Marshall’s claim that US motives were not solely geopolitical but included economic drivers that were actively concealed. Though Grant and Marshall’s essays are underpinned by divergent theories, both are significant. Comparing their arguments encourages us to think critically about US foreign policy today, especially when considering President Trump’s military capture of Venezuelan President Maduro in January 2026. Although Maduro was a destructive, socialist dictator who is accused by the US of narcotrafficking, it is impossible to ignore the lucrative incentives behind the US intervention given Venezuela’s immense oil reserves. [20]