State Historical Society of Iowa

"President Arbenz Resignation Speech." June 27, 1954

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Courtesy of CIA.gov, "President Arbenz Resignation Speech." June 27, 1954

Description

Jacobo Arbenz was elected leader of Guatemala in March of 1951. After his election Arbenz made land reform a key element of his presidency, this reform would have led to a decrease in holding of the American owned United Fruit Company. These actions created conflict with American banana investments and with U.S. banks. Citing increased connection with communist nations the CIA supported a counter revolution which resulted in Arbenz leaving power. On Sunday, June 27th, 1954, President Jacobo Arbenz publicly announced his resignation. The speech was read over government radio, but just how many Guatemalans heard it is not known, since the CIA partially jammed its transmission. The text of the speech was not published in newspapers for a month after it was delivered. In the speech, Arbenz puts the responsibility for the actions leading to his resignation on the United States. The following is an official CIA transcript of the speech.

Transcript coming soon.

Source Dependent Questions

  • What was the context for Arbrenz's speech? What was Arbenz's point of view related to US actions during the Cold War?
  • Using evidence from the text, how did Arbenz respond to the charge of communism?
  • According to Arbenz, what was the reason for the U.S. military action in Guatemala? How did he argue this action was unjust?
  • How did this type of action by the U.S. help or hurt the United States ability to win the war of ideals at home and abroad?

Citation Information

Arbenz, Jacobo. "President Arbenz Resignation Speech." June 27, 1954. Courtesy of the CIA.gov. Courtesy of Library of Congress