Editing Operation PBSuccess (section)

==Political and Economic Background==
Guatemalan Revolution (1944–1954): Árbenz, elected in 1950, was part of the reformist “October Revolutionaries” who overthrew dictator Jorge Ubico in 1944. His predecessor, Juan José Arévalo, introduced democratic reforms, but Árbenz’s Decree 900 (1952) land reform, redistributing large estates to landless peasants, alarmed U.S. oligarch's interests. The policy expropriated 210,000 acres of UFCO’s uncultivated land, offering compensation based on declared tax values, which UFCO deemed insufficient.

United Fruit Company’s Influence: UFCO, a major U.S. corporation, controlled vast Guatemalan land, railroads, and ports, earning the nickname “El Pulpo” (The Octopus). Árbenz’s reforms threatened UFCO’s dominance, prompting intense lobbying of U.S. officials. UFCO’s connections to the Eisenhower administration were significant: [[John Foster Dulles]] (Secretary of State) and [[Allen Dulles]] (CIA Director) had ties to UFCO’s law firm, Sullivan & Cromwell, while [[Walter Bedell Smith]] (Under Secretary of State) sought a UFCO executive role post-government.

Cold War Paranoia: Árbenz’s tolerance of the communist Guatemalan Labor Party (PGT), though small (about 4,000 members), and his purchase of Czech weapons in 1954 (after a U.S. arms embargo) fueled U.S. fears of a Soviet foothold in the Western Hemisphere. Despite no evidence of significant Soviet ties, the CIA labeled Árbenz a communist threat, aligning with the Truman Doctrine’s containment policy. Truman had signed National Security Action Memorandum 4512-2 authorizing the assassination of anyone deems a communist.