The United States’ Secret Warfare against Democracy

This study examines the methods used by the U.S government to orchestrate the overthrow of the democratically elected Guatemalan president Jacobo Árbenz in 1954, by focusing on declassified CIA and State Department documents. Through operation PBSUCCESS, the U.S employed a combination of psychological warfare, economic pressure, diplomatic isolation, and paramilitary operations to destabilize the Árbenz administration. CIA documents reveal the role of propaganda campaigns, assassination proposals, and the arming of opposition forces to create internal chaos. By using primary sources such as CIA memos, and the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) archives, this research will outline the step-by-step execution of the coup, including the use of radio broadcasts, diplomatic maneuvering, and military deception. The findings illustrate how cold war fears of communism drove Washington’s decision making and set a precedent for future covert regime changes in Latin America. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the mechanics of U.S. led interventions and their long-term consequences on regional stability.