2010-10-17

I'm a Chiquita banana and I've come to say, we stole the land from Guatemala with the help of the CIA

The last post I touched briefly on the CIA/Chiquita banana/Edward Bernays overthrow of the first democratically elected leader of Guatemala, Jacoba Arbenz Guzman who in 1951 was elected with 60% of the votes. Guzman pissed the Chiquita Banana's off with his program of land expropriation of only uncultivated portions of large plantations. Owners of expropriated land were compensated according to the worth of the land claimed in May 1952 tax assessments. Chiquita banana's had claimed on their 1952 tax statements their vast holdings of uncultivated land were worth $3 per acre. Guzman's government was prepared to pay Chiquita the $3 per acre when Chiquita said "wait a minute, that land is actually worth $75 an acre" but refused to explain the precipitous jump in its own determination of the land's value. Eisenhower, fresh off his successful coup/overthrow of Iran's Mossadegh was convinced by Chiquita and Bernays to aid in the overthrow of Guzman.

In 1954, Operation Washtub was launched by the CIA at the behest of the Chiquita banana's and the assistance of Edward Bernays. Operation Washtub was a plan to plant phony Soviet arms in Guatemala, linking the Guzman government to the commies to therefore show an imminent threat to the US southern borders from the Guzman government. But, a shipment from Czechoslovakia with a falsified manifesto containing WW II era, barely functional arms was discovered and Washtub was scrubbed. This was seen as the final proof of Guzman's Soviets contacts and the coup was implemented, Guzman fled and Chiquita Brands International has gone on make a fortune. Never buy Chiquita banana's again.