This is a transcript of the resignation speech Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz gave over the radio on the night he was forced out of power on June 27, 1954. In this speech Árbenz accuses the United Fruit Company and other monopolies of being the reason for the coup that forced him to resign. During the speech he reaffirms his belief in democracy and makes it clear that he wasn’t a communist. Árbenz was the president of Guatemala passed a land reform law in 1952 that returned unused land from landowners with huge amounts of land to the people. This law meant huge losses of land for the United Fruit Company. The United Fruit Company responded by using propaganda tactics to convince the U.S that Árbenz was a communist. The CIA then forced the resignation of Árbenz through the Guatemalan Coup. Prior to the coup, Árbenz was popular among citizens because they knew he was fighting for their rights. Árbenz created this resignation speech, and he did so because he wanted to inform the Guatemalan people of the reasons for his resignation and the true power behind it.
This speech reflects Árbenz’s passion for fighting for the economic independence of Guatemala. He feels wronged by the United Fruit Company and other monopolies. He is reflected as a nationalist leader who wanted the best for his people but was framed. The historical significance is that it represents one of the clearest cases where a president accuses corporate organizations of creating a coup that forced him to resign. Árbenz’s accusation listed clear names and pointed fingers. This resignation speech marks a turning point Latin American history, as the overthrow of Árbenz set off decades of military dictatorship and civil war in Guatemala. This speech will aid my project greatly as it shows Árbenz accusing the United Fruit Company of utilizing propaganda to frame him as a communist. He openly states that they used information control strategies to get him out of the government.
“A cruel war against Guatemala has been unleashed. The United Fruit Company and US monopolies, together with US ruling circles are responsible. Mercenaries have unleashed fire and death, respecting nothing. We all know how cities have been bombed and strafed, women and children have suffered. We know how representatives of workers and peasants have been murdered in occupied cities, especially in Bananera. That was an act of vengeance by the United Fruit Company. They have taken the pretext of Communism. The truth is elsewhere — in financial interests of the United Fruit Company and other US firms that have invested much in Guatemala. My Government has been called Communist in nature. We have used every means to convince world reactionaries that what US Government circles say is untrue.”
Source:
Árbenz, Jacobo. “Arbenz’s Speech Delivered at 0310-0320 EST.” Speech, June 27, 1954. CIA Historical Review Program, declassified 2003. Central Intelligence Agency Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room. https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/DOC_0000920952.pdf.