The CIA-backed coup ended Guatemala's democratic revolution, installed a military dictatorship, and deepened anti-U.S. sentiment across Latin America.
Key Facts
- Date of Árbenz resignation
- 27 June 1954
- CIA operation codename
- PBSuccess
- Invasion force size
- 480 men led by Carlos Castillo Armas
- Post-coup executions (est.)
- Hundreds to 5,000 Árbenz supporters
- Subsequent civil war duration
- 1960–1996
- Follow-up CIA operation
- PBHistory — found no Soviet influence
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Cold War fears of communist influence in Latin America, combined with lobbying by the United Fruit Company whose profits were threatened by Árbenz's land reforms, led the U.S. government under Eisenhower to authorize the CIA's Operation PBSuccess in August 1953. The formal legalization of Guatemala's communist party by Árbenz and close ties of senior U.S. officials to the United Fruit Company intensified pressure for intervention.
On 18 June 1954, a CIA-armed and trained force of 480 men invaded Guatemala under Carlos Castillo Armas, supported by air bombings of Guatemala City, a naval blockade, and an extensive psychological warfare campaign. Despite military setbacks, the operation intimidated the Guatemalan Army into refusing to fight. President Árbenz, unable to arm civilians effectively, resigned on 27 June 1954, ending the Guatemalan Revolution.
Castillo Armas assumed dictatorial powers, reversed land reforms, banned opposition parties, and oversaw the execution or imprisonment of hundreds to thousands of Árbenz supporters. The coup was condemned internationally and reinforced anti-U.S. sentiment in Latin America. It contributed directly to a civil war from 1960 to 1996, during which U.S.-backed regimes committed atrocities including genocide against the Maya peoples.