The CIA in Iran and Guatemala

In modern textbooks, the role of the CIA in foreign affairs has been notorious for their international intervention. In the 50s, it’s believed that the agency took part in the removal of allegedly democratically elected Muhammad Mossadeq in Iran for an oil embargo, and that they forcibly removed Jacobo Arbenz from power in Guatemala for expropriating lands owned by the United Fruit Company (Faragher). These historical accounts portray the CIA as only a protector of the economic interests of the United States. However, the initial formation of the CIA was for the purpose of quarantining the spread of the Communist disease radiating from Russia. In areas such as Iran and Guatemala, the CIA believed that there was significant communist influence, which was perceived as a direct threat by the American government. Remember that this is the time of McCarthyism, in which anti-communist paranoia had overtaken American politics domestically and internationally. The modern retelling of CIA operations has portrayed them as an inimical twist on the “Big Stick” policy; but in reality, the organization had actually sought to satisfy the interests of other countries while rolling back Communism.