Psychological Warfare
What struck me in “Bitter Fruit” was how greatly psychological warfare contributed to the triumph of Operation Success. It started out with the United States Information Agency writing articles and pamphlets on the CIA version of the Guatemalan political situation and distributing them by the thousands throughout Latin America. The CIA then took this “disinformation” campaign even further with a radio station that broadcast propaganda for the Castillo Armas Liberation movement and news bulletins that fabricated, edited, and inflated the truth. Rumours were circulated and gained legitimacy in the international press largely because it was barred from reporting anything else.
The main objective of the radio station was to create the impression that the country was in a state of turmoil. As Schlesinger and Kinzer recount, “Fabricated reports of large troop movements, fearsome battles, major Guatemalan defeats and growing rebel strength frightened an already confused and disheartened populace”(185). Rumours flew in both Guatemala and the United States about the burgeoning army of Castillo Armas, said to be composed of thousands, when in reality he “never had more than 400 men under his command”(185).
What effect did this have on Operation Success? The lie about massive groups of heavily armed rebels advancing through the countryside thoroughly demoralized the Arbenz forces – even the President suspected that this lie was true, having no trustworthy source of information. American attacks were threatening to choke the nation off from foreign markets, the military could not be relied on, the majority of the population, their lives disrupted by fear and uncertainty, felt that it was time for him to go – Arbenz came to realize that the forces against him were unrelenting so he decided to relinquish the presidency. The effect of pervasive psychological warfare in undermining the Arbenz government to the point of its collapse cannot be underestimated.
When Guatemala celebrated the new junta coming into power, hundreds of firecrackers distributed by the CIA festively exploded into the night. Those guys think of everything.
tag: last301
The main objective of the radio station was to create the impression that the country was in a state of turmoil. As Schlesinger and Kinzer recount, “Fabricated reports of large troop movements, fearsome battles, major Guatemalan defeats and growing rebel strength frightened an already confused and disheartened populace”(185). Rumours flew in both Guatemala and the United States about the burgeoning army of Castillo Armas, said to be composed of thousands, when in reality he “never had more than 400 men under his command”(185).
What effect did this have on Operation Success? The lie about massive groups of heavily armed rebels advancing through the countryside thoroughly demoralized the Arbenz forces – even the President suspected that this lie was true, having no trustworthy source of information. American attacks were threatening to choke the nation off from foreign markets, the military could not be relied on, the majority of the population, their lives disrupted by fear and uncertainty, felt that it was time for him to go – Arbenz came to realize that the forces against him were unrelenting so he decided to relinquish the presidency. The effect of pervasive psychological warfare in undermining the Arbenz government to the point of its collapse cannot be underestimated.
When Guatemala celebrated the new junta coming into power, hundreds of firecrackers distributed by the CIA festively exploded into the night. Those guys think of everything.
tag: last301
posted by Serena at 12:21 AM
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