I had to read a book called, "Bitter Fruit" by Stephen Schlesinger and Stephen Kinzer. Absolutely loved it so thought I'd write a review for anyone interested in historical/political books...
Authors Stephen Schlesinger and Stephen Knizer have creatively woven together the details of a rather complicated story into a book that is accessible to readers of all levels of historical and political knowledge. Unlike many of the other political/historical books I’ve read, Bitter Fruit read more like a novel. I even found myself wanting to continue reading at the end of the night just to find out what happened next. Many of the key individuals in the book became villains, heroes and heroines. It could have perhaps been classified as a non-fiction mystery novel. I found myself rooting for the good guys and hoping for the derailment of the bad, which isn’t a very objective way to read a history book, I know.
Bitter Fruit is a disturbing tale of the role that the U.S. government played in the 1954 coup in Guatemala to overthrow the nation’s president, Jacobo Arbenz.
What is most disturbing about the information contained in Bitter Fruit is the hidden motivation of the U.S. government for their actions. Under the guise of “anti-communism,” the U.S. government took over a democratic form of government and essentially replaced it with a dictatorship. The real reason behind the coup was the protection of the interests of a major U.S. corporation, The United Fruit Company, which was being harmed by Arbenz’s land reforms and the changing of labor laws. It was at the urging of The United Fruit Company that the U.S. government got involved and the CIA planned and executed the coup.
Guatemala had long been a captor of United Fruit’s business dealings as they controlled the only port for trade out of Guatemala, Puerto Barrios, and they owned the railroads that ran through Guatemala. Arbenz sought to improve the life of his people by seeking land and labor reform and taking the power out of United Fruit’s hands and the U.S. government seemed more interested in protecting it’s economic interests than protecting a fledgling democracy.
Occasionally I found myself bogged down in the details of this story, which were overwhelming at times. The amount of people that played a variety of roles from those manipulating the public through the press to CIA directors, corporation presidents and Guatemalan exiles was unbelievable. And though the amount of specific detail regarding people involved and what specific roles they played, did at times become overwhelming, it also gave more credibility to the book. It seemed well researched, clearly thought out, and presented in a truthful way. In order for the book to make sense and for us to see the full effect of the coup, the authors took us from the beginning of the history of United Fruit, all the way through the details of the coup, it’s immediate impact and it’s future impact even in to the 1980s. The expanse of time covered in the book was a little much at times but without it, the readers might have been left with an incomplete picture.
Clearly, the impact of “Operation Success,” as the coup was referred to in U.S. circles, on Guatemala was devastating. Schlesinger and Kinzer communicated that social progress prior to the coup was slow, however there was at least progress. After the coup the only thing that seemed to happen to Guatemala was constant internal fighting and backwards steps in social reform. It saddens me to think of the role that U.S. materialism played in the turmoil of this country.
Though it doesn’t clearly state this as a “moral of the story,” Bitter Fruit offers a warning to those who will hear it. Over and over it told the tale of men like Edward Bernays, who found countless ways to manipulate the American public. On page 80 he is quoted saying, “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country…it is the intelligent minorities which need to make use of propaganda continuously and systematically.” His personal relationships with many people who ran America’s newspapers and magazines, made him a force to be reckoned with. Throughout the book we see how Guatemala and its government was demonized in the American press and how the American public bought the lies “hook, line and sinker.” After reading Bitter Fruit, I would hope that a person would find it difficult to believe that the American press always presents the full picture and the absolute truth. I would hope that it would lead a person to question the things they see, hear and read and to never assume that there is no hidden agenda behind the words we read and hear. Ever story has a side and every side has a story.
