Commenting on an account by John Heelan on US support for Laton American dictators, Tim Brown said:
"It's nice to have someone put together all the major largely unsubstantiated canards of the left in one
place. Other than having most of the historical facts wrong, it was Standard not United Fruit that first was
active in Honduras" John Heelan retorts: "Tim is pedantically correct in stating that'it was Standard Fruit,
not United Fruit, that was first active in Honduras' but only by a margin of 8 years: "In 1899 the first
banana concession was granted to the Vacarro brothers; their company would later become Standard Fruit.
In 1907 Sam Zemurray set up the Cuyamel Fruit Company; later bought by United Fruit. The unequal
relationship that would exist between the companies and the Honduran state for the first half of the 20th
century gave rise to the description "banana republic." Between 1932 and 1948 Honduras was ruled by a
dictator, Tiburcio Carias Andino".
(Source: http://www.avilacigars.com/honduras.html)
"Honduras is one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere and remains dependent on U.S. aid.
The economy is based on agriculture; bananas and coffee are the most important exports. The vast banana
plantations, established by U.S. companies, are mainly along the northern coast; the United Fruit Company
and the Standard Fruit Company, fiercely resented by many as exploitative monopolies, have had much
social and political influence in Honduras".
Presumably Tim would dismiss the following US interventions as 'cute collection of propaganda jibes"?
*History of U.S. Interventions in Latin America*
Location, Period, Type of Force, Comments on U.S. Role
- Argentina 1890 Troops Buenos Aires interests protected
- Chile 1891 Troops Marines clash with nationalist rebels
- Haiti 1891 Troops Black workers revolt on U.S.-claimed Navassa Island defeated
- Nicaragua 1894 Troops Month-long occupation of Bluefields
- Panama 1895 Naval, troops Marines land in Colombian province
- Nicaragua 1896 Troops Marines land in port of Corinto
- Cuba 1898- Naval, troops Seized from Spain, U.S. still holds Navy base at Guantanamo
- Puerto Rico 1898- Naval, troops Seized from Spain, occupation continues
- Nicaragua 1898 Troops Marines land at port of San Juan del Sur
- Nicaragua 1899 Troops Marines land at port of Bluefields
- Honduras 1903 Troops Marines intervene in revolution
- Dominican Republic 1903-04 Troops U.S. interests protected in Revolution
- Cuba 1906-09 Troops Marines land in democratic election
- Nicaragua 1907 Troops "Dollar Diplomacy" protectorate set up
- Honduras 1907 Troops Marines land during war with Nicaragua
- Panama 1908 Troops Marines intervene in election contest
- Nicaragua 1910 Troops Marines land in Bluefields and Corinto
- Honduras 1911 Troops U.S. interests protected in civil war
- Cuba 1912 Troops U.S. interests protected in Havana
- Panama 1912 Troops Marines land during heated election
- Honduras 1912 Troops Marines protect U.S. economic interests
- Nicaragua 1912-33 Troops, bombing 20-year occupation, fought guerrillas
- Mexico 1913 Naval Americans evacuated during revolution
- Dominican Republic 1914 Naval Fight with rebels over Santo Domingo
- Mexico 1914-18 Naval, troops Series of interventions against nationalists
- Haiti 1914-34 Troops, bombing 19-year occupation after revolts
- Dominican Republic 1916-24 Troops 8-year Marine occupation
- Cuba 1917-33 Troops Military occupation, economic protectorate
- Panama 1918-20 Troops "Police duty" during unrest after elections
- Honduras 1919 Troops Marines land during election campaign
- Guatemala 1920 Troops 2-week intervention against unionists
- Honduras 1924-25 Troops Landed twice during election strife
- Panama 1925 Troops Marines suppress general strike
- El Salvador 1932 Naval Warships sent during Faribundo Marti revolt
- Uruguay 1947 Nuclear threat Bombers deployed as show of strength
- Puerto Rico 1950 Command operation Independence rebellion crushed in Ponce
- Guatemala 1954-? Command operation, bombing, nuclear threat CIA directs exile invasion and coup d'Etat
after newly elected government nationalizes unused U.S.'s United Fruit Company lands; bombers based in
- Nicaragua; long-term result: 200,000 murdered
- Panama 1958 Troops Flag protests erupt into confrontation
- Cuba 1961 Command operation CIA-directed exile invasion fails
- Cuba 1962 Nuclear threat, naval Blockade during missile crisis; near-war with Soviet Union
- Panama 1964 Troops Panamanians shot for urging canal's return
- Dominican Republic 1965-66 Troops, bombing Marines land during election campaign
- Guatemala 1966-67 Command operation Green Berets intervene against rebels
- Chile 1973 Command operation CIA-backed coup ousts democratically elected Marxist president
- El Salvador 1981-92 Command operation, troops Advisors, overflights aid anti-rebel war, soldiers briefly
involved in hostage clash; long-term result: 75,000 murdered and destruction of popular movement
- Nicaragua 1981-90 Command operation, naval CIA directs exile (Contra) invasions, plants harbor mines
against revolution; result: 50,000 murdered
- Honduras 1982-90 Troops Maneuvers help build bases near borders
- Grenada 1983-84 Troops, bombing Invasion four years after revolution
- Bolivia 1987 Troops Army assists raids on cocaine region
- Panama 1989 Troops, bombing Nationalist government ousted by 27,000 soldiers, leaders arrested, 2000+
killed
- Haiti 1994- Troops, naval Blockade against military government; troops restore President Aristide to office
three years after coup
Sources:
Blum, William. Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventionism Since World War II. Monroe, Maine:
Common Courage Press, 1995.
Ege & Makhijani. "180 Landings by the U.S. Marine Corps" (History Division), Counterspy (July-Aug.
1982). Foreign Affairs Division, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.
Instances of Use of Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-1945. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office,
1975, revision of 1969 version.
Grossman, Zoltan. Over a Century of U.S. Military Interventions. Self-published, revised Jan. 1, 1995.
Sklar, Holly. "Who's Who: Invading 'Our' Hemisphere 1831-," Z Magazine (Feb. 1990).
U.S. Congress, Committee on Foreign Affairs' Report. Background Information on the Use of United
States Armed Forces in Foreign Countries. Washington, D.C.: 91st Congress, 2nd Session, 1970.
Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States. New York: Perennial Library, Harper & Row, 1980.
(Source: http://www2.truman.edu/~marc/resources/interventions.html)
Ronald Hilton - 8/7/03
