Guatemala, Great Britain, and the United States and Guatemala’s Claim to British Honduras (Belize), 1931-1948

Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, retired senior archivist from the National Archives at College Park. Guatemala, off and on for more than 100 years, claimed all or part of British Honduras (Belize), a British crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico and east of Guatemala. Periodically Guatemala … Continue reading Guatemala, Great Britain, and the United States and Guatemala’s Claim to British Honduras (Belize), 1931-1948

The Peace Corps Welcome Books – Snapshot of the country from a unique viewpoint

Today’s post is by Deborah Gayle, Archivist in the Electronic Records Division at the National Archives at College Park, MD. The Peace Corps Welcome Books (National Archives ID 51087241) cover the countries in which Peace Corps volunteers serve. Peace Corps volunteers receive these guides at their time of assignment to help them learn about their … Continue reading The Peace Corps Welcome Books – Snapshot of the country from a unique viewpoint

The CIA in Guatemala

By Jason Clingerman In June 1954, Guatemalan president Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán was overthrown in a coup that was orchestrated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and carried out by the Guatemalan exile Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas. Arbenz was targeted in large part because of his land reform policies that affected U.S. companies, namely the United … Continue reading The CIA in Guatemala