United Brands (Chiquita) disgraced the U.S. flag it carried throughout Latin America. UB had a shiny, cheerful public face, in the person of its ubiquitous trademark, Chiquita Banana, a banana-shaped, miniskirted Latino cutie who sang and danced on radio and television.
However, in 1954 the CIA accepted and carried out a proposal from UB to overthrow the Guatemalan government, which was the only democratically elected government Guatemala had ever had. UB and the CIA replaced that government with over 30 years of bloodshed under a series of barbaric right-wing dictators.
The U.S. taxpayers funded these regimes under the recurring threat that if they do not, the Guatemalan people will fall prey to the evils of communism. Hmmmmm.... I seem to recall the same threat during the buildup to the Vietnam war.
United Brands/CIA "dirty deals" with the CIA are also documented in "Bitter Fruit: The Untold Story of the American Coup in Guatemala" by Stephen Schlesinger and Stephen Kinzer.
No surprise here. This company, under its various names, has been involved in dirty deals in Central America for decades. "Chiquita Brands International Inc. was formerly known as "United Brands" and the "United Fruit Company."
From Wikipedia: "In 1975, a SEC invesitgation revealed that the company had bribed the Honduran President (dictator) Oswaldo Lspez Arellano and Italian officals. The scandal was named Bananagate."
And...
"In the 1980's, the company (then known as United Brands Company) was involved in a leading Competition Law case when they were found to abuse their dominant position in the banana and fruit supply markets by the European Commission."
And from "Endless Enemies..."
"...two United Brands freighters that lurked in Cuba's Bahia de Cochinos on 4/17/1961 weren't there for the usual load of bananas. ...their mission was so extraordinary that it remained a classified military secret until 1976 when a retired UB VP published his memoirs. Neither the government nor UB has challenged his account of how the UB ships became warships that day."
Chiquita...United Brands...Bay of Pigs...continued.
Taxpayers might wonder why the Bay of Pigs invasion relied on transport ships on loan from United Brands, a private, for-profit enterprise. But when you think about it, the arrangement was only fair. The whole CIA had been on loan to United Brands for years..." and so it goes on for 13 pages in "Endless Enemies: The Making of an Unfriendly World" by Jonathan Kwitney. You'll have to go to Amazon.com and buy a used copy of the book to read the rest of the story.
As an aside: The failed Bay of Pigs invasion, the fact that Castro "finally put it to the gringos," delivered to Castro a power he never could have bought--a legitimacy he could have won no other way. In Cuba to this day, Castro continues to breathe strength and life from the glory of that triumph. The fact that he has been dictator for 47 years, longer than any other dictator, is proof of that glory and triumph.
That's a good ideal, Let's not buy bananas for a month from these countries. It may not hurt them, but they will notice that they could lose a lot of money if it continues.
As unsavory as thoes groups are, the FARC for example are the only rule of law in some areas. National Geographic did an article on them a few years ago. Their means are not right, but they are the only ones setting up schools and health clinics in many parts of the area. If the corrupt governments down there would step up and do their jobs then companies wouldn't have to pay thugs for protection.
1) I have a friend who was probably saved by these payoffs, although she had the pleasure of witnessing a murder while she was there. It was bad enough that she got the equivalent of "combat pay" to be there.
2) Payoffs like this are not a good thing -- it's a protection racket. These are not nice poeple.
3) Don't rush to judgement... unless you've been there. If you're faced with the ethical choice of risking your (or your employee's) life or paying clearly unsavory people, what would you do? The other options -- pulling your employees out or appealing to the police to enforce the rule of law -- are not available to you. What would you do?
4) Banana companies have a long history of interference in Latin American politics and of unethical practices. Look up "banana republic" some time. Alas, little has changed.
Time to change those 'don't do drugs because drug money supports terrorists' ads to 'don't do bananas'! I can't believe my 3 yr old banana loving child is a supporter of terorism!
All American companies in Mexico, Central, and South America states will always be targets for these right-wing paramilitaries, leftist rebels and local police. Now, find a country that will welcome us and not request additional protection money for their citizens. We may need to grow our own in the states.
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However, in 1954 the CIA accepted and carried out a proposal from UB to overthrow the Guatemalan government, which was the only democratically elected government Guatemala had ever had. UB and the CIA replaced that government with over 30 years of bloodshed under a series of barbaric right-wing dictators.
The U.S. taxpayers funded these regimes under the recurring threat that if they do not, the Guatemalan people will fall prey to the evils of communism. Hmmmmm.... I seem to recall the same threat during the buildup to the Vietnam war.
United Brands/CIA "dirty deals" with the CIA are also documented in "Bitter Fruit: The Untold Story of the American Coup in Guatemala" by Stephen Schlesinger and Stephen Kinzer.
From Wikipedia: "In 1975, a SEC invesitgation revealed that the company had bribed the Honduran President (dictator) Oswaldo Lspez Arellano and Italian officals. The scandal was named Bananagate."
And...
"In the 1980's, the company (then known as United Brands Company) was involved in a leading Competition Law case when they were found to abuse their dominant position in the banana and fruit supply markets by the European Commission."
And from "Endless Enemies..."
"...two United Brands freighters that lurked in Cuba's Bahia de Cochinos on 4/17/1961 weren't there for the usual load of bananas. ...their mission was so extraordinary that it remained a classified military secret until 1976 when a retired UB VP published his memoirs. Neither the government nor UB has challenged his account of how the UB ships became warships that day."
Bahia de Cochinos = Bay of Pigs. See next post...
Taxpayers might wonder why the Bay of Pigs invasion relied on transport ships on loan from United Brands, a private, for-profit enterprise. But when you think about it, the arrangement was only fair. The whole CIA had been on loan to United Brands for years..." and so it goes on for 13 pages in "Endless Enemies: The Making of an Unfriendly World" by Jonathan Kwitney. You'll have to go to Amazon.com and buy a used copy of the book to read the rest of the story.
As an aside: The failed Bay of Pigs invasion, the fact that Castro "finally put it to the gringos," delivered to Castro a power he never could have bought--a legitimacy he could have won no other way. In Cuba to this day, Castro continues to breathe strength and life from the glory of that triumph. The fact that he has been dictator for 47 years, longer than any other dictator, is proof of that glory and triumph.
That's a good ideal, Let's not buy bananas for a month from these countries. It may not hurt them, but they will notice that they could lose a lot of money if it continues.
1) I have a friend who was probably saved by these payoffs, although she had the pleasure of witnessing a murder while she was there. It was bad enough that she got the equivalent of "combat pay" to be there.
2) Payoffs like this are not a good thing -- it's a protection racket. These are not nice poeple.
3) Don't rush to judgement... unless you've been there. If you're faced with the ethical choice of risking your (or your employee's) life or paying clearly unsavory people, what would you do? The other options -- pulling your employees out or appealing to the police to enforce the rule of law -- are not available to you. What would you do?
4) Banana companies have a long history of interference in Latin American politics and of unethical practices. Look up "banana republic" some time. Alas, little has changed.
Typical corporate mo-fo's and greed cooking the books to hide shady dealings, just like Bush and his regime