National Committee of Defense Against Communism
The National Committee of Defense Against Communism took shape in Guatemala on the 19th of July 1954. President Carlos Castillo created it at the direct request of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. Its declared job was to fight alleged threats to the Guatemalan government from people the committee itself would name as Communist subversives. That mission leaves two questions unanswered so far. How did Carlos Castillo reach the Guatemalan presidency in the first place? And once in power, what could his new committee actually do to the people it accused?
Long before he held power, Carlos Castillo served as a Guatemalan army officer known for staunch anti-liberal and anti-communist views. He took part in the 1944 overthrow of dictator Jorge Ubico. As that October Revolution of 1944 unfolded, Castillo grew furious with the government of Juan Jose Arevalo. The trigger was the assassination of Colonel Javier Arana, a man Castillo deeply admired.
In November 1950, Castillo tried to topple the Arevalo government himself, leading roughly seventy followers into a coup attempt. The plot collapsed, several of his men died in the fighting, and Castillo was shot and taken prisoner. By 1952 Castillo had escaped custody and crossed the border into Honduras.
A year later, in August 1953, Castillo took on the title of "Liberator" of Guatemala, backed by the Eisenhower administration and the CIA specifically. Their shared target was Jacobo Arbenz, the president who had succeeded Arevalo and was accused of leading a pro-communist government. With that American backing secured, Castillo carried out a successful coup against Arbenz, an operation the CIA called PBSuccess. On the 1st of September 1954, he was officially declared president of Guatemala. Guatemala now had a president who had reached power only through foreign-backed force, not an election.
The Preventive Penal Law Against Communism arrived alongside the new committee, giving its accusations the weight of law. Under this law, the committee could meet entirely in secret and detain anyone it labeled a communist for as long as six months. Anyone charged under that law had no right to mount a defense and no path to appeal the charge. The same designation stripped a person of the right to own a shortwave radio or to hold any public office, local or national.
By the 21st of November 1954, the Castillo administration and the committee had built a list from that authority. It named 72,000 people as communists.
Common questions
When was the National Committee of Defense Against Communism formed in Guatemala?
The National Committee of Defense Against Communism was formed in Guatemala on the 19th of July 1954. President Carlos Castillo created it at the direct request of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.
Who created the National Committee of Defense Against Communism?
Carlos Castillo, Guatemala's president, created the National Committee of Defense Against Communism. He acted at the direct request of the CIA and coupled the committee with the Preventive Penal Law Against Communism.
What powers did the National Committee of Defense Against Communism have over accused communists?
The National Committee of Defense Against Communism could meet in secret and detain anyone it labeled a communist for up to six months. Those charged under the Preventive Penal Law had no right to a defense or appeal, and could not own shortwave radios or hold public office, local or national.
How many people did the National Committee of Defense Against Communism list as communists?
By the 21st of November 1954, the Castillo administration and the National Committee had compiled a list of 72,000 people deemed communists.
Why did Carlos Castillo form the National Committee of Defense Against Communism?
Carlos Castillo formed the National Committee of Defense Against Communism to fight alleged threats to his government from people the committee itself named as Communist subversives. Castillo had just taken power through a CIA-backed coup, known as PBSuccess, against President Jacobo Arbenz.
How did Carlos Castillo rise to power in Guatemala before founding the National Committee of Defense Against Communism?
Carlos Castillo was an anti-liberal, anti-communist army officer who helped overthrow dictator Jorge Ubico in 1944 and later tried and failed to overthrow President Juan Jose Arevalo in November 1950. Backed by the Eisenhower administration and the CIA as the self-declared "Liberator" of Guatemala, he overthrew President Jacobo Arbenz in 1954 and was officially declared president on the 1st of September 1954.