AREVALO-ARBENZ DISAGREEMENT

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03190894
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: March 8, 2023
• Document Release Date: June 20, 2019
• Case Number: F-2018-02079
• Publication Date: February 16, 1954

Approved for Release: 2019/06/17 C03190894
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
AL
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COUNTRY
Guatemala/Chile/Cuba REPORT NO.
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SUBJECT
AREVALO-ARBENZ Disagreement DATE DISTR.
16 February
1954
NO. OF PAGES 1
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REQUIREMENT NO.
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REFERENCES
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SOURPE
1.
On 18 December 1953 Francisco Fernando FERNANDEZ Foncea, leftist who was recently
ousted as secretary-general of the Partido Accion Revolucionnria (PAR), told
Luis CARA Chars, Spanish political exile residing in Guatemala, that Juan Jose
AREVALO, former Guatemalan President, had left Guatemala for Cuba in a great state
of irritation with President Jacobo ARBENZ, following a major political .disagreement
with him. FERNANDEZ Foncea stated that immediately following AREVALO's arrival in
Guatemala on 23 November 1953 to attend the funeral of his sister, Blanca Arevalo de
SANDOVAL, he had several interviews with ARBENZ. ARBENZ called attention to
statements AREVALO had made recently in Chile to the effect that Guatemala was not
Communist and that it greatly resembled Argentina, with its peronistic social and
economic policies. These statements and their political implications were
discussed at great length, according to FERNANDEZ Foncea, the point that disturbed
ARBENZ the most being the comparison to the PERON regime.
2. CARA Chars stated that ARBENZ and AREVALO failed to reach an agreement and that
AREVALO will be long in returning to Guatemala. Another possible consequence of the
ARBENZ-AREVALO dispute, according to CARA Chars, may be the gradual decline of
the AREVALO supporters who now hold public office. '
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AREVALO left Guatemala on 16 December 1953 for Habana, Cuba, where he
had an interview with President Fulgencio BATISTA. He is believed to have returned
to Chile from Cuba after visiting several other countries.
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TIAL
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Approved for Release: 2019/06/17 C03190894