Stephen Schlesinger

In this captivating discussion, historian Stephen Schlesinger, co-author of *Bitter Fruit*, delves into the 1954 U.S.-backed coup in Guatemala. He reveals how United Fruit's immense influence led to President Jacobo Arbenz's land reforms becoming framed as a communist threat. The conversation highlights the exploitative conditions on United Fruit plantations and examines the Dulles brothers' conflicts of interest driving U.S. policy. Schlesinger also discusses the long-term consequences of the coup, including the civil war that followed and the clash between American actions and professed Christian values.