The Emperor Has No Clothes A Practical Guide for Environmental and Social Transformation by John Hagen Read Free Book Online

Development Bank the freight rates
that were being charged were the highest in the world. The
situation that existed would no longer support a staged coup as was
implemented in 1905. Therefor, UFCO's management decided to induce
the United States Government to use its power to maintain its
corporate hegemony within the country. In order to accomplish this
task one of the best PR men of the time was hired (Edward Bernays)
and also a number of well connected liberal lobbyists. These
lobbyists had contacts in the CIA the senate, congress, and the
State Department notably, John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State,
his brother Allen Dulles Director of CIA, as well as an earlier
director of the CIA Walter Bedell Smith, who later was Under
secretary of State with Dulles [10]. After Dwight Eisenhower was
elected to the presidency Mr. Zemurray realized it was now
essential to expand his influence into the right wing faction of
the Republican Party, again he engaged a well connected PR firm,
John Clements and Associates. Mr Clements was also Vice President
of the jingoistic Hearst Publications. He was also editor of The
American Mercury a McCarthyite propaganda sheet as well as being
related to Senator Joseph McCarthy.
    10. After Walter Bedell Smith left the U.S.
Government he obtained an executive position with UFCO.
     
    The strategy that UFCO employed to garner
support and protection of it’s overseas interests by the United
States government was to create and amplify fears about the spread
of communism. The basic underlying theme they used was the
Guatemalan governments program of land reform. [11]
    11. UfCO owned 550,000 acres in Guatemala it
had 15% of this land under cultivation initially the Guatemalan
government wanted approximately 209,000 acres and later upped it to
386,901 acres, the company was offered compensation equivalent to
the land values it provided on it’s tax returns. At this time UFCO
was paying $150.000 per year in taxes, 1 cent per banana stem and
nothing on its property.
     
    The land reform program was used by UFCO’s PR
people to create the fantasy that it was engendered by communists
supported by the Soviet Union. The public relations campaigns
employed for this purpose were comprised of two elements. The first
element was aimed at the general American public to create a
supportive climate that was essential for governmental decision
makers to operate in. The second was specifically targeted and
tailored for U.S. government decision makers. The PR effort
targeted on the decision makers was augmented by intensive
lobbying. During the Truman administration the PR effort was
comprised of a “confidential” news letter that was circulated to
250 journalists, congressmen, institutions such as the Council on
Foreign Relations, and congressional offices.
    The press PR effort was augmented by free
junkets for newsmen of prestigious publications such as Time,
Newsweek, Scripps-Howard newspapers, United Press International,
San Francisco Chronicle, Miami Harold, US News and Word Report, The
New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, and in some Latin publications.xi
UFCO produced 4 or 5 of these junkets a year taking up to 10
reporters each time. They were very carefully orchestrated to
present a favorable impression of the company and support it’s
assertions of benevolence. No expense was spared on these PR
junkets in one year $500,000.00 was spent on these which was a very
large sum at that time (in 1950 the average price of a house was
$8,450). Dozens of officials in the U.S. Congress and Senate were
induced to act in a favorable manner to UFCO, they often read
company prepared PR on the Senate and Congressional floor and into
the congressional record. After the Eisenhower administration took
office, UFCO retained John Clements who had a list of 800
influential decision makers. In 1952 Clements was paid $35,000.00
to write a 235 page anonymous “study” titled “Report on Guatemala -
1952" for UFCO. This document