The CIA Helped Overthrow These Foreign Governments...
#10: Nicaragua
In the late 1970s, the Nicaraguan Revolution, led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front, ousted the US-backed Somoza dictatorship, and installed Daniel Ortega as the country’s leader. The left-wing Sandinista government faced opposition from Ronald Reagan’s administration, which saw it as a communist threat in the region. As a result, the CIA initiated covert operations to fund and train anti-Sandinista rebels known as the Contras, with the aim of toppling Ortega’s government. This secret support was in violation of a congressional ban called the Boland Amendment, and would ultimately result in the Iran-Contra scandal of the late ‘80s. Ortega was eventually defeated in the 1990 elections, with US-backed Violeta Chamorro emerging as President.
#9: Chad
After the first civil war in Chad, a transitional coalition government was installed in 1979, led by Goukouni Oueddei. Hissène Habré, a rebel military officer and former Prime Minister, assumed the role of Defense Minister. Tensions quickly arose between Oueddei and Habré, prompting the former to seek help from Muammar Gaddafi, leader of the neighboring Libya. Fearing Gaddafi’s expanding reach in the area, the U.S. reportedly employed the CIA to aid Habré in his plans to overthrow Oueddei’s government. In 1982, with the support of American covert operations, Habré successfully seized power and ousted Oueddei. Habré continued to receive U.S. support, even as he carried out widespread human rights violations and orchestrated thousands of politically motivated killings.
#8: The Dominican Republic
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Between 1930 and 1961, the Dominican Republic was ruled by the ruthless dictator, Rafael Trujillo. Trujillo initially had a good relationship with the United States, but things soured when he attempted to assassinate Rómulo Betancourt, then-President of Venezuela. On May 30th 1961, Trujillo was ambushed and assassinated in his car just outside the Dominican capital. While the U.S. did not directly carry out the assassination, reports suggest they had prior knowledge of the plot and provided the weapons used through the CIA. The agency was apparently pleased with the outcome, having brought an end to Trujillo’s oppressive regime. The following year, Juan Bosch, who had received CIA funding in the 1950s, was elected as President.
#7: Cuba
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US interests in Cuba heightened after a revolution overthrew US backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Seeing the government of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro as a communist threat in its own backyard, the US initiated an operation to topple it. In 1960, the Bay of Pigs invasion was approved, which involved the CIA funding and training a group of Cuban exiles to overthrow Castro. However, the invasion was a catastrophic failure; Cuban forces won the battle in just three days. Following this fiasco, the U.S. persisted in undermining Castro’s government, employing tactics including economic sanctions and numerous assassination attempts. Despite decades of effort, Castro remained in power until his retirement in 2008.
#6: Brazil
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João Goulart was elected as President of Brazil in 1961 and initially enjoyed a favorable relationship with the United States. However, as he implemented left-wing policies, Goulart earned the disapproval of the Kennedy administration. In 1964, the U.S. government backed a military coup led by Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco that ousted Goulart. American ambassador Lincoln Gordon heavily advocated for this move, as he believed that Goulart would make Brazil “the China of the 1960s”. As a result, the CIA reportedly encouraged anti-Goulart demonstrations, and the Air Force and Navy mobilized logistical support - although it was ultimately not needed. Afterwards, the U.S. quickly recognized the new military dictatorship, providing legitimacy.
#5: Democratic Republic of the Congo
In 1960, Patrice Lumumba was elected as Prime Minister of the newly-independent Republic of the Congo. Shortly after, a mutiny erupted within the Congolese army, and the Belgian military invaded. Lumumba sought help from the United Nations, which deployed peacekeepers, but stopped short of helping Lumumba fight the secessionists. When the US declined to offer unilateral support, Lumumba turned to the Soviet Union. The CIA saw the situation as a “classic communist takeover” and, on the orders of President Dwight Eisenhower, planned to assassinate Lumumba. Ultimately, the military overthrew Lumumba’s government, and the CIA supported their efforts to find and capture him. He was seized in late 1960 and executed on January 17th 1961.
#4: Guatemala
In the early 1950s, the CIA orchestrated two secret missions to overthrow democratically elected Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz. Árbenz has implemented land reforms that significantly improved the lives of local peasants, especially among indigenous groups, but threatened the profits of the American-owned United Fruit Company. Branding him as a communist, the American government decided to take him down. The first attempt, dubbed Operation PBFortune, was authorized in 1952, but was canceled due to concerns that it would negatively affect the United States’ reputation. Those concerns had evaporated by the following year, when Eisenhower authorized Operation PBSuccess. This resulted in the 1954 coup that ousted Árbenz and brought in the military dictatorship of Carlos Castillo Armas.
#3: Iran
The CIA was formed in 1947 - and just five years later, had already overthrown its first government. To be fair, the 1953 Iranian coup d'état was a collaborative effort with Britain’s MI6. In 1951, Iran’s Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh had nationalized the country’s oil industry, previously operated by the British. In response, the U.S. and UK fomented unrest against Mosaddegh, and ultimately orchestrated a coup. On August 19th 1953, Mosaddegh was removed, and the office of the pro-Western Shah was strengthened. The coup secured Western access to Iranian oil, but ultimately culminated in the 1979 Iranian Revolution that ousted the Shah, who was seen in Iran as a Western puppet. It was this revolution that transformed Iran into an Islamic Republic.
#2: Chile
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When democratic socialist Salvador Allende was elected President of Chile in 1970, U.S. President Richard Nixon and the CIA decided it was not to be. The CIA’s initial strategy was to kidnap the Chilean commander-in-chief, General René Schneider, who had refused to stage a coup, before Allende’s inauguration. But Schneider was killed, prompting national outrage, and Allende assumed office. Although it appears that the CIA was not directly involved in Allende’s eventual ousting, reports suggest the agency helped set the stage. On September 11th 1973, military troops led by General Augusto Pinochet toppled Allende’s government, establishing a dictatorial regime that lasted until 1990. Despite human rights abuses, with thousands tortured and executed, the U.S. continued to support Pinochet’s military rule.
#1: South Vietnam
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Ngô Đình Diệm assumed the presidency of South Vietnam in October 1955, largely backed by the United States. Yet, in the early 1960s, the U.S. became increasingly dissatisfied with Diệm, particularly for his persecution of Buddhists and inability to effectively combat communist insurgency. The Pentagon Papers, which were leaked in 1971, revealed how the CIA provided support to disgruntled military officers plotting a coup. At the same time, the Kennedy administration withdrew its support for Diệm, signaling a hands-off approach. Ultimately, the November 1963 coup was successful, leading to the capture and death of Diệm at the hands of the military. However, it failed to restore stability to the region, instead sparking more turmoil and escalating the Vietnam War.
