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Fruit d'État

Fourth Act Studios 5 Episodes Apr 6, 2026

Fruit d'État is an original documentary podcast series that tells the unbelievable story of the 1954 CIA-sponsored coup in Guatemala. Featuring New York Times bestselling author Stephen Kinzer, the series explores how US corporate interests and Cold War fears of communism led to a disastrous regime change operation. The narrative centers on the banana trade and the overthrow of a promising democracy, which sparked one of the bloodiest civil wars in Latin American history. Produced by Fourth Act Studios, the show includes interviews with historians and experts, along with original music and sound design.

Episodes

1. Growing Pains: Prelude to the Guatemalan Coup Apr 6, 2026 1655 Episode 1. The Guatemalan spring of 1944 ushers in hope, with the election of Juan José Arévalo, the country’s first democratically elected President.Forget oil. In 1954, it was all about bananas.Against the backdrop of the Cold War, US corporate interests and the fear of communism in Latin America set the stage for one of the most disastrous regime change operations in CIA history, plunging a pro

2. Sam the Banana Man and the United Fruit Company Apr 6, 2026 1799 Episode 2. Newly elected Jacobo Árbenz threatens the margins of United Fruit Company’s CEO: Sam, the Banana Man, the uncrowned king of Central America.Forget oil. In 1954, it was all about bananas.Against the backdrop of the Cold War, US corporate interests and the fear of communism in Latin America set the stage for one of the most disastrous regime change operations in CIA history, plunging a pr

3. Actors and Publicists: The Making of the Guatemalan Coup Apr 6, 2026 2359 Episode 3. A propaganda campaign designed by Sigmund Freud’s nephew, Edward Bernays, paints Guatemala as a communist stronghold in desperate need to be liberated, a narrative the American people are all too receptive to in the 1950s.Forget oil. In 1954, it was all about bananas.Against the backdrop of the Cold War, US corporate interests and the fear of communism in Latin America set the stage for

4. Operation Success Apr 6, 2026 2308 Episode 4. With the blessing of President Eisenhower and Vice President Nixon, CIA director Allen Dulles officially launches Operation Success, a plan to overthrow the democratically elected government of Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala and replace him with astroturf leader Carlos Castillo Armas.Forget oil. In 1954, it was all about bananas.Against the backdrop of the Cold War, US corporate interests a

5. Aftermath of a Bloody Bloodless Coup Apr 6, 2026 3043 Episode 5. The political instability caused by the 1954 CIA-sponsored coup leads to a 36-year-long civil war that ends in genocide.Forget oil. In 1954, it was all about bananas.Against the backdrop of the Cold War, US corporate interests and the fear of communism in Latin America set the stage for one of the most disastrous regime change operations in CIA history, plunging a promising democracy in

Fruit d'État

Episodes

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