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The American's strongest ally inside
Guatemala is the Catholic Church.

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The CIA contacts Cardinal Spellman in New
York to take part in their psychological

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war against Arbenz.

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The Cardinal uses his authority to enlist
the full cooperation of the head of the

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Guatemalan Church, Archbishop Arellano.

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Cardinal Spellman convinced his
counterpart in Guatemala to issue a

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pastoral letter several months before the
coup, in which the Cardinal basically

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spelled out his message to the flock that
they should rise up against the communists

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in Guatemala and overthrow them.

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And then the CIA took that pastoral letter
and airlifted it around Guatemala.

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I didn't author the letter myself,
but I think the propaganda shop turned it

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out.

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We had gotten the okay from Cardinal
Spellman to go ahead with this.

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And I wouldn't presume to trace the lines
of authority within the Catholic Church,

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how they get their information,
but they do.

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We've always said, in an admiring way,
that the Jesuits form the greatest

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intelligence service in the world.