As it turned out, though, Guatemala was a tougher nut to crack than Iran. The CIA possessed none of the advantages that the coup plotters in Tehran enjoyed. The Guatemalan Army was loyal to Arbenz; the president was popular and democratically elected; the exiles were discredited and perceived as right-wing opportunists; neither the CIA nor the exiles had penetrated the Guatemalan press, political parties, church, or bureaucracy and could count on no rallying of these institutions to the cause of Arbenz’s overthrow.
