It is the contagion spreading to other countries in Central America and to Colombia if this idea of becoming a ‘modern democracy’ were to catch on there. United Fruit would be forced to deal with unions and international competition, to pay taxes, to guarantee health insurance and offer retirement plans for workers and their families, and it would be subject to the hatred and envy prosperous, well-run companies inevitably arouse in poor countries—especially if they’re American. The danger, gentlemen, lies in setting a bad example. Not so much communism as democracy in Guatemala.
