Spruille Braden
Encyclopedia
Spruille Braden was an American
diplomat
, businessman, lobbyist, and member of the Council on Foreign Relations
. He served as the ambassador of various Latin American countries, and as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
. He is notable for his interventionist activities and his prominent role in several coups d'état
.
, Braden attended Montclair Kimberley Academy
, graduating in the class of 1910.
Braden first came to prominence as one of the owners of the Braden Copper Company in Chile
, and as a shareholder in the United Fruit Company
. He also directed the W. Averell Harriman Securities Corporation. As an agent of Standard Oil
, he played a role in the Chaco War
between Bolivia
and Paraguay
and espoused an openly anti-union position.
Braden was a delegate to the Seventh International Conference of American States in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1933. He served alongside Secretary of State, Cordell Hull
, former American Ambassador to Mexico, J. Reuben Clark
, American Minister to Uruguay, J. Butler Wright
, and University of Chicago Professor, Sophonisba Breckinridge
.
(1939–1942), Cuba
(1942) and Argentina
. His diplomatic activities in these countries often coincided with coups d'etats
and other interventions in internal politics.
As ambassador to Argentina in 1945, Braden famously participated in the internal political struggle, organizing the opposition against President Edelmiro Julián Farrell
and Juan Perón
. From the beginning, Braden publicly organized and coordinated the opposition, exacerbating the internal conflict. Perón exploited his intervention with a slogan, Braden o Perón ("Braden or Perón"), which contributed to Peron's victory in the presidential election the following year.
Braden accused the Peron regime of being pro-Axis
, anti-United Nations
and of plotting against Allied interests in South America, including the protection of industrial and commercial Axis assets and massive violations of human rights
. David Crasweller writes in Perón and the Enigmas of Argentina that because Braden spoke to crowds of anti-Peronists he did not understand that his views of Juan Perón were not shared by all Argentines. Braden's interjection of himself into Argentine politics angered many Argentines and had the unintentional result of increasing popular support for Juan Perón. By the time of the 1946 elections it had come to appear to many Argentines that the choice for president was either for the Argentine Juan Perón or Perón's opposition, whom they perceived as being backed by an American.
In 1945, Braden served as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
under Harry Truman. He clashed with George S. Messersmith
, former ambassador to Mexico
, with whom he had many disagreements about foreign policy in Latin America. The disagreement with Braden would eventually force Messersmith out of the foreign service.
Beginning in 1948, Braden was a paid lobbyist for the United Fruit Company
. When the company's interests were threatened in Guatemala by President Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán
, Braden helped to conceive and execute the 1954 coup d'état that overthrew him. In his first act as newly ignaugurated President of Nicaragua on May 1st,1967, Anastasio Somoza Debayle conferred Nicaragua's highest decoration, the Grand Cross of Ruben Dario, on Ambassador Spruille Braden and his wife Verbena for their "unstiting efforts in the cause of freedom in all of Latin America".
.
In 1971 Diplomats and Demagogues: the Memoirs of Spruille Braden was published by New Rochelle, Arlington House. Braden served as President of the Metropolitan Club of New York, founded in 1891 by J. Pierpont Morgan, from 1967 to 1973.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, businessman, lobbyist, and member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
. He served as the ambassador of various Latin American countries, and as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs within the United States Department of State, the foreign affairs department of the United States federal government. The Assistant Secretary of State guides operation of the U.S...
. He is notable for his interventionist activities and his prominent role in several coups d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
.
Background and early life
Born in Elkhorn, MontanaElkhorn, Montana
Elkhorn is a small ghost town in Jefferson County, Montana, United States, in the Elkhorn Mountains of the southwestern part of the state.-History:...
, Braden attended Montclair Kimberley Academy
Montclair Kimberley Academy
Montclair Kimberley Academy, abbreviated "MKA", is a private coeducational day school located in Montclair, New Jersey, serving students from Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. Thomas W. Nammack became the school's fourth Headmaster in July 2005...
, graduating in the class of 1910.
Braden first came to prominence as one of the owners of the Braden Copper Company in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and as a shareholder in the United Fruit Company
United Fruit Company
It had a deep and long-lasting impact on the economic and political development of several Latin American countries. Critics often accused it of exploitative neocolonialism and described it as the archetypal example of the influence of a multinational corporation on the internal politics of the...
. He also directed the W. Averell Harriman Securities Corporation. As an agent of Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
, he played a role in the Chaco War
Chaco War
The Chaco War was fought between Bolivia and Paraguay over control of the northern part of the Gran Chaco region of South America, which was incorrectly thought to be rich in oil. It is also referred to as La Guerra de la Sed in literary circles for being fought in the semi-arid Chaco...
between Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
and espoused an openly anti-union position.
Braden was a delegate to the Seventh International Conference of American States in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1933. He served alongside Secretary of State, Cordell Hull
Cordell Hull
Cordell Hull was an American politician from the U.S. state of Tennessee. He is best known as the longest-serving Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during much of World War II...
, former American Ambassador to Mexico, J. Reuben Clark
J. Reuben Clark
Joshua Reuben Clark, Jr. was an American attorney, civil servant, and a prominent leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Born in Grantsville, Utah Territory, Clark was a prominent attorney in the Department of State, and Under Secretary of State for US president Calvin Coolidge...
, American Minister to Uruguay, J. Butler Wright
J. Butler Wright
Joshua Butler Wright was a United States diplomat who served as the representative of the US in Hungary, Uruguay, Czechoslovakia, and Cuba....
, and University of Chicago Professor, Sophonisba Breckinridge
Sophonisba Breckinridge
Sophonisba Preston Breckinridge was an American activist, Progressive Era social reformer, social scientist and innovator in higher education.- Background :...
.
Latin American diplomatic roles
He held several brief but important ambassadorships, in ColombiaColombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
(1939–1942), Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
(1942) and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. His diplomatic activities in these countries often coincided with coups d'etats
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
and other interventions in internal politics.
As ambassador to Argentina in 1945, Braden famously participated in the internal political struggle, organizing the opposition against President Edelmiro Julián Farrell
Edelmiro Julián Farrell
General Edelmiro Julián Farrell Plaul was an Argentine military officer of Irish descent. He was the de facto president of Argentina between 1944 and 1946....
and Juan Perón
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
. From the beginning, Braden publicly organized and coordinated the opposition, exacerbating the internal conflict. Perón exploited his intervention with a slogan, Braden o Perón ("Braden or Perón"), which contributed to Peron's victory in the presidential election the following year.
Braden accused the Peron regime of being pro-Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
, anti-United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and of plotting against Allied interests in South America, including the protection of industrial and commercial Axis assets and massive violations of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. David Crasweller writes in Perón and the Enigmas of Argentina that because Braden spoke to crowds of anti-Peronists he did not understand that his views of Juan Perón were not shared by all Argentines. Braden's interjection of himself into Argentine politics angered many Argentines and had the unintentional result of increasing popular support for Juan Perón. By the time of the 1946 elections it had come to appear to many Argentines that the choice for president was either for the Argentine Juan Perón or Perón's opposition, whom they perceived as being backed by an American.
In 1945, Braden served as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs within the United States Department of State, the foreign affairs department of the United States federal government. The Assistant Secretary of State guides operation of the U.S...
under Harry Truman. He clashed with George S. Messersmith
George S. Messersmith
George Strausser Messersmith was a United States ambassador to Austria, Cuba, Mexico and Argentina. Messersmith also served as the head of the U.S. Consulate in Nazi Germany during the rise of the Nazi party....
, former ambassador to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, with whom he had many disagreements about foreign policy in Latin America. The disagreement with Braden would eventually force Messersmith out of the foreign service.
Beginning in 1948, Braden was a paid lobbyist for the United Fruit Company
United Fruit Company
It had a deep and long-lasting impact on the economic and political development of several Latin American countries. Critics often accused it of exploitative neocolonialism and described it as the archetypal example of the influence of a multinational corporation on the internal politics of the...
. When the company's interests were threatened in Guatemala by President Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán
Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán
Colonel Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán was a Guatemalan military officer and politician who served as Defense Minister of Guatemala from 1944–1951, and as President of Guatemala from 1951 to 1954....
, Braden helped to conceive and execute the 1954 coup d'état that overthrew him. In his first act as newly ignaugurated President of Nicaragua on May 1st,1967, Anastasio Somoza Debayle conferred Nicaragua's highest decoration, the Grand Cross of Ruben Dario, on Ambassador Spruille Braden and his wife Verbena for their "unstiting efforts in the cause of freedom in all of Latin America".
Death
He died in Los Angeles on January 10, 1978 of heart disease after unsuccessfully lobbying against the Torrijos-Carter TreatiesTorrijos-Carter Treaties
The Torrijos–Carter Treaties are two treaties signed by the United States and Panama in Washington, D.C., on September 7, 1977, which abrogated the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty of 1903...
.
In 1971 Diplomats and Demagogues: the Memoirs of Spruille Braden was published by New Rochelle, Arlington House. Braden served as President of the Metropolitan Club of New York, founded in 1891 by J. Pierpont Morgan, from 1967 to 1973.
Works cited
- Scenna, Miguel A. (1974), Braden y Perón, Buenos Aires: Korrigan.
- Frank, Gary (1980). Juan Peron vs. Spruille Braden : the story behind the blue book. Lanham, MD : University Press of America
- Trask, Roger R. Spruille Braden versus George Messersmith: World War II, the Cold War, and Argentine Policy, 1945-1947 in the Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs, Vol. 26, No. 1 (Feb., 1984), pp. 69–95
External links
- Democracy’s Bull, TIME Magazine, November 15, 1945