Assasination of Augusto Sandino

The Assasination of Augusto Sandino (Español: Asesinato de Augusto Sandino) was an elaborated plan by the United States' Central Intelligence Agency to assassinate Central American leader Augusto Cesar Sandino.

= Background =

Leftist revolutionary leader Augusto Sandino became victorious in the Banana rebellion in 1934. He would become the primary builder and leader of the new "Central American Democratic Republic", which originated from the previous American unincorporated organized territory of Honduras and Nicaragua. The Central American People's Republic was already the second socialist in Central America. Yet, it was significantly more prominent in the territory, population, economy and military than its socialist counterpart, Chiapas. This was alarming for the Americans, whose hegemony in Central America could now be a threat to Sandino´s country.

The CIA had planned to take action over the matter during the 30s, especially taking into account the rising nationalist movements in Central America and the Caribbean. But nothing was ever done, especially because the Central Americans held a policy of isolationism, which meant that they would not expand their influence over the region, at least in the short term. Likewise, the USA already owned Yucatan, Puerto Rico, Guatemala and Santo Domingo, so while their loss was inconvenient, they still controlled enough territories for the production of tropical goods and that the American market demanded.

Then, the 1940s was a period in which the United States had more significant problems to face, such as World War II, the Chinese Civil War and the establishment of a new world order after the defeat of the nazis. While Sandino never considered himself Marxist, he did have very positive relations with the USSR and the whole Eastern Bloc. This relationship became a real threat during the 50s, a decade in which the cold war peaking and communism started spreading all around the globe.

That is when the CIA started having its first talks about the situation in the Democratic Republic of Central America. Ultimately it was decided I'm 1951 that a series of American infiltrates would be sent to the country to get rid off him.

After his death in 1951, the DRCA fell into a power vacuum in which it could not be decided how the election of the future president should be done. this was taken advantage of by the United States, which helped unstabilize and encouraged the dissolution of the country to end its influence and menace. In 1953

= Earlier Attempts =

The Central Intelligence Agency had attempted three previous times to get rid off of Sandino