ABSTRACT
One of the most troublesome postwar problems to confront US policymakers in regards to their political relations with Central America and the rest of Latin America was the question of what stance should be taken toward dictatorial governments. The answer seemed obvious. One of the avowed purposes of the war was to free the world’s peoples from despotism and allow them to choose their own destinies. The end of World War II once more brought into focus the sticky issue of US relations with dictatorial governments in Latin America. The matter was one that had plagued US-Latin American relations during most of the twentieth century. During that time, the United States had been instrumental in helping dictators such as Somoza in Nicaragua and Trujillo in the Dominican Republic gain and maintain power. Considering the rather tepid support for Braden’s proposal in the State Department, it was hardly surprising that the specifics of the ambassador’s suggestions were never put into action.
