Final answer:
The claim that the CIA helped topple Guatemala's elected government due to concerns over the nationalization of United Fruit Company's holdings is true. This was part of the U.S. strategy to counteract communism in Latin America during the Cold War, leading to long-term instability in Guatemala.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that In Guatemala the American CIA helped overthrow the democratically elected government when it appeared it was going to nationalize the United Fruit Company, an American business, is true. In 1954, the CIA was involved in organizing a coup against the government of President Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán, who had initiated land reforms that threatened United Fruit's interests. The operation was influenced by the Eisenhower administration's fear of communism's spread in Latin America, and the Dulles brothers, who had ties to United Fruit, played pivotal roles in the decision.
After the coup, Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas took power and reversed the reforms, leading to decades-long civil conflict in Guatemala. The United States, particularly during the Cold War, engaged in such actions to prevent perceived communist influence in the region, often supporting regimes and policies aligned with American economic and geopolitical interests.