The United States in Honduras, 1980-1981: An Ambassador’s Memoir

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Honduras occupies a strategic geographic position in Central America. As former ambassador to Honduras during a pivotal period in both the Carter and Reagan administrations, Jack R. Binns offers a unique perspective on the period from 1980 through 1981. Written as a chronologically structured, heavily annotated diary, this work focuses on developments as the country moved from a relatively benign military dictatorship to a democratic constitutional leadership, crediting the Honduran people for this accomplishment despite adverse effects.

Using classified Embassy and Department of State correspondence, Binns covers the attack on the U.S. Embassy, the deception laid upon the Embassy and State Department by the Central Intelligence Agency over Sandinista-Contra policy, the flood of Salvadoran refugees into the country, the Honduran economic situation and collapse of a military coup, and Honduran human rights violations. The author shares his views on the consequences of an inadequate U.S. policy formulation in Central America: the U.S. effort to overthrow the Sandinista regime was a costly failure, U.S. support of the Salvadoran military enlarged rather than reduced the conflict, and U.S. activity in Honduras encouraged human rights abuses.