Francisco Javier Arana

Francisco Javier Arana (1905 – 1949) was one of the three leaders of the military junta that ruled Guatemala from 20 October 1944 to 15 March 1945. In 1949, Arana was influenced by the American government and an American owned corporation in Guatemala called United Fruit (UFCO) to present the present and democratically elected president Juan José Arévalo an ultimatum to allow himself to be seen only as a figurehead ruler in a military run country.Arévalo then appealed to his friend and third member of the junta Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán to help him protect their fragile and newborn democracy. Arbenz gave him the names of loyal democratic officers.These officers were then instructed to arrest Arana, but trouble mounted when he resisted arrest and he died as a result.