Exporting Rhetoric, Importing Oil: United States Relations with Venezuela, 1945-1948

The US supported the coup against Venezuela's democratic government by maintaining a nonintervention policy while the US Army chose not to support the democracy. Anti-Accion Democratica (AD) forces played on US Cold War fears to portray the AD as an anti-American government and AD policies toward US oil companies involving controlling oil production and taxation strengthened that belief. The US State Dept denied charges of involvement but diplomats and the CIA had only offered rhetoric rather than tangible support which helped undermine the Venezuelan government.