Hugh O'Shaughnessy, Latin America correspondent of The Observer, introduces Allen Frankovich's acclaimed three-part investigation of the United States's involvement in Central America.

Taking as his starting-point the 1954 CIA-inspired coup which overthrew the elected government of President Arbenz, Frankovich brilliantly intercuts newsreel and interview to paint a searing picture of brutality and duplicity. Candid testimony from Guatemalan army leaders and 'death squad' operatives is juxtaposed with the vivid experiences of the people at the centre of the vortex of violence - the indigenous Indian population, descendants of the legendary Mayas, who recount appalling events with astonishing dignity and understatement.
Completed in 1987, the culmination of three years' filming, this documentary is an exhaustive and riveting enquiry into the extent and nature of US policy in their 'own back yard'.

(English and Spanish dialogue with English subtitles)