The United States in Honduras, 1980-1981 ─ An Ambassador's Memoir

Honduras occupies a strategic geographic position in Central America. Having served as ambassador to Honduras during both the Carter and Reagan administrations, Jack R. Binns offers a unique perspective on the pivotal period from 1980 through 1981, as the country moved from a relatively benign military dictatorship to a democratic constitutional leadership. Using classified 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, economic and human rights conditions, and the collapse of a military coup. He discusses the consequences of an inadequate U.S. policy formulation in Central America: the effort to overthrow the Sandinista regime was a costly failure, U.S. support of the Salvadoran military enlarged the conflict, and U.S. activity in Honduras encouraged human rights abuses.

Retired from the Foreign Service, Jack R. Binns lives in Tucson, Arizona. His articles have appeared in such publications as The Arizona Daily Star, The Baltimore Sun and Foreign Service Journal.