According to a book review by John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton of Larry Tye's biography of Bernays, The Father of Spin: Edward L. Bernays & The Birth of PR, "the term 'banana republic' actually originated in reference to United Fruit's domination of corrupt governments in Guatemala and other Central American countries."
Ifølge en anmeldelse af John Stauber og Sheldon Rampton om Larry Tye's biografi, "The Father of Spin: Edward L. Bernays & The Birth of PR" , "opstod begrebet 'Bananrepublik' som reference til United Fruit's dominans over korrupte regeringer i Guatemala og andre centralamerikanske lande.