As part of the thirtieth anniversary of the death of Che Guevara, the National Security Archive's Cuba Documentation Project is posting a selection of key CIA, State Department, and Pentagon documentation relating to Guevara and his death. This electronic documents book is compiled from declassified records obtained by the National Security Archive, and by authors of two new books on Guevara: Jorge Casta±eda's Compa±ero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara (Knoph), and Henry Butterfield Ryan's The Fall of Che Guevara (Oxford University Press). The selected documents, presented in order of the events they depict, provide only a partial picture of U.S. intelligence and military assessments, reports and extensive operations to track and "destroy" Che Guevara's guerrillas in Bolivia; thousands of CIA and military records on Guevara remain classified. But they do offer significant and valuable information on the high-level U.S. interest in tracking his revolutionary activities, and U.S. and Bolivian actions leading up to his death.
Contents:
ŚDeclassified Documents
ŚThe Death of Che Guevara: A Chronology
ŚNew Books on Che Guevara (further information)
DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS
THE DEATH OF CHE GUEVARA:
A CHRONOLOGY
Compiled by:
Paola Evans, Kim Healey, Peter Kornbluh, Ram=n Cruz and Hannah Elinson
OCTOBER 3, 1965: In a public speech, Fidel Castro reads a "Farewell" letter
written by Che in April, in which Che resigns from all of his official
positions within the Cuban government. The letter, which Che apparently
never intended to be made public, states that "I have fulfilled the part of
my duty that tied me to the Cuban revolution...and I say goodbye to you, to
the comrades, to your people, who are now mine." (CIA Intelligence
Memorandum, "Castro and Communism: The Cuban Revolution in Perspective,"
5/9/66)
OCTOBER 18, 1965: A CIA Intelligence Memorandum discusses what analysts
perceive as Che Guevaras fall from power within the Cuban government
beginning in 1964. It states that at the end of 1963, Guevaras plan of
"rapid industrialization and centralization during the first years of the
Revolution brought the economy to its lowest point since Castro came to
power." "Guevaras outlook, which approximated present -day Chinese--rather
than Soviet--economic practice, was behind the controversy." In July 1964,
"two important cabinet appointments signaled the power struggle over
internal economic policy which culminated in Guevaras elimination."
Another conflict was that Guevara wanted to export the Cuban Revolution to
different parts of Latin America and Africa, while "other Cuban leaders
began to devote most of their attention to the internal problems of the
Revolution." In December, 1964, Guevara departed on a three-month trip to
the United States, Africa, and China. When he returned, according to the
CIA report, his economic and foreign policies were in disfavor and he left
to start revolutionary struggles in other parts of the world. (CIA
Intelligence Memorandum, "The Fall of Che Guevara and the Changing Face of
the Cuban Revolution," 10/18/65)
FALL, 1966: Che Guevara arrives in Bolivia sometime between the second week
of September and the first of November of 1966, according to different
sources. He enters the country with forged Uruguayan passports to organize
and lead a communist guerrilla movement. Che chooses Bolivia as the
revolutionary base for various reasons. First, Bolivia is of lower priority
than Caribbean Basin countries to US security interests and poses a less
immediate threat, "... the Yanquis wouldnt concern themselves... ."
Second, Bolivias social conditions and poverty are such that Bolivia is
considered susceptible to revolutionary ideology. Finally, Bolivia shares a
border with five other countries, which would allow the revolution to
spread easily if the guerrillas are successful. (Harris, 60, 73; Rojo
193-194; Rodrfguez:1, 157;Rodrfguez:1, 198)
SPRING, 1967: From March to August of 1967, Che Guevara and his guerrilla
band strike "pretty much at will" against the Bolivian Armed Forces, which
totals about twenty thousand men. The guerrillas lose only one man compared
to 30 of the Bolivians during these six months. (James, 250, NYT 9/16/67)
APRIL 28, 1967: General Ovando, of the Bolivian Armed Forces, and the U.S.
Army Section signed a Memorandum of Understanding with regard to the 2nd
Ranger Battalion of the Bolivian Army "which clearly defines the terms of
U.S.-Bolivian Armed Forces cooperation in the activation, organization, and
training of this unit."
MAY 11, 1967: Walt Rostow, presidential advisor to Lyndon B. Johnson, sends
a message to the President saying that he received the first credible
report that "Che" Guevara is alive and operating in South America, although
more evidence is needed. (Rostow 05/11/67)
JUNE, 1967: Cuban-American CIA agent FTlix Rodrfguez receives a phone call
from a CIA officer, Larry S., who proposes a special assignment for him in
South America in which he will use his skills in unconventional warfare,
counter-guerrilla operations and communications. The assignment is to
assist the Bolivians in tracking down and capturing Che Guevara and his
band. His partner will be "Eduardo Gonzžlez" and Rodrfguez is to use the
cover name "FTlix Ramos Medina." (Rodriguez:1, 148)
JUNE 26-30, 1967: Soviet Premier Aleksey Kosygin visits Cuba for
discussions with Fidel Castro. According to a CIA intelligence cable, the
primary purpose of his "trip to Havana June 26-30, 1967 was to inform
Castro concerning the Middle East Crisis...A secondary but important reason
for the trip was to discuss with Castro the subject of Cuban revolutionary
activity in Latin America." The Soviet Premier criticizes the dispatch of
Che Guevara to Bolivia and accuses Castro of "harming the communist cause
through his sponsorship of guerrilla activity...and through providing
support to various anti-government groups, which although they claimed to
be "socialist" or communist, were engaged in disputes with the "legitimate"
Latin American communist parties, those favored by the USSR." In reply
Castro stated that Cuba will support the "right of every Latin American to
contribute to the liberation of his country." (CIA Intelligence Information
Cable, 10/17/67)
AUGUST 2, 1967: Rodrfguez and Gonzžlez arrive in La Paz, Bolivia. They are
met by their case officer, Jim, another CIA agent, and a Bolivian
immigration officer. The CIA station in La Paz is run by John Tilton;
eventually the CIAs Guevara task force is joined by another anti-Castro
Cuban-American agent, Gustavo Villoldo. (Rodrfguez:1, 162)
AUGUST 31, 1967: The Bolivian army scores its first victory against the
guerrillas, wiping out one-third of Ches men. JosT Castillo Chžvez, also
known as Paco, is captured and the guerrillas are forced to retreat. Ches
health begins to deteriorate. (James, 250, 269)
SEPTEMBER 3, 1967: FTlix Rodrfguez flies with Major Arnaldo Saucedo from
Santa Cruz to Vallegrande to interrogate Paco. (Rodriguez:1, 167)
SEPTEMBER 15, 1967: The Bolivian Government air-drops leaflets offering a
$4,200 reward for the capture of Che Guevara. (NYT 9/16/67)
SEPTEMBER 18, 1967: Fifteen members of a Communist group, who were
providing supplies to the guerrillas in the southeastern jungles of
Bolivia, are arrested. (NYT 9/19/67)
SEPTEMBER 22, 1967: Ches guerrillas arrive at Alto Seco village in
Bolivia. Inti Peredo, a Bolivian guerrilla, gives the villagers a lecture
on the objectives of the guerrilla movement. The group leaves later that
night after purchasing a large amount of food. (Harris, 123)
According to Jon Lee Andersons account, Che takes the food from a grocery
store without paying for it after discovering that the local authorities in
Alto Seco have left to inform the army about the guerrillas position.
(Anderson, 785)
SEPTEMBER 22, 1967: Guevara Arze, the Bolivian Foreign Minister, provides
evidence to the Organization of American States to prove that Che Guevara
is indeed leading the guerrilla operations in Bolivia. Excerpts taken from
captured documents, including comparisons of handwriting, fingerprints and
photographs, suggests that the guerrillas are comprised of Cubans,
Peruvians, Argentineans and Bolivians. The foreign ministers presentation
draws a loud applause from the Bolivian audience, and he gives his
assurance that "were not going to let anybody steal our country away from
us. Nobody, at any time." (NYT 9/23/67)
SEPTEMBER 24, 1967: Che and his men arrive, exhausted and sick, at Loma
Larga, a ranch close to Alto Seco. All but one of the peasants flee upon
their arrival. (Harris, 123)
SEPTEMBER 26, 1967: The guerrillas move to the village of La Higuera and
immediately notice that all the men are gone. The villagers have previously
been warned that the guerrillas are in the area and they should send any
information on them to Vallegrande. The remaining villagers tell the
guerrillas that most of the people are at a celebration in a neighboring
town called Jahue. (Harris, 123)
1 p.m.: As they are about to depart for Jahue, the rebels hear shots coming
from the road and are forced to stay in the village and defend themselves.
Three guerrillas are killed in the gun battle: Roberto (Coco) Peredo, a
Bolivian guerrilla leader who was one of Ches most important men;
"Antonio," believed to be Cuban; and "Julio," likely a Bolivian. Che orders
his men to evacuate the village along a road leading to Rio Grande. The
army high command and the Barrientos government consider this encounter a
significant victory. Indeed, Che notes in his diary that La Higuera has
caused great losses for him in respect to his rebel cell. (Harris 123,124;
NYT 9/28/67))
CIA agent, FTlix Rodrfguez, under the alias, "Captain Ramos," urges Colonel
Zenteno to move his Rangers battalion from La Esperanza headquarters to
Vallegrande. The death of Antonio, the vanguard commander [also called
Miguel by Rodrfguez], prompts Rodrfguez to conclude that Che must be close
by. Colonel Zenteno argues that the battalion has not yet finished their
training, but he will move them as soon as this training is complete.
Convinced that he knows Ches next move, Rodrfguez continues pressuring
Zenteno to order the 2nd Ranger battalion into combat. (Rodrfguez:1, 184)
SEPTEMBER 26-27, 1967: After the battle of La Higueras, the Ranger
Battalion sets up a screening force along the river San Antonio to prevent
exfiltration of the guerrilla force. During the mission, the troops
captures a guerrilla known as "Gamba." He appears to be in poor health and
is poorly clothed. This produces an immediate morale effect on the troops
because they notice that the guerrillas are not as strong as they thought.
"Gamba" says that he had separated from the group and was traveling in hope
of contacting "Ram=n" (Guevara). (Dept. of Defense Intelligence Information
Report - 11/28/67).
SEPTEMBER 29, 1967: Colonel Zenteno is finally persuaded by Rodrfguez, and
he moves the 2nd Ranger battalion to Vallegrande. Rodrfguez joins these six
hundred and fifty men who have been trained by U.S. Special Forces Major
"Pappy" Shelton. (Rodrfguez:1, 184)
SEPTEMBER 30, 1967: Che and his group are trapped by the army in a jungle
canyon in Valle Serrano, south of the Grande River. (NYT 10/1/67)
OCTOBER 7, 1967: The last entry in Ches diary is recorded exactly eleven
months since the inauguration of the guerrilla movement. The guerrillas run
into an old woman herding goats. They ask her if there are soldiers in the
area but are unable to get any reliable information. Scared that she will
report them, they pay her 50 pesos to keep quiet. In Ches diary it is
noted that he has "little hope" that she will do so. (Harris, 126; CIA
Weekly Review, "The Che Guevara Diary," 12/15/67)
Evening: Che and his men stop to rest in a ravine in Quebrada del Yuro.
(Harris, 126)
OCTOBER 8, 1967: The troops receive information that there is a band of 17
guerrillas in the Churro Ravine. They enter the area and encounters a group
of 6 to 8 guerrillas, opens fire, and killed two Cubans, "Antonio" and
"Orturo." "Ramon" (Guevara) and "Willy" try to break out in the direction
of the mortar section, where Guevara is wounded in the lower calf. (Dept.
of Defense Intelligence Information Report - 11/28/67)
OCTOBER 8, 1967: A peasant women alerts the army that she heard voices
along the banks of the Yuro close to the spot where it runs along the San
Antonio river. It is unknown whether it is the same peasant woman that the
guerrillas ran into previously. (Rojo 218)
By morning, several companies of Bolivian Rangers are deployed through the
area that Guevaras Guerrillas are in. They take up positions in the same
ravine as the guerrillas in Quebrada del Yuro. (Harris,126)
About 12 p.m.: A unit from General Prados company, all recent graduates of
the U.S. Army Special Forces training camp, confronts the guerrillas,
killing two soldiers and wounding many others. (Harris, 127)
1:30 p.m.: Ches final battle commences in Quebrada del Yuro. Simon Cuba
(Willy) Sarabia, a Bolivian miner, leads the rebel group. Che is behind him
and is shot in the leg several times. Sarabia picks up Che and tries to
carry him away from the line of fire. The firing starts again and Ches
beret is knocked off. Sarabia sits Che on the ground so he can return the
fire. Encircled at less than ten yards distance, the Rangers concentrate
their fire on him, riddling him with bullets. Che attempts to keep firing,
but cannot keep his gun up with only one arm. He is hit again on his right
leg, his gun is knocked out of his hand and his right forearm is pierced.
As soldiers approach Che he shouts, "Do not shoot! I am Che Guevara and
worth more to you alive than dead." The battle ends at approximately 3:30
p.m. Che is taken prisoner. (Rojo, 219; James, 14)
Other sources claim that Sarabia is captured alive and at about 4 p.m. he
and Che are brought before Captain Prado. Captain Prado orders his radio
operator to signal the divisional headquarters in Vallegrande informing
them that Che is captured. The coded message sent is "Hello Saturno, we
have Papa!" Saturno is the code for Colonel Joaquin Zenteno, commandant of
the Eighth Bolivian Army Division, and Papa is code for Che. In disbelief,
Colonel Zenteno asks Capt. Prado to confirm the message. With confirmation,
"general euphoria" erupts among the divisional headquarters staff. Colonel
Zenteno radios Capt. Prado and tells him to immediately transfer Che and
any other prisoners to La Higuera. (Harris, 127)
In Vallegrande, FTlix Rodrfguez receives the message over the radio: "Papž
cansado," which means "Dad is tired." Papa is the code for foreigner,
implying Che. Tired signifies captured or wounded. (Rodriguez:1, 185)
Stretched out on a blanket, Che is carried by four soldiers to La Higuera,
seven kilometers away. Sarabia is forced to walk behind with his hands tied
against his back. Just after dark the group arrives in La Higuera and both
Che and Sarabia are put into the schools one-room schoolhouse. Later that
night, five more guerrillas are brought in. (Harris, 127)
Official army dispatches falsely report that Che is killed in the clash in
southeastern Bolivia, and other official reports confirm the killing of Che
and state that the Bolivian army has his body. However, the army high
command does not confirm this report. (NYT 10/10/67)
OCTOBER 9, 1967: Walt Rostow sends a memorandum to the President with
tentative information that the Bolivians have captured Che Guevara. The
Bolivian unit engaged in the operation was the one that had been trained by
the U.S. (Rostow 10/9/67)
OCTOBER 9, 1967: 6:15 a.m.: FTlix Rodrfguez arrives by helicopter in La
Higuera, along with Colonel Joaqufn Zenteno Anaya. Rodrfguez brings a
powerful portable field radio and a camera with a special four-footed
tripod used to photograph documents. He quietly observes the scene in the
schoolhouse, and records what he sees, finding the situation "gruesome"
with Che lying in dirt, his arms tied behind his back and his feet bound
together, next to the bodies of his friends. He looks "like a piece of
trash" with matted hair, torn clothes, and wearing only pieces of leather
on his feet for shoes. In one interview, Rodrfguez states that, " I had
mixed emotions when I first arrived there. Here was the man who had
assassinated many of my countrymen. And nevertheless, when I saw him, the
way he looked....I felt really sorry for him." (Rodrfguez:2)
Rodrfguez sets up his radio and transmits a coded message to the CIA
station in either Peru or Brazil to be retransmitted to Langley
headquarters. Rodrfguez also starts to photograph Ches diary and other
captured documents. Later, Rodrfguez spends time talking with Che and takes
a picture with him. The photos that Rodrfguez takes are preserved by the
CIA. (Anderson, 793; Rodrfguez:1, 193)
10 am: The Bolivian officers are faced with the question of what to do with
Che. The possibility of prosecuting him is ruled out because a trial would
focus world attention on him and could generate sympathetic propaganda for
Che and for Cuba. It is concluded that Che must be executed immediately,
but it is agreed upon that the official story will be that he died from
wounds received in battle. FTlix Rodrfguez receives a call from Vallegrande
and is ordered by the Superior Command to conduct Operation Five Hundred
and Six Hundred. Five hundred is the Bolivian code for Che and six hundred
is the order to kill him. Rodrfguez informs Colonel Zenteno of the order,
but also tells him that the U.S. government has instructed him to keep Che
alive at all costs. The CIA and the U.S. government have arranged
helicopters and airplanes to take Che to Panama for interrogation. However,
Colonel Zenteno says he must obey his own orders and Rodrfguez decides, "to
let history take its course," and to leave the matter in the hands of the
Bolivians. (Anderson, 795; Harris 128, 129; Rodrfguez:1, 193; Rodrfguez:2)
Rodrfguez realizes that he cannot stall any longer when a school teacher
informs him that she has heard a news report on Ches death on her radio.
Rodrfguez enters the schoolhouse to tell Che of the orders from the
Bolivian high command. Che understands and says, "It is better like this
... I never should have been captured alive." Che gives Rodrfguez a message
for his wife and for Fidel, they embrace and Rodrfguez leaves the room.
(Rodrfguez:2; Anderson, 796)
According to one source, the top ranking officers in La Higuera instruct
the noncommissioned officers to carry out the order and straws are drawn to
determine who will execute Che. Just before noon, having drawn the shortest
straw, Sergeant Jaime Teržn goes to the schoolhouse to execute Che. Teržn
finds Che propped up against the wall and Che asks him to wait a moment
until he stands up. Teržn is frightened, runs away and is ordered back by
Colonel Selich and Colonel Zenteno. "Still trembling" he returns to the
schoolhouse and without looking at Ches face he fires into his chest and
side. Several soldiers, also wanting to shoot Che, enter the room and shoot
him. (Harris, 129)
FTlix Rodrfguez has stated that, "I told the Sargento to shoot....and I
understand that he borrowed an M-2 carbine from a Lt. PTrez who was in the
area." Rodrfguez places the time of the shooting at 1:10 p.m. Bolivian
time. (Rodrfguez:2)
In Jon Lee Andersons account, Sergeant Teržn volunteers to shoot Che.
Che's last words, which are addressed to Teržn, are "I know you've come to
kill me. Shoot, you are only going to kill a man." Teržn shoots Che in the
arms and legs and then in Che's thorax, filling his lungs with blood.
(Anderson, 796)
OCTOBER 9, 1967: Early in the morning, the unit receives the order to
execute Guevara and the other prisoners. Lt. PTrez asks Guevara if he
wishes anything before his execution. Guevara replies that he only wishes
to "die with a full stomach." PTrez asks him if he is a "materialist" and
Guevara answers only "perhaps." When Sgt. Terran (the executioner) enters
the room, Guevara stands up with his hands tied and states, "I know what
you have come for I am ready." Terran tells him to be seated and leaves the
room for a few moments. While Terran was outside, Sgt. Huacka enters
another small house, where "Willy" was being held, and shoots him. When
Terran comes back, Guevara stands up and refuses to be seated saying: "I
will remain standing for this." Terran gets angry and tells Guevara to be
seated again. Finally, Guevara tells him: "Know this now, you are killing a
man." Terran fires his M2 Carbine and kills him. (Dept. of Defense
Intelligence Information Report - 11/28/67).
Later that afternoon: Senior army officers and CIA Agent, FTlix Rodrfguez,
leave La Higuera by helicopter for army headquarters in Vallegrande. Upon
landing, Rodrfguez quickly leaves the helicopter knowing that Castros
people will be there looking for CIA agents. Pulling a Bolivian army cap
over his face, he is not noticed by anyone. (Rodrfguez:1, 12; Harris, 130)
Ches body is flown to Vallegrande by helicopter and later fingerprinted
and embalmed. (NYT 10/11/67)
General Ovando, Chief of Bolivian Armed Forces, states that just before he
died, Che said, "I am Che Guevara and I have failed." (James, 8)
OCTOBER 10, 1967: W.G. Bowdler sends a note to Walt Rostow saying that they
do not know if Che Guevara was "among the casualties of the October 8
engagement." They think that there are no guerrilla survivors. By October
9, they thought two guerrilla were wounded and possibly one of them is Che.
(Bowdler, The White House 10/10/67)
OCTOBER 10, 1967: Two doctors,. Moises Abraham Baptista and JosT Martfnez
Cazo, at the Hospital Knights of Malta, Vallegrande, Bolivia, sign a death
certificate for Che Guevara. The document states that "on October 9 at 5:30
p.m., there arrived...Ernesto Guevara Lynch, approximately 40 years of age,
the cause of death being multiple bullet wounds in the thorax and
extremities. Preservative was applied to the body." On the same day, and
autopsy report records the multiple bullets wounds found in Guevaras body.
"The cause of death," states the autopsy report, "was the thorax wounds and
consequent hemorrhaging." (U.S. Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia, Airgram,
10/18/67)
OCTOBER 10, 1967: General Ovando announces that Che died the day before at
1:30 p.m. This means that Che lived for twenty-two hours after the battle
in Quebrada del Yuro, which contradicts Colonel Zentenos story. Colonel
Zenteno changes his story to support General Ovandos. (James, 15)
The New York Times reports that the Bolivian Army High Command dispatches
officially confirm that Che was killed in the battle on Sunday October 8th.
General Ovando states that Che admitted his identity and the failure of his
guerrilla campaign before dying of his wounds. (NYT 10/10/67)
Ernesto Guevara, the father of Che, denies the death of his son, stating
that there is no evidence to prove the killing. (NYT 10/11/67)
OCTOBER 11, 1967: General Ovando claims that on this day Ches body is
buried in the Vallegrande area. (James, 19)
OCTOBER 11, 1967: President Lyndon Johnson receives a memorandum from Walt
W. Rostow: "This morning we are about 99% sure that "Che" Guevara is dead."
The memo informs the President that according to the CIA, Che was taken
alive and after a short interrogation General Ovando ordered his execution.
(Rostow, "Death of Che Guevara," 10/11/67)
OCTOBER 11, 1967: Walt Rostow sends a memorandum to the President stating
that they "are 99% sure that ŹChe Guevara is dead." He explains that
Guevaras death carries significant implications: "It marks the passing of
another of the aggressive, romantic revolutionaries...In the Latin American
context, it will have a strong impact in discouraging would -be guerrillas.
It shows the soundness of our Źpreventive medicine assistance to countries
facing incipient insurgency--it was the Bolivian 2nd Ranger Battalion,
trained by our Green Berets from June-September of this year, that cornered
him and got him." (Rostow 10/11/67)
OCTOBER 12, 1967: Ches brother, Roberto, arrives in Bolivia to take the
body back to Argentina. However, General Ovando tells him that the body has
been cremated. (Anderson, 799)
OCTOBER 13, 1967: Walt Rostow sends a note to the President with
intelligence information that "removes any doubt that ŹChe" Guevara is
dead." (Rostow 10/13/67)
OCTOBER 14, 1967: Annex No.3 - three officials of the Argentine Federal
police, at the request of the Bolivian Government, visited Bolivian
military headquarters in La Paz to help identify the handwriting and
fingerprints of Che Guevara. "They were shown a metal container in which
were two amputated hands in a liquid solution, apparently formaldehyde."
The experts compared the fingerprints with the ones in Guevaras Argentine
identity record, No. 3.524.272, and they were the same. (U.S. Embassy in La
Paz, Bolivia, Airgram, 10/18/67)
OCTOBER 14, 1967: Students at Central University of Venezuela protest the
U.S. involvement in Ches death. Demonstrations are organized against a
U.S. business, the home of a U.S. citizen, the U.S. Embassy and other
similar targets.
OCTOBER 15, 1967: Bolivian President Barrientos claims that Ches ashes are
buried in a hidden place somewhere in the Vallegrande region. (Harris, 130)
OCTOBER 16, 1967: . The Bolivian Armed Forces released a communiquT
together with three annexes on the death of Che Guevara. The communiquT is
"based on documents released by the Military High Command on October
9...concerning the combat that took place at La Higuera between units of
the Armed Forces and the red group commanded by Ernesto ŹChe Guevara, as a
result of which he, among others, lost his life..." The report states that
Guevara died "more or less at 8 p.m. on Sunday, October 8...as a result of
his wounds." Also, in order to identify his body it requested the
cooperation of Argentine technical organizations to identify the remains to
certify that the handwriting of the campaign diary coincides with
Guevaras. Henderson, the U.S. Embassy agent in La Paz, comments that "it
will be widely noted that neither the death certificate nor the autopsy
report state a time of death." This "would appear to be an attempt to
bridge the difference between a series of earlier divergent statements from
Armed Forces sources, ranging from assertions that he died during or
shortly after battle to those suggesting he survived at least twenty-four
hours." He also notes that some early reports indicate that Guevara was
captured with minor injuries, while later statements , including the
autopsy report, affirm that he suffered multiple wounds. He agrees with a
comment by PresTncia, that these statements are "going to be the new focus
of polemics in the coming days." (U.S. Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia, Airgram,
10/18/67)
OCTOBER 18, 1967: The U.S. Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia sends an airgram to
the Department of State with the Official Confirmation of Death of Che
Guevara. (U.S. Embassy, La Paz, Bolivia, 10/18/97)
OCTOBER 18, 1967: A CIA cable highlights the errors leading to Guevaras
defeat. "There were negative factors and tremendous errors involved in the
death of Ernesto "Che" Guevara Serna and the defeat of the guerrillas in
Bolivia... ." Ches presence at the guerrilla front in Bolivia, " ...
precluded all hope of saving him and the other leaders in the event of an
ambush and virtually condemned them to die or exist uselessly as
fugitives." The fact that the guerrillas were so dependent on the local
peasant population also proved to be a mistake according to the CIA.
Another error described in this cable is Ches over-confidence in the
Bolivian Communist Party, which was relatively new, inexperienced, lacking
strong leadership and was internally divided into Trotskyite and
Pro-Chinese factions. Finally, the cable states that the victory of the
Bolivian army should not be credited to their actions, but to the errors of
Castroism. "The guerrilla failure in Bolivia is definitely a leadership
failure..."("Comments on the death of Ernesto "Che" Guevara Serna,"
10/18/67)
OCTOBER 18, 1967: Fidel Castro delivers a eulogy for Che Guevara to nearly
a million people --one of his largest audiences ever--in Havanas Plaza de
la Revoluci=n. Castro proclaims that Ches life-long struggle against
imperialism and his ideals will be the inspiration for future generations
of revolutionaries. His life was a "glorious page of history" because of
his extraordinary military accomplishments, and his unequaled combination
of virtues which made him an "artist in guerrilla warfare." Castro
professes that Ches murderers will be disappointed when they realize that
"the art to which he dedicated his life and intelligence cannot die."
(Anderson, 798; Castros Eulogy, 10/18/97)
OCTOBER 19, 1967: Intelligence and Researchs Cuba specialist, Thomas L.
Hughes, writes a memorandum to Secretary of State, Dean Rusk. Hughes
outlines two significant outcomes of Che Guevaras death that will affect
Fidel Castros future political strategies. One is that "Guevara will be
eulogized as the model revolutionary who met a heroic death," particularly
among future generations of Latin American youth. Castro can utilize this
to continue justifying his defiance of the usual suspects--"US imperialism,
the Green Berets, the CIA." Another outcome is that Castro will reassess
his expectations of exporting revolutions to other Latin American
countries. Some Latin American leftists "will be able to argue that any
insurgency must be indigenous and that only local parties know when local
conditions are right for revolution." (Intelligence and Research
Memorandum, "Guevaras Death--The Meaning for Latin America", 10/19/97)
NOVEMBER 8, 1967: The CIA reports that Cuba is threatening assassin a
prominent Bolivian figure, such as President Barrientos or General Ovando,
in revenge of Che Guevaras death. ( CIA cable, 11/8/67)
JULY 1, 1995: In an interview with biographer Jon Lee Anderson, Bolivian
General Mario Vargas Salinas reveals that "he had been a part of a
nocturnal burial detail, that Ches body and those of several of his
comrades were buried in a mass grave near the dirt airstrip outside the
little mountain town of Vallegrande in Central Bolivia." A subsequent
Anderson article in the New York Times sets off a two-year search to find
and identify Guevaras remains. (Anderson,1)
JULY 5, 1997: Che Guevara biographer, Jon Lee Anderson, reports for the New
York Times that although the remains have not been exhumed and definitely
identified, two experts are "100 percent sure" that they have discovered
Ches remains in Vallegrande. The fact that one of the skeletons is missing
both of its hands is cited as the most compelling evidence. (NYT 7/5/97)
JULY 13, 1997: A ceremony in Havana, attended by Fidel Castro and other
Cuban officials, marks the return of Ches remains to Cuba. (NYT 7/14/97)
OCTOBER 17, 1997: In a ceremony attended by Castro and thousands of Cubans,
Che Guevara is reburied in Santa Clara, Cuba. (NYT, 10/18/97)
Anderson=Anderson, Jon Lee, Che Guevara : A Revolutionary Life, Grove
Henry Butterfield Ryan, The Fall of Che Guevara
(New York: Oxford University Press, November 1997; $27.50)
Jorge Casta±eda, Compa±ero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara (New York:
Knopf; October 1997, $30.00)
|||| ***Cuba Information Access ***
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LIST OF SOURCES
Press, 1997.
Harris= Harris, Richard, Death of a Revolutionary: Che Guevara's Last
Mission, W.W. Norton and Company Inc.,1970.
James= James, Daniel, Che Guevara: A Biography, Stein and Day, 1970
National Security Files, "Bolivia, Vol. 4" Box 8.
NYT=New York Times
Rodriguez:1=Rodriguez, Felix I.,Shadow Warrior, Simon and Schuster Inc.,
1989
Rodriguez:2=Rodriguez, Felix. BBC documentary, "Executive Action," 1992.
Rojo= Rojo, Ricardo, My Friend Che, The Dial Press, Inc., 1968
WT= Washington Times
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