The Awakening of Latin America
Analysis of the month [August 1967]
The most important features are:
1) We continue without contact of any kind and have no reasonable hope of establishing it in the near future.
2) We continue being unable to recruit peasants, which is logical considering how few dealings we have had with them recently.
3) There is a decline in combat morale; temporary, I hope.
4) The army has not increased its effectiveness or its aggressiveness.
We are at a low point in our morale and in our revolutionary legend. The most urgent tasks are the same as last month, notably: to reestablish contact, to recruit combatants, and to obtain medicine and supplies.
It must be recognized that Inti and Coco are becoming more and more outstanding as revolutionary and military cadres.
September 5
We decoded the entire report that stated that OLAS [Organization of Latin American Solidarity] was a triumph, but the Bolivian delegation was shit; Aldo Flores of the PCB [Bolivian Communist Party] pretended to represent the ELN [National Liberation Army] so they had to show he was lying. They have requested that one of Kolle’s men come to discuss matters; Lozano’s66 house was raided and he is now underground; they think that they can make an exchange for Debray. That is all; evidently they have not received our last message.
September 8
[…] A Budapest daily is criticizing Che Guevara, a pathetic and apparently irresponsible figure, and applauds the Marxist stand of the Chilean Party for taking a pragmatic position when faced with reality. How I would like to have power, for nothing more than to expose cowards and lackeys of all stripes and to rub their snouts in their own filth.
September 30
Another day of tension. In the morning, Radio Balmaseda of Chile announced that highly placed sources in the army announced Che Guevara is cornered in a canyon in the jungle. The local stations are silent; this could be a betrayal and they are convinced about our presence in the area. In a while, the soldiers began moving back and forth. […]
Analysis of the month [September 1967]
It should have been a month of recuperation, and almost was, but the ambush in which Miguel, Coco, and Julio67 were killed ruined everything, and left us in a perilous position, losing León68 as well; losing Camba is a net gain.
We have had several small skirmishes: one in which we killed a horse; another in which we killed one soldier and wounded another; one where Urbano69 had a shoot-out with a patrol; and the disastrous ambush at La Higuera. Now we have abandoned the mules and I believe it will be a long time before we have animals like that again, unless I fall into another bad state of asthma.
On the other hand, there may be truth to the various reports about fatalities in the other [Joaquín’s] group, so we must consider them wiped out, although it is still possible there is a small group wandering around, avoiding contact with the army, because the news of the death of seven people at once might well be false, or at least, exaggerated.
The features are the same as last month, except that now the army is demonstrating more effectiveness in action and the peasant masses are not helping us with anything and are becoming informers.
The most important task is to escape and seek more favorable areas; then focus on contacts, despite the fact that our urban network in La Paz is in a shambles, where we have also been hit hard. The morale of the rest of the troops has remained fairly high, and I only have doubts about Willy,70 who might take advantage of some commotion to escape, if he is not spoken to first.
October 7
The 11-month anniversary of our establishment as a guerrilla force passed in a bucolic mood, with no complications, until 12:30 when an old woman tending her goats entered the canyon where we had camped and we had to take her prisoner. The woman gave us no reliable information about the soldiers, saying that she knew nothing because it had been a while since she had been over there. She only gave us information about trails, from which we conclude we are approximately one league from La Higuera, another from Jagüey, and about two more from Pucará. At 17:30, Inti, Aniceto71 and Pablito72 went to the old woman’s house; she has one daughter who is bedridden and the other is almost a dwarf. They gave her 50 pesos with instructions to not say a word, but we have little hope she will stick to her promise.
The 17 of us set out under a sliver of a moon; the march was exhausting and we left tracks in the canyon we walked through; there were no nearby houses, but there were potato seedbeds irrigated by ditches from the same creek. We stopped to rest at 2:00 because it was futile to continue. Chino becomes a real burden when we have to walk at night.
The army issued an odd report about the presence of 250 men in Serrano to block the escape of the 37 [guerrillas] that are said to be surrounded. Our refuge is supposedly between the Acero and Oro rivers.
The report seems to be diversionary.73
1. Ernesto Che Guevara, The Bolivian Diary (Melbourne and New York: Ocean Press), 2006.
2. Mario Monje Molina, leader of the Bolivian Communist Party.
3. Moisés Guevara Rodríguez (Guevara or Moisés). Bolivian. He joined the guerrilla forces in March 1967, and was killed in the ambush at Vado del Yeso on August 31, 1967.
4. Juan Pablo Chang-Navarro Lévano (Chino). Peruvian. He met with Che in December 1966 and was integrated into the guerrilla struggle from March 1967. He was captured and taken alive to La Higuera, where he was murdered along with Che on October 9, 1967.
5. Lucio Edilberto Galván Hidalgo (Eustaquio). Peruvian. Born in the city of Huancayo, Peru in 1937. He was a member of the Peruvian ELN and joined the guerrilla forces, together with Negro and Chino, in March 1967. He was killed in combat in Cajones, at the fork of the Río Grande and Mizque rivers on October 14, 1967.
6. Restituto José Cabrera Flores (Negro or Médico). Peruvian. On August 31, 1967, during the ambush at Vado del Yeso, he attempted to escape along the river, but was captured and brutally murdered on September 4 on the Palmarito River.
7. A reference to Héctor Béjar Rivera, the leader of the National Liberation Army in Peru, who had been arrested and imprisoned.
8. Roberto Peredo Leigue (Coco). Bolivian. He was involved in all the preparations of the guerrilla organization from its beginnings and posed as the owner of the Ñacahuazú farm, which served as the first base camp for the guerrillas. He was part of the vanguard detachment and was killed in an ambush at Quebrada del Batán, near La Higuera, on September 26, 1967.
9. A reference to Peruvian journalist Julio Dagnino Pacheco (Sánchez), who served in La Paz as a liason for the National Liberation Army of Peru.
10. Guido Álvaro Peredo Leigue (Inti). Bolivian. Joined the guerrilla forces on November 27, 1966. He was killed by the repressive forces in La Paz on September 9, 1969.
11. Juan Vitalio Acuña Núñez (Joaquín or Vilo). Cuban. He joined the guerrilla forces on November 27, 1966, and commanded the rearguard detachment. He was killed on August 31, 1967, in the ambush at Vado de Puerto Mauricio, on the Río Grande River.
12. Eliseo Reyes Rodríguez (Rolando or Luis). Cuban. He joined the guerrilla forces on November 20, 1966, and was appointed by Che to the post of political commissar. He was killed on April 25, 1967, in the battle of El Mesón, located between the village of Ticucha and the Iquira River.
13. Gustavo Machín Hoed de Beche (Alejandro). Cuban. He joined the guerrilla forces in November 1966 and was appointed by Che as chief of operations. He was killed at Vado del Yeso on August 31, 1967.
14. Harry Villegas Tamayo (Pombo). Cuban. Companion of Che since the Sierra Maestra and the mission in the Congo (1965). He arrived in Bolivia in July 1966 and was in charge of the guerrilla force’s final military preparations. He survived the battle at Quebrada del Yuro, and along with Inti, Darío, Benigno, and Urbano, was able to break through the encirclement. The three Cuban survivors reached the Chilean border and arrived back in Cuba on March 6, 1968.
15. Julio César Méndez Korne (Ñato). Bo
livian. He was one of the first guerrilla combatants and functioned as head of supplies and weapons. He was one of the 10 survivors of the battle at Quebrada del Yuro, but, after the encirclement had been broken, was killed in the final military action on November 15, 1967.
16. Octavio de la Concepción de la Pedraja (Moro, Morogoro, Muganga or Médico). Cuban. He arrived at the Ñacahuazú farm on December 11, 1966, as a doctor and combatant. He died in combat in the region of Cajones, at the junction of the Río Grande and Mizque rivers, on October 12, 1967.
17. Iván Montero (Renán). Cuban. One of the contacts of the urban network in Bolivia.
18. Haydée Tamara Bunke Bider (Tania). Argentine-German. She remained in the guerrilla forces after her visit in March 1967 and was incorporated into the rearguard on April 17, 1967. She was killed in the Vado del Yeso ambush on August 31, 1967, and her body was found seven days later next to the river.
19. Victorio Codovila. Argentine. He was first secretary of the Argentine Communist Party.
20. Pedro Domingo Murillo was a Bolivian patriot who led the first struggle for independence from Spain in 1809.
21. Ciro Bustos (Mauricio, el Pelao or Carlos). An Argentine artist.
22. Eduardo Jozami. Former member of the Argentine Communist Party. Journalist and lawyer.
23. Jorge Ricardo Masetti. Argentine journalist. The founder and first director of Prensa Latina, Masetti died in combat in the north of Argentina in 1964.
24. See later in this anthology: Documents from Bolivia.
25. Jorge Kolle Cueto (Kolle or Kolly). A leader of the Bolivian Communist Party.
26. Simón Reyes was a leader of the Bolivian Communist Party.
27. Ciro Bustos and Eduardo Jozami.
28. Refers to Simón Reyes.
29. Humberto Ramírez, a leader in the Bolivian Communist Party.
30. Jules Régis Debray, referred to in Che’s diary as the Frenchman, Dantón, Debré or Debray.
31. Dr. Wálter Pareja Fernández. Collaborator with the urban underground movement.
32. Collaborator with the urban underground movement in Bolivia.
33. Carlos Alvarado (Merci). Guatemalan. Later the truth of this story and his loyalty to the Latin American revolution were proved beyond doubt.
34. Juan Lechín Oquendo was a key leader of the Bolivian Workers Confederation.
35. Benjamín Coronado Córdoba (Benjamín). Bolivian. He joined the guerrilla movement on January 21, 1967. He drowned when crossing the Río Grande on February 26, 1967.
36. Alberto Fernández Montes de Oca (Pacho or Pachungo). Cuban. He arrived with Che in La Paz on November 3, 1966. He was killed on October 9 at Quebrada del Yuro.
37. Jesús Suárez Gayol (Félix or Rubio). Cuban. He joined the guerrilla forces on December 19, 1966, and died in combat on April 10, 1967 during an action in Iripití.
38. Antonio Sánchez Díaz (Marcos or Pinares). Cuban. He joined the guerrilla forces on November 20, 1966. He was killed in an ambush on June 2, 1967, in the Bella Vista region.
39. José María Martínez Tamayo (Ricardo, Chinche or Papí). Cuban. He joined the guerrilla forces on November 27, 1966. He was seriously wounded on July 30, 1967, and died shortly afterwards while being cared for by his compañeros.
40. Juan Gelman. Argentine writer and revolutionary.
41. Luis Faustino Stamponi Corinaldesi. Argentine revolutionary.
42. María Rosa Oliver was an Argentine writer.
43. A reference to Che’s father, Ernesto Guevara Lynch.
44. Manuel Hernández Osorio (Miguel or Manuel). Cuban. He joined the guerrilla forces on November 27, 1966, and was killed at Quebrada del Batán, close to La Higuera, on September 26, 1967.
45. José Castillo Chávez (Paco). Bolivian.
46. Julio Velazco Montaño (Pepe). Bolivian.
47. Hugo Choque Silva (Chingolo). Bolivian.
48. Eusebio Tapia Aruni (Eusebio). Bolivian.
49. Antonio Jiménez Tardío (Pedro or Pan Divino). Bolivian. He joined the guerrilla struggle at the end of 1966 and died fighting in the Iñaó mountains on August 9, 1967.
50. Apolinar Aquino Quispe (Apolinar, Apolinario or Polo). Bolivian. He joined the guerrilla struggle as a combatant in December 1966. He was killed in the ambush at Puerto Mauricio on August 31, 1967.
51. Wálter Arancibia Ayala (Walter). Bolivian. He joined the guerrilla forces on January 21, 1967, and was killed in the ambush at Puerto Mauricio on August 31, 1967.
52. Included at the end of this selection from Che’s diary.
53. Israel Reyes Zayas (Braulio). Cuban. He joined the guerrilla forces in Bolivia on November 27, 1966. He was killed in the ambush at at Puerto Mauricio on August 31, 1967.
54. Included at the end of this selection from Che’s diary.
55. A reference to Che’s Message to the Tricontinental.
56. Lorgio Vaca Marchetti (Carlos). He joined the guerrilla struggle on December 11, 1966, and drowned on March 16, 1967, while trying to cross the Río Grande.
57. Raúl Leoni, president of Venezuela (1964–69).
58. Jorge Vázquez Viaña (Bigotes, el Loro or Jorge). Bolivian. Following the action at the Coripote farm, near Taperillas, on April 22, 1967, he became isolated and lost. He was involved in a clash with the Bolivian Army, inflicting two fatalities, and finally was wounded and captured on April 29. He was taken to the hospital at Camiri where he was interrogated by top military officials and CIA agents. A month later, it was announced that he had escaped and he was tried in absentia together with Régis Debray and Ciro Bustos; by this time, however, rumors were already circulating that he had been killed.
59. Paulino Baigorria. A peasant who served as a liaison for the guerrilla force and asked to join their ranks. While fulfilling the mission assigned by Che, he was detained in Comarapa, held incommunicado, and tortured.
60. Alfredo Ovando Candia. Commander in chief of the Bolivian Armed Forces (1966–69).
61. The Revolutionary Front was a coalition that supported Barrientos.
62. Bolivian Socialist Falange (FSB), a right-wing party.
63. Juan Carlos Onganía. Argentine soldier who overthrew Arturo Illía in 1966 and through a coup d’état, took over as president of Argentina.
64. Orlando Jiménez Bazán (Camba). Bolivian.
65. Jaime Arana Campero (Chapaco or Luis). Bolivian. He joined the guerrilla struggle in March 1967. In the battle of Quebrada del Yuro, he was able to break through the encirclement. The group of survivors advanced to Cajones, where they were gunned down on October 14, 1967.
66. Dr. Hugo Lozano. A Bolivian dentist and member of the urban network.
67. Mario Gutiérrez Ardaya (Julio). Bolivian. He joined the guerrilla movement on March 10, 1967. He was killed in the ambush at Quebrada del Batán, near La Higuera on September 26, 1967.
68. Antonio Domínguez Flores (Antonio or León). Bolivian.
69. Leonardo Tamayo Núñez (Urbano) joined the guerrilla forces on November 27, 1967, and survived.
70. Simeón Cuba Sanabria (Willi, Willy, Wily or Wyly). Bolivian. He arrived at the guerrilla camp in March 1967. He was executed on October 9, 1967, in the school at La Higuera.
71. Aniceto Reinaga Gordillo (Aniceto). Bolivian. He joined the guerrilla forces in early December 1966 and was killed in the battle of Quebrada del Yuro on October 8, 1967.
72. Francisco Huanca Flores (Pablo or Pablito). Bolivian. He died in combat at Cajones, located at the fork of the Mizque and Río Grande rivers, where he was killed on October 14, 1967.
73. This was the last entry in Che’s diary.
DOCUMENTS FROM BOLIVIA
The following are communiqués issued by the National Liberation Army (ELN) of Bolivia during the period of Che Guevara’s participation in the guerrilla movement in Bolivia. Except for Communiqué No. 1, which was written on March 27—as Che noted in his diary, and which was published in the May 1 edition of the Cochabamba newspaper Prensa Libre—none of these documents, for
a variety of reasons, was ever published.
Communiqué No. 1: To the Bolivian People
Revolutionary Truth against Reactionary Lies
March 27, 1967
The military brutes who have usurped power, after killing workers and laying the groundwork for the total handover of our resources to US imperialism, are now mocking the people with a comic farce. Even as the hour of truth arrived and the masses took up arms, responding to the armed usurpers with armed struggle, they tried to continue with their lies.
On the morning of March 23, troops from the Fourth Division, quartered in Camiri, about 35-strong and led by Major Hernán Plata Ríos, penetrated guerrilla territory along the Ñacahuazú River. The entire group fell into an ambush set up by our forces. As a result of the action, we confiscated 25 weapons of all kinds, including three 60-mm mortars with a supply of shells and other ammunition and equipment.
Enemy casualties consisted of seven dead, including a lieutenant, 14 prisoners, five of them wounded in the clash and cared for by our medics to the best of our capabilities. All the prisoners were freed after explaining the aims of our movement.
The list of enemy casualties is as follows:
Dead: Pedro Romero, Rubén Amezaga, Juan Alvarado, Cecilio Márquez, Amador Almasán, Santiago Gallardo, and an army informer and guide whose last name was Vargas.
Prisoners: Major Hernán Plata Ríos, Captain Eugenio Silva, soldiers Edgar Torrico Panoso, Lido Machicado Toledo, Gabriel Durand Escobar, Armando Martínez Sánchez, Felipe Bravo Siles, Juan Ramón Martínez, Leoncio Espinosa Posada, Miguel Rivero, Eleuterio Sánchez, Adalberto Martínez, Eduardo Rivera, and Guido Terceros. The last five were wounded.
In publicly announcing the first battle of the war, we are establishing what will be our norm: revolutionary truth. Our actions have demonstrated the integrity of our words. We regret the shedding of innocent blood by those who died; but peace cannot be built with mortars and machine guns, as those clowns in braided uniforms would have us believe. They try to portray us as common murderers. But there never has been, and there will not be, a single peasant who has any cause to complain of our treatment or our manner of obtaining supplies, except those who, as traitors to their class, served as guides or informers.