As of 1:10 p.m. Bolivia time this date in 1967, Ernesto “Che” Guevara was no longer a man: he was only a god.
The Argentinian-born doctor turned Cuban revolutionary icon and the man who wrote the book on guerrilla warfare had put abroad to foment insurgency. His efforts in the Congo foundered; his bid to replicate the Cuban revolution in Bolivia was doing likewise when he was captured.
After holding him overnight, the government sent a coded order to execute him in the field. Che had done the same thing with his own hands to several who betrayed the Sierra Maestra guerrillas.
Soldier Mario Teran drew the short straw for a footnote to destiny; when he hesitated, Che chastised him with the legendary parting words “that someone invented or reported”:
“Shoot, coward, you’re only going to kill a man.”
Maybe so, but the man looked Christ-like when they put his body on display for the press. As certain as they made his death, still Che lives.
CIA asset (and George Bush Sr. confidante) Felix Rodriguez took his watch as a trophy. The rest of Che Guevara belongs to the world.*
This site could hardly attempt a definitive rendering of such a towering and controversial figure, a task fit for two, three, many biographies.
Lengthy video documentaries are here and here. Many of Che’s own words are collected here. Declassified U.S. National Security Archive documents relating to his capture and death are here.
And highly recommended is SovMusic.ru’s huge library of Che Guevara mp3 files — like this Francesco Guccini song:
[audio:Che_Guevara_Francesco_Guccini.mp3]“We cannot be sure of having something to live for unless we are willing to die for it.”
-Che Guevara
* Especially, of course, its marketers.
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On this day..
- 1992: Sukhdev Singh Sukha and Harjinder Singh Jinda, Operation Blue Star avengers
- 1732: Edward Dalton, brotherly hate
- 1685: Rebecca Fowler, Chesapeake witch
- 1601: Nikolaus Krell, Saxon chancellor and Crypto-Calvinist
- 1646: The effigy of Jean de Mourgues
- 1938: Ivan Stepanovich Razukhin
- 1796: Thirty Jacobins for the Affaire du camp de Grenelle
- 1968: Pierre Mulele, hoodwinked
- 1569: Vladimir of Staritsa, royal cousin
- Feast Day of Saint Denis, cephalophore
- 1401: Llywelyn ap Gruffydd Fychan, an army marching on his stomach
- 2002: Aileen Wuornos, Monster
May he burn in hell, he was scum, low life coward and murderer. Another stereotypical marxist idiot drunken with power, I pray his soul is tortured equally to the innocents he tortured and murdered for eternity.
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To paraphrase Napoleon, “History is an agreed upon fable. If you believe half of what was written here, you haven’t grown up.
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comments 1 n 2 obv frm war-mongering yanks/
My favorite pictures of “El Che” are at http://mikeely.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/understanding-che-guevara-42-years-after-his-murder/
I can’t wait to see similar portraits of Chavez, Castro and Raul. The worst thing about it is the wait. VIVA CIA, VIVA NSA, VIVA USA!!! que morir por la paria es vivr!!!
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Not much of a comeback, MackPap. Guevara wasn’t in charge and indeed he expressed comfort with the idea of killing large numbers of people. Fidel was in charge and wasn’t as fanatical and “pure” as Guevara. Of course Castro didn’t kill anywhere near as many people for political reasons as did Pol Pot. He incarcerated lots, but on the large scale he only enslaved them, so there you go.
Anyway, pretty even-handed post by the headsman, I would say. I would quibble with calling a failed medical student a “doctor.”
Essoner, someone should tell you about a country called Cuba. Somehow, ol’ Pol Pot Guevera’s pals forgot to murder a million or so of their fellow citizens after their revolution in Cuba. Maybe they just haven’t got around to it, and will start this week.
At last Ernesto “Che” Guevara is finally a GOOD COMMUNIST. What I do not understand is why the young Fascists do not wear Pol Pot on their T-shirts. The ony difference between these two is that Saloth Sar aka Pol Pot lived long enough to put his ideals (same as Che’s) into practice.
CIA American cowards = of the pig
Another prophet of our times killed. His struggle seems very relevant today. The same bastards that he fought and put him in the ground, today have dragged us all down a financial toilet.
Viva la’revolucion
You’re a marxist pig like him, you’re insignificant!!!
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A “towering” figure?
A “task fit for…many biographies” ?
The man was a pathological killer.
Your judgment is now suspect.
Good riddance.