t of ° 6 iTHE W h i t s H o t W A SH I N O T O N 7 1L Saturday Oct 21 1967 M r # Presidents You will find this summary of the Che Guevara diary interesting read ing It gives the highlights of the 11-month guerrilla effort jjJ k s t o v IJqQQu COPY LBJ LIBRARY SANITIZED E 0 13526 Sec 3 5 By j A A N U ' NARA jp w CINTKAl INTILLIOINCI • P R IO R ITY AOINCY Intelligence Information Cable STATl INR OIA NMCC MC SKCOCP JCS S x Sa ARMY 3 NAVY AIR I NS FBI “t n - U A in ft 900 ON1 oc« AID cam contain Information affwtlnf th« Nfttiowkl p t m m oi tlM Ubltod States wttfaJatfa m«antn« Uw TIU It OAO th trananlawn or rrrStatlon of which la uty manner to aa unautbartawl pm on U prohibited by law 25i 1 51 i TH IS IS AN INFORMATION RK PbR NOT FIN A LLY 3 NO FOREIGN DISSEM DIST 20 OCTOBER 1 9 6 ’ BOWDLEJI __BUDG£T COUNTRY B O L IV IA CUBA DOI 7 NOVEMBER 1966 - __DAVIS __FRIEO 7 OCTOBER 1967 SUBJECT HIGHLIGHTS OF CHE T E v S I A •i _6INSQURGH HAMILTON _JESSUP _I0HMSCN _J0R0EN _XEENY _L£0NHA T R Y THE SOUTHEASTERN PART OF B O LIV IA ON 7 NOVEMBER 1966 TO ESTABLISH A GUERRILLA BASE THERE HE REMAINED IN B O LIV IA IN COMMAND OF THE GUERRILLAS U N TIL HE WAS CAPTURED AND KILLED 11 MONTHS LATER 2 B O LIVIAN GUEVARA WAS ACCOMPANIED ON ARRIVAL BY TWO CUBANS AND A BY 20 DECEMBER 1966 THEIR NUMBER HAD INCREASED TO 28 IT WAS GUEVARA'S AIM TO HAVE A TOTAL GUERRILLA FORCE OF 40 MEN BEFORE 5 GOING INTO ACTION OF THESE HALF WERE TO BE CUBANS TRATED INTO B O LIV IA V IA PORTO ALEGRE AND 3AO PAULO 2 I c l M it o f U m € 0 COPY LBJ LIBRARY FOREI GN DISSEM U s m in control 35A4 M Sl ib C U CUBANS I N F I L - PAGE 2 OF 5 PAGES » U LI t llTT 1 NO F O R E I G N D I S S E M fclMjiliftion fdUMm control 3 JUAN PABLO CHANG NAVARRO A PERUVIAN OF CHINESE EXTRACTION KNOWN AS E L CHINO SOUGHT OUT GUEVARA IN NOVEMBER 1966 AND OFFERED HIM 20 PERUVIANS TO JO IN THE GUERRILLA FORCE AFTER SOME RELUCTANCE GUEVARA AGREED IN P R IN C IP A L TO IN TE R N ATIO N ALIZE H IS GUERRILLA BAND BY INCORPORATING PERUVIANS AFTER THE BAND WENT INTO ACTION HOWEVER ONLY TWO PERUVIANS JOINED THE BAND IN FACT A RADIO OPERATOR AND A DOCTOR E L CHINO REQUESTED ARMS OF GUEVARA WHICH THE LATTER PROVIDED GUEVARA ALSO SET UP A FIVE-MAN NETWORK TO PASS THE ARMS TO A REGION NEAR PERU ON THE OTHER SIDE OF LAKE T IT IC A C A DECIDED TO REMAIN WITH THE GUERRILLA BAND r i E L CHINO COMMENT THE SECOND RANGER BATTALION OF THE BOLIVIAN ARMY REPORTED THAT E L CHINO WAS KILLED IN THE CLASH OF 8 OCTOBER 1 9 6 7 4 WHEN GUEVARA ARRIVED IN B O LIVIA THE COMMUNIST PARTIES OF B O LIV IA HAD NOT TAKEN A FORMAL STAND IN FAVOR OF CUBAN-LED GUERRILLA A C T IV IT Y BOLIVIANS L IK E RODOLFO SALDANA AND ROBERTO COCO PEREDO LEIGUE WERE PREPARED TO BREAK WITH THE PRO-SOVIET COMMUNIST PARTY OF B O LIV IA P C B S I F NECESSARY TO JO IN GUEVARA’ S FORCE RESTRAINED THEM BECAUSE HE FELT THAT MARIO MONJE MOLINA SECRETARY OF THE PCB S 2 GUERRILLA MOVEMENT I • O K U claitifiattion COPY LBJ LIBRARY GUEVARA FIR ST COULD SWING THE PARTY IN FAVOR OF THE ACCORDINGLY HE INVITED MONJE TO NANCAHUAZU ON F NO F O R E I G N D I S S E M lutem u r o l f f _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 3 PAGE 3 Of1 5 PAGES 7NO FOREIGN DISSEM clamtiAcvtion dU m control 31 DECEMBER 1 9 6 6 IN TH IS CORDIAL BUT TENSE MEETING MONJE LAID DOWN THREE BASIC CONDITIONS FOR HIS P A R T IC IPA TIO N IN THE GUERRILLA MOVEMENTS A PCB S HE WOULD RENOUNCE HIS PO SITIO N AS FIR ST SECRETARY OF THE THUS M AINTAINING THE PARTY’ S NEUTRALITY TAKING WITH HIM PCB S CADRE TO J O IN THE STRUGGLE B MONJE WOULD ASSUME THE P O L IT IC A L - M ILITA R Y LEADERSHIP OF THE STRUGGLE C G IV IN G THE REVOLUTION A BOLIVIAN CHARACTER HE WOULD HANDLE RELATIONS WITH OTHER SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRIES TRYING TO BRING THEM TO SUPPORT LIBERATION MOVEMENTS C IT IN G DOUGLAS BRAVO AS AN EXAMPLE GUEVARA TOLD MONJE THAT MONJE S DECISION TO RENOUNCE HIS PO SITIO N IN THE PARTY WAS A PERSONAL ONE ALTHOUGH HE CONSIDERED I T TO BE IN ERROR HE FLATLY REJECTED MONJE'S BID FOR LEADERSHIP OF THE GUERRILLAS STATING THAT ONLY HE THIRD PO IN T GUEVARA WOULD LEAD THE MOVEMENT ON THE GUEVARA SAID THAT WHILE I T WAS NOT INAPPROPRIATE TO ATTEMPT TO OBTAIN SUPPORT FOR LIBERATION MOVEMENTS WITH OTHER LA TIN AMERICAN PARTIES IN CERTAIN CASES LOCAL PA R TIE S I T WOULD AMOUNT TO A REBELLION WITHIN THE GUEVARA MADE MONJE'S CONDITIONS KNOWN TO BOLIVIAN MEMBERS OF THE GUERRILLA BAND AND ASKED THEM TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE 1 0 0 R H 1 NO FOREIGN DISSEM fclwi teationj dtMammcumtrol _____________ COPY LBJ LIBRARY 5 4 3 2 1 PAGE 4 OF 5 PAGES l J— 4 -g T7NQ FOREIGN DISSEM fdii—m control GUERRILLAS AND THE PA R T Y TO BE A BLOW TO MONJE EVERYONE AGREED TO REMAIN AND THIS APPEARED GUEVARA EMPHASIZED TO THE GUERRILLAS THAT THEIR PRIM ARY M ISSIO N WAS TO FORM AN IRON-STRONG NUCLEUS THAT WOULD SERVE AS AN EXAMPLE 5 THE GUERRILLA SUPPORT MECHANISM IN B O LIVIA WALTER PAREJA FINANCES INCLUDED LOYOLA GUZMAN LARA SHE WAS SENT 8 0 0 0 0 PESOS $6 666 HEADED BY DR WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF OF WHICH 20 0 0 0 $ 1 666 WAS TO BE USED FOR THE PURCHASE OF A TRUCK AND MOISES GUEVARA RODRIGUEZ WHO WAS MADE RESPONSIBLE FOR RECRUITING B O LIV IAN S SOME BO LIVIAN S RECEIVED GUERRILLA TRAINING AT A FARM NEAR CARANAVI ABOUT 70 MILES NORTHEAST OF LA PAZ 6 THE GUERRILLAS RECEIVED REGULAR RADIO COMMUNICATIONS FROM CUBA BUT WERE UNABLE TO TRANSMIT TO CUBA BECAUSE THEIR RADIO BECAME DAMP AND RUSTED IN THE CAVE IN WHICH I T WAS STORED AND WAS INOPERATIVE THEY MAINTAINED LOCAL COMMUNICATION AMONG SECTIONS OF THE GUERRILLA BAND WITH LOW-POWER TRANSCEIVERS THEY APPARENTLY WERE ALSO IN RADIO CONTACT WITH LA PAZ 7 AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER 1967 GUEVARA ANALYZED THE SITUATION to oa 4 o IN THE FACE OF THE LOSS OF THE REARGUARD 1 THREE MEN FROM HIS OWN CENTER GROUP AND THE FACT THAT THE GUERRILLA SUPPORT APPARATUS IN J LA PAZ HAD BEEN SERIOUSLY COMPROMISED WITH THE ARREST OF LOYOLA GUZMAN 3 2 1 • -9 B-C R E 1 NO FOREIGN DISSEM ------- classification COPY LBJ LIBRARY ii nt m rvntroUt PAGE 5 O f 5 PAGES • J 0 8 W B T NO FOREIGN DISSEM fcUuHMcmtion LARA dluem c o n t r o l I _______________ • HE S A ID THAT DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER THE ARMY BECAME EFFECTIVE IN IT S AC TIO N S THE LOCAL PEASANTS WERE NOT HELPING HIM BUT WERE BEGINNING TO TURN INFORMERS HE CONCLUDED THE MOST IMPORTANT M CA gi TASK NOW VCLL BE TO WITHDRAW AND LOOK FOR MORE FAVORABLE AR E AS clattiAc Hon COPY LBJ LIBRARY dU m control LBJL NSF Country File Latin America Box 8 Folder “Bolivia vol 4 1 66 – 12 68 1 of 3 ” This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu Read related article Che Guevara and the CIA in the Mountains of Bolivia 2020-10-09