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Che Guevara Archive
Full Biography
· Young
Ernesto Guevara
· A
journey through Latin America
· On
his way to the revolution
· 1954 ·
1955 · 1956
· With Fidel
Castro to Cuba
· 1957 ·
1958 · 1959
· 1960 ·
1961 · 1964
· 1965 ·
1966 · 1967
· Young Ernesto Guevara
Ernesto Guevara de la Serna is born June 14, 1928 in Rosario, one
of the m ost
important cities in Argentina, in a well off family. A family with
aristocratic roots but socialistic ideas.
In 1937, Ernesto is 9 years old and goes to the third grade of primary
school; he follows up engagingly the Spanish Civil war. On a map he
indicates the military evolution.
In 1947, Ernesto Guevara meets the young Berta Gilda Infante, also
known as Tita. She is a member of the Argentine Communistic Youth.
They build up a profound friendship. Together they read Marxist texts
and discuss the actualities.
In 1948, Ernesto, who is 20 years old at that time, undergoes an examination
at the faculty of medicine at the University of Buenos Aires. In March
he passes for the examinations of the first year, in June for those
of the second year and in December for those from the third year.
January 1 1950, Ernesto Guevara attempts his first voyage. He traverses
the northern provinces of Argentina on a bicycle on which he adjusted
a small motor. He arrives at San Francisco del Chahar, near Córdoba,
where his friend Alberto Granado runs the dispensary of the leper-centre.
With the patients he has long conversations about their disease.
He continues his university studies and is above all interested in
the scientific research for allergies, asthma, leprosy and nutritive
theory.
While he is studying, he works as a male nurse on trading and petroleum
ships of the Argentine national shipping-company. Like that he travels
from the south of Argentina to Brazil, Venezuela and Trinidad.
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· A journey through Latin America
In October he decides to make his first trip through Latin-America.
Together with Alberto Granado he leaves in January 1952 on an old
'Norton' 500-cc motorbike.
In Valparaiso Chili he writes in his diary: "We are looking
for the bottom part of the town. We talk to many beggars. Our noses
inhale attentively the misery."
About Chili he writes: "The most important effort that needs
to be done is to get rid of the uncomfortable 'Yankee-friend'. It
is especially at this moment an immense task, because of the great
amount of dollars they have invested here and the convenience of using
economical pressure whenever they believe their interests are being
threatened."
On March 24 they arrive at the Peruvian Tacna. After a discussion
about the poverty in the region, he refers in his notes to the words
of José Marti: "I want to link my destiny to that of the
poor of this world."
On May 1 they arrive in Lima. Che meets doctor Hugo Pesce, a Peruvian
scientist, and director of the national leprosy program and an important
Marxist. They discuss several nights until the morning comes. Year's
later Che puts that these conversations were very important for the
change in his attitude towards life and the society.
On May 17 he leaves for the leper-centre of San Pablo in the Peruvian
Amazon forest. He arrives on June 7. During his visit to this place,
he complaints about the miserable way that the people of that region
and the sick have to live. There were no clothes, almost no food and
no medication. After working there for a few weeks, he leaves for
Leticia, Colombia via the Amazon River.
July 17 he arrives in Caracas. There he decides to go back to Buenos
Aires to finish his studies in medical science. He travels with a
cargo-plane via Miami, where the technical problems with the aeroplane
give him a delay of one month. To survive, he works as a waiter and
he washes dishes in a bar. On regular base he is apprehended and questioned
by the police. They ask him if he, his mother or father are communist.
He is back in Buenos Aires on August 31.
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· On his way to the revolution
Che Guevara finished his studies early 1953. He gets summoned for
military duty but he was rejected. On July 7 he goes by slow train
to La Paz, Bolivia, 6000km further. Che arrives at Panama late October.
He is indignant about the submissive attitude of the Panamese leaders
towards the U.S. In Costa Rica he learns about the domination of United
Fruit and the exploitation and of the misery that is the result of
it. In a letter to his aunt Beatriz he writes: "In El Paso
I traversed the vast domains of United Fruit. Once more I was able
to convince myself how criminal the capitalistic octopuses are. On
a picture of our old and bewailed comrade Stalin, I swore not to rest
before these capitalistic octopuses are destroyed. In Guatemala I
want to get perfect in becoming an authentic revolutionary."
Via Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador, Che arrives late December
at Guatemala where Jacobo Arbenz leads a revolutionary process. In
a letter to his mother he writes: "I've finally reached my
aim . . . If everything goes well, I think I will stay here for about
2 years."
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Top
· 1954
June 14-16. Che sees how North American Aeroplanes fly over Guatemala
and bomb down the military installations and the poor popular quarters.
He writes:"This incident has united all Guatemalese with
their government and with all who, just like me, were attracted by
Guatemala." The U.S. chooses Castillo Armas as 'leader'
of the coup.
June 18, 1954. He lives to see de coup d'état against the Arbenz
government, planned and executed by the U.S. He transports weapons
and tries to assemble some youths to fight; he helps to bring political
leaders in safety. On June 20 Che writes to his mother: "These
attacks, together with the lies of the international press, have woken
the indifferent. A combative climate rules. I have applied as a voluntary
for the medical help services and I have registered in the youth-brigade
to get a military education and to go there where necessary."
On June 26 the national radio declares the resignation of president
Arbenz and the exile of almost all-political leaders and their families.
This causes a great commotion with the revolutionary people. Che puts
it like this: "In Guatemala it was necessary to fight but
almost no one fought. Resistance had to be put up and almost no one
wanted to do it."
Repression breaks loose. Latin-American embassies are getting filled
with political refugees. Che is indicated as a dangerous Argentine
communist and may not remain in Guatemala.
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· 1955
Early 1955 Che Guevara finds work as a doctor in the "Hospital
Central" of Mexico-City.
In June he meets Raul Castro. They become friends. On July 8 Fidel
Castro arrives in the Mexican capital. About their first meeting Che
said: "I've met him during one of the cool nights in Mexico
and I remember that our first conversation was about international
politics."
That same night - towards morning - I was one of the future participants
of the expedition with the Granma." Fidel Castro about that meeting:
"He knew much about the Marxism-Leninism, self-thought, very
eager to learn, he was a convinced. When we met Che he was already
an educated revolutionary."
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· 1956
On June 24, the Mexican police have arrested Che together with Cuban
comrades.
On July 3 the press agency UPI notifies: "The Argentine doctor
Guevara will be deported to his land of origin, because of his presumed
participation of the failed conspiracy against the Cuban government
of Fulgencio Batista." The Mexican ex-president Lázaro
Cárdenas interferes to defend the Cuban revolutionaries. Late
July the last, among them Che Guevara, are released. They continue
their revolutionary activities in clandestinely.
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· With Fidel Castro to Cuba
November 25: the yacht Granma leaves in a stormy night with on board
82 man from the mouth of the river Tuxpán in Mexico.
On December 2 they landed in Los Cayelos, at the East Coast. The next
day the Cuban and Latin-American newspapers announced about the expedition:"
. . . Fidel Castro, Ernesto Guevara, Raul Castro and all other members
of the expedition have perished . . ." Their arrival is
noticed and they get hunted. The group splits. On December 5 in Alegría
del Pino, Che gets ambushed. Later on he writes about this: "I've
got wounded in my neck. I stayed alive thanks to my luck of a cat.
A box of bullets I was carrying close to my chest stopped a bullet
of a machine gun and it ricochets up to my neck."
With the help of other he could escape in the sugarcane fields. In
these circumstances Che had to make the, so often told about, choice
between his duty as a doctor and his duty as a revolutionary soldier.
To escape he had to choose between a backpack filled with medications
and a crate of bullets. It was impossible to take them both. Che takes
the crate with bullets and hurries into the sugarcane. Later they
leave a great deal of their cargo with a farmer. On December 21 Che's
group arrives at a coffee plantation where Fidel is already waiting
for a couple of days.
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To Top
· 1957
On January they attack the barracks of La Plata. Che: "La Plata
was our first victory. It was clear to everybody that a rebel-army
existed and was ready for battle. To us it was the confirmation of
the chances to the final victory." The ambushes and fights increased.
The army bombarded. In April he organises, in order of Fidel extended
contacts with the farmers, to create points of support in the area.
Year's later Che writes: "The guerrilla and the farmers gradually
became one, without anyone could tell when this unity really had performed.
I only know that these contacts with the farmers in the mountains
made the spontaneous decision turn quickly into a devoted and serious
relation. The suffering and sincere inhabitants of the Sierra Maestra
have never known how important their part was in the creation of our
revolutionary ideology."
In July Che begins to alphabetise Joel, Israel and other guerrilla's.
The others also are organised in circles of study about the history
of Cuba, the characteristics of the army of tyranny and the importance
of the armoured battle. On July 21 Fidel nominated Che commander.
About this Che writes: "In a very informal way I was nominated
commander of the second colonne of the guerrilla-army (. . .) The
dose vanity that anyone has inside of him, made me the proudest man
on the world that day."
On September 17, five army-trucks fall into an ambush of the rebels.
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· 1958
On January 6 Che writes to Fidel: "I already said that these
merits would always be counted for: showing that in America the armoured
battle with the support of the people is possible."
In February Che gets interviewed in front of the microphones of "Radio
El Mundo" from Buenos Aires: "I'm simply here because
I think that the only way to liberate America of the dictators is
to defeat them. I'll give all the help I can to make them go down,
the sooner the better."
"Aren't you afraid that your intervention will be regarded as
a foreign interference?"
"First of all I don't
regard only Argentina as my native country but whole of America. For
this I would like to call up to examples such as Marti, and it is
exactly on his land of birth that I would make his doctrine come true.
Besides you can't call it interference if I want to give myself personally
and totally - up to my blood - to a case that seems right to me and
that is completely that of the people. A people that wants to get
liberated of a tyranny that on itself cheers the armoured interference
of a foreign power with aeroplanes, weapons and military advisors.
Up to now not even one country accused the North-American interference
in Cuban affairs, not one newspaper accuses the Yankees of helping
Batista slaughtering his people."
On May 24 and 25 dictatorial troops attacked two mines in Sierra Maestra.
It is the beginning of a big offensive. Hostile troops made a forced
entry in several points in the Sierra Maestra and threaten to advance.
In addition they occupy the supply and communication-lines. The next
few days Che participates in a counter-attack that debouch into a
defeat for the enemy, a force of over 10,000 men.
On August 21 Fidel writes: "The mission to conduct a brigade
from the Sierra Maestra to the province 'Las Villas' and to operate
there according to the strategic plan of the Rebel-army, is assigned
to Commander Ernesto Che Guevara. (. . .) He is also appointed as
head of all units of the 'M-26 de julio' that are operating in this
province, in the cities as well as in the countryside. (. . .) The
eight brigade has for a strategic object to attack the enemy continuously
in the centre of Cuba and to intercept the hostile troop-movements
over land from west to east until they are crippled completely."
On December 16 the bridge over the river Falcon by the Central Road
is blown up, by that, all cities at the east of Santa Clara, were
unable to be reached from Havana. On December 26 Che writes: "The
war is won, the enemy has come loudly to his knees, in the east we
keep 10.000 soldiers in captivity. Those of Camoguey have no longer
a way out. All of this is the result of only one thing: our effort."
The next day he decides to march to Santa Clara.
The international press informs the world that Che had died. 'Radio
Rebelde' on the contrary sends word: "Latest news of primary
importance! Great victory for the eight brigade of Las Villas. Troops
under guidance of Ernesto Che Guevara conquered a blinded train and
300 fully equipped soldiers were captured."
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· 1959
 By
day-brake of New-Year dictator Batista fled the country. Che Guevara
gets the Cuban nationality on February 9.
From July till August he travels as head of an official delegation
to the United Arab Emirates and Egypt where he meets Nasser. The trip
goes on to India, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and Pakistan. They turn
back via Eastern and Western Europe to close up in Morocco. On his
return Che declares to be surprised for the sympathy that the Cuban
revolution evoked all over the world.
On October 17 Che advises university students to: "(. . .)
get contact with the people, not to 'help' them with knowledge or
what so ever - like an aristocratic lady that hand out a coin of money
to a beggar - but to become participants of the revolutionary forces
that rule over Cuba today. To place your shoulders under the extension
of the revolution and, at the same time, to get experience that might
be more important than all interesting things that you learn in your
lessons." On November 23 he introduces the first 'day of
voluntary labour' in Cuba.
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· 1960
At the end of 1960 the U.S. establishes a complete trading-embargo
against Cuba. Che leads an official Cuban delegation in a tour to
different socialistic countries: from the Soviet-Union and Eastern
Europe to China and Northern Korea. From there, back to the Soviet-Union,
Eastern-Germany and Czecho-Slovakia. Early '61 the U.S. breaks all
diplomatic relations with Cuba.
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· 1961
On April 15 are the Cuban airports bombed by U.S. -planes. On April
17 there is the invasions in the Bay of Pigs: 1,500 CIA-mercenaries
attack Cuba supported by the American fleet and airforce. The contra's
want to cause a revolt of the people. In barely 72 hours they get
completely defeated by the Cuban nation. 1.200 of them are being captured.
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· 1964
May 17: confronted with new acts of sabotage of the imperialism in
a harbour in the south he says: "We have rendezvous with
history, and we simply can not permit ourselves to be afraid! We must
maintain the same enthusiasm and faith. Build factories with our left
hand, aim the rifle with the right hand and crush the worms with our
heels."
In August he talks about the situation in Congo: "What is
happening in Africa, where only two years ago the prime minister of
Congo was murdered and quartered, where North-American monopolies
have installed themselves and the battle to own Congo has turn loose?
Why? Because there is copper and radioactive minerals in their soil,
because Congo has exceptionally strategic raw materials? Therefor
a leader of the people, who was so naïve to believe in justice
without render himself an account of the fact that justice gets expelled
by power, got murdered. That is how he became a martyr of his people."
Later on Che speaks to the general meetings of the UN in New York.
He accuses in powerful terms the part of the UN in the murder of Lumumba
and to help to get in the saddle, Tshombe as Congolese president,
it was the same man that had tried to tear off the province Katanga
of the rest of the Congolese nation. "All free people of
the world must be prepared to declare to revenge the Congolese crime."
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· 1965
Che arrives in Brazzaville on New Years day and begins with an official
African journey. When he gets back in Cuba he convokes a secret conference
with a hundred comrades who have great battle-experience. They are
the future participants of the international mission in Congo. On
February he arrives in Dar El Salaam together with different African
revolutionary leaders who asked Cuba for weapons, training and finance.
There he also meets Laurent Kabila and his general staff. They agree
that the main African enemy is the North-American imperialism. In
reply to Kabila's question to train guerrilla's in Cuba, Che says
no. He explains the advantage of training on their proper terrain.
On March 31 Che writes a letter of goodbye to Fidel Castro. Later
it will seem that Che, naturally clandestine, went to Congo. The U.S.
abuse the fact that Che does not longer appear in public to spread
the rumour that he have been liquidated by Fidel because of heavy
ideological conflicts in the highest leadership in Cuba. In their
broadcast to China the U.S. claim that Che was murdered because of
his pro-Chinese point of view, and in the broadcasts to the East they
claim the opposite.
On March 24 Che arrives from Tanzania near the harbour of Kigoma at
the shore of the Lake Tanganyika. He disembarks with 14 Cubans outside
the harbour to avoid the Belgian mercenaries patrol. Doing that they
land in the water. From there he reaches Kibamba in Congo. On May
9 he succeeds making contact with the first group of guerrilla's.
He explains them that he has come to give them a guerrilla education,
on demand of Gastón Soumaliot and Laurent Kabila to Fidel Castro.
He wants to fight on their side in operations they decide. He is at
their disposal. He starts with a school of warriors that gets the
name "La Base".
On July 7 Che Guevara meets Laurent Kabila who promises to accompany
him in a visit to several fronts on the inland. Kabila however leaves
for Kigoma and the visits are getting postponed. On August 16, 7 soldiers
die in an ambush of the guerrilla, among them two Belgian non-commissioned
officers and three South-Africans.
In November the situation seems at the different fronts — among
other things because of continuous discussions between the various
revolutionary leaders — so confused that more and more guerrilla's
leave the battle. Together with the Congolese the decision is made
that the Cubans will retreat. The mission took seven months in which
Cubans participated in over 50 actions.
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· 1966
In July Che travels in the greatest secrecy to Havana, were he prepares
a new mission to Bolivia in consultation with Fidel.
Across Moscow, Prague and Vienna Che Guevara travels via Brazil to
Bolivia were he arrives on November 3.
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· 1967
Che writes: "As I thought the attitude of Monje (the under-secretary
of the Bolivian KP) was avoiding and later traitorous. His party is
already getting armed against us. I don't know where that will take
him but it will not slow us down, and maybe in long terms it will
be an advantage for us, I'm almost sure of that. The most honest and
competitive people will stand on our side, although they have to go
true a severe crisis of their conscience. So far Guavara has reacted
well. We'll see how he and his people will line up (. . .) The actual
phase of the guerrilla will now begin, we will test our troops. Time
will tell which are the perspectives of the Bolivian revolution. Of
all things that were planned the recruit of Bolivian comrades in battle
was the slowest."
In March the analysis goes as followed: "This month there
was no lack of incidents, but the total looks like this: phase of
consolidation and purification of the guerrilla, slow development
with few elements that came from Cuba - and they don't perform badly
- and elements of Guavvara's group who were very weakly in general
(two deserters, one loose-tongued whom we kept as prisoners, three
that got scratches and two weaklings). Now the phase begins of actions
with an exact and spectacular attack. We have to hit the road much
sooner as I wanted, and with the burden of four possible talebearers.
The situation is not good but a new stage of test begins for the guerrilla
and it will do her good if they overcome it. The guerrilla consists
of 29 Bolivians, 16 Cubans and 3 Peruvians."
 In
the months that follow Che and his man get more and more count off
communication problems with La Paz and Cuba through which they finally
have to operate completely isolated. To get connected with the farmers
is much harder than they have thought. About that he writes in May:
"The farmers still don't join us, although it seems that
slowly they don't fear us anymore and they seem to admire us. It is
a slow and patient process." In June he writes: "The farmers
are still aloof. It is a vicious circle: to attract them we must have
more actions in populated areas, but therefor we need more man. (.
. .) The army stands nowhere in her military task, but it does dangero us
work with the farmers that we may not leave without interference.
If not all farmers will become tale-bearers, out of fear or because
of the lies they tell them about our intentions."
In the meantime the U.S. supplies more weapons and advisors to the
Bolivian army. The land gets harassed with ever more strikes and the
fame of Che's man rises in Bolivian and world press every day: "On
political field the official statement of the government is, that
I'm really in Bolivia and not murdered in Cuba, the most important.
They even add that the army has to deal with perfectly trained guerrilla's,
among them even Vietcong's who had defeated the best trained American
marines."
In September the guerrilla gets further isolated and the have many
losses in an ambush of the army. On October 8, in the village La Higuera,
Che and two comrades fall into the hands of the army. Two comrades
die. A Bolivian colonel and a Cuban, who works for the CIA, come on
the spot by helicopter. On higher command they decide to slaughter
Che and his comrades Willy Cuba and Juan Pablo Chang immediately.
A Bolivian soldier does the job, his eyes turned sidewise. While international
press barons offer up to $125,000 for the diary of Che, Bolivian revolutionaries
make sure that copies of it reach Cuba the same year. Doing that the
CIA-plan fails of making anti-communistic propaganda with falsifications
of the original.
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