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Decision
Book by Harris, Richard
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
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Richard Harris
301 books8 followersThis is the disambiguation profile for otherwise unseparated authors publishing as Richard Harris
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August 9, 2023
A FRANK ACCOUNT OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTIONARY’S FAILURE IN BOLIVIA
Author Richard Harris wrote in the Preface to this 1970 book, “Any book written about such a controversial and popular figure as Che Guevara is an open invitation to all manner of criticism…. This is… a regrettable but necessary consequence… of any honest effort to provide an objective account of Che’s last mission… only by reporting the facts of Che’s Bolivian mission in an unbiased manner can true justice be done to his historical image and to the present status of the revolutionary struggle in Latin America.”
He explains, “Fidel had complete confidence in Che, since he knew that Che had no personal political ambitions. He recognized that Che, as an Argentine, felt it was not his place to question the basic political objectives chosen by his Cuban comrades. Fidel knew that he could count on Che’s loyalty and unquestioning devotion to the goals of the revolution. Their relationship was close, largely because of the similarity of their thinking, and it was only much later that Che ever differed with Fidel on any major issues.” (Pg. 35)
He observes, “Most revolutionary movements in Latin America over the last five years have been based on Che’s contention that a small band of from 30 to 50 guerrillas can create the conditions required for a revolutionary victory in any country of Latin America. To date, every one of these movements… has failed to demonstrate that an insurrectionary guerrilla ‘foco’ located in the rural areas can provide the foundation for a successful revolution. One of the reasons for this is that, even in the Cuban case, the revolution was the culmination of more than either Che or many others have perceived.” (Pg. 53)
In 1965, Che wrote a letter to Fidel Castro, which stated, “Wherever I go I will feel the responsibility of being a Cuban revolutionary, and I will act as one. I leave nothing material to my wife and children; and this doesn’t bother me for I am happy that it is this way. I ask nothing for them, since the state will provide them enough to live and will educate them. There are many things I could tell you and our people, but I feel that this is not necessary…” (Pg. 61)
He notes, “It was a bitter blow to Che to return to Cuba after spending nine months in the Congo without having anything to show for his efforts. The experience, however, seems to have made Che even more determined than ever to undertake a successful revolutionary mission outside of Cuba.” (Pg. 63)
In Bolivia, “Che thought that once he arrived on the scene he would be able to unify all the various revolutionary factions in the country behind his guerrilla movement.” (Pg. 71) He adds, “No additions to the guerrilla force took place after the outbreak of hostilities in March. Instead, the size of Che’s force was steadily reduced as each encounter with the army took its toll. Che hoped to recruit peasants from the local area once his force began operations, but he failed to recruit even a single peasant after the fighting began.” (Pg. 80)
When Che was surrounded, “a bullet hit the barrel of Che’s carbine, rendering it useless and wounding him in the right forearm. At this point, Che reportedly raised his hands and shouted: ‘Stop! I’m Che Guevara, and I’m worth more to you alive than dead.’ A few yards away, Willy threw down his rifle and also surrendered.” (Pg. 135)
He explains, “One of the reasons Che’s guerrilla movement failed to obtain any popular support in Bolivia is that the majority of Bolivians believe their country has already undergone its revolution of national liberation… What Che failed to understand is that the revolution of 1952 gave the Bolivian masses, for the first time in Bolivian history, a real stake in the social order as well as a sense of involvement in the larger political and cultural community.” (Pg. 141) Later, he adds, “Che’s diary is filled with bitter remarks about the indifference and suspicion that he and his men encountered in their contacts with the local peasantry.” (Pg. 146)
This book will be of great interest to those studying Che and his involvement in Bolivia.
Author Richard Harris wrote in the Preface to this 1970 book, “Any book written about such a controversial and popular figure as Che Guevara is an open invitation to all manner of criticism…. This is… a regrettable but necessary consequence… of any honest effort to provide an objective account of Che’s last mission… only by reporting the facts of Che’s Bolivian mission in an unbiased manner can true justice be done to his historical image and to the present status of the revolutionary struggle in Latin America.”
He explains, “Fidel had complete confidence in Che, since he knew that Che had no personal political ambitions. He recognized that Che, as an Argentine, felt it was not his place to question the basic political objectives chosen by his Cuban comrades. Fidel knew that he could count on Che’s loyalty and unquestioning devotion to the goals of the revolution. Their relationship was close, largely because of the similarity of their thinking, and it was only much later that Che ever differed with Fidel on any major issues.” (Pg. 35)
He observes, “Most revolutionary movements in Latin America over the last five years have been based on Che’s contention that a small band of from 30 to 50 guerrillas can create the conditions required for a revolutionary victory in any country of Latin America. To date, every one of these movements… has failed to demonstrate that an insurrectionary guerrilla ‘foco’ located in the rural areas can provide the foundation for a successful revolution. One of the reasons for this is that, even in the Cuban case, the revolution was the culmination of more than either Che or many others have perceived.” (Pg. 53)
In 1965, Che wrote a letter to Fidel Castro, which stated, “Wherever I go I will feel the responsibility of being a Cuban revolutionary, and I will act as one. I leave nothing material to my wife and children; and this doesn’t bother me for I am happy that it is this way. I ask nothing for them, since the state will provide them enough to live and will educate them. There are many things I could tell you and our people, but I feel that this is not necessary…” (Pg. 61)
He notes, “It was a bitter blow to Che to return to Cuba after spending nine months in the Congo without having anything to show for his efforts. The experience, however, seems to have made Che even more determined than ever to undertake a successful revolutionary mission outside of Cuba.” (Pg. 63)
In Bolivia, “Che thought that once he arrived on the scene he would be able to unify all the various revolutionary factions in the country behind his guerrilla movement.” (Pg. 71) He adds, “No additions to the guerrilla force took place after the outbreak of hostilities in March. Instead, the size of Che’s force was steadily reduced as each encounter with the army took its toll. Che hoped to recruit peasants from the local area once his force began operations, but he failed to recruit even a single peasant after the fighting began.” (Pg. 80)
When Che was surrounded, “a bullet hit the barrel of Che’s carbine, rendering it useless and wounding him in the right forearm. At this point, Che reportedly raised his hands and shouted: ‘Stop! I’m Che Guevara, and I’m worth more to you alive than dead.’ A few yards away, Willy threw down his rifle and also surrendered.” (Pg. 135)
He explains, “One of the reasons Che’s guerrilla movement failed to obtain any popular support in Bolivia is that the majority of Bolivians believe their country has already undergone its revolution of national liberation… What Che failed to understand is that the revolution of 1952 gave the Bolivian masses, for the first time in Bolivian history, a real stake in the social order as well as a sense of involvement in the larger political and cultural community.” (Pg. 141) Later, he adds, “Che’s diary is filled with bitter remarks about the indifference and suspicion that he and his men encountered in their contacts with the local peasantry.” (Pg. 146)
This book will be of great interest to those studying Che and his involvement in Bolivia.
Displaying 1 of 1 review