In 1967, a key figure in the Cuban Revolution and a symbol of anti-imperialist movements Che Guevara was executed in Bolivia after being captured by Bolivian forces. Before his death, he sent a letter to his friend and fellow communist leader, Fidel Castor. Che Guevara’s letter outlines his thoughts and his ensuing death marked the end of his efforts to spread revolution across Latin America.
Contents of Che Guevara’s Letter
After his help in the communist takeover of Cuba, Che Guevara returned to his home country of Bolivia to spread the revolution there in 1965. He spent years fighting against the government, acting as a guerilla leader, and even helping uprisings across the continent and in Africa. However, many of these endeavors failed and Che found himself on the losing side.
His campaign in Bolivia was no different as the Bolivian government found backing from the CIA who launched a campaign to capture him. This forced Che and his guerilla to go on the run until they were captured in 1967 by Bolivian forces.
He was executed a day later without a trial. However, before his death, he penned a letter in 1965. Che Guevara’s letter was titled “A Farewell to Fidel Castro” and talked about the difficulties he faced. Che Guevara’s letter discussed his desire to fight for the revolution and to spread communism across the globe.
The exceprt from his letter can be found here.
“I formally resign from my posts in the leadership of the Party, from my post as Minister, from my rank as Major, from my Cuban citizenship. Nothing legal binds me to Cuba; only ties of another kind, which cannot be broken as appointments can. Reviewing my past life, I believe I have worked with sufficient integrity and dedication to consolidate the revolutionary triumph. My only failure was that I did not trust you enough sooner.”
-Che Guevara, Communist Guerilla Leader.
A few years later, Cuba would have its own crisis in the form of the Cuban Missile Crisis that began and ended with a series of letters.
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