Che Guevara

[LuXe]

I read something on wikipedia recently that I doubted, and decided to ask here on the forums wether this is actually true or not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Guevara


The Bolivian Special Forces were notified of the location of Guevara's guerrilla encampment by an informant. On 8 October, the encampment was encircled, and Guevara was captured while leading a detachment with Simeón Cuba Sarabia in the Quebrada del Yuro ravine. He offered to surrender after being wounded in the legs and having his rifle destroyed by a bullet. (His pistol was lacking an ammunition magazine.) According to some soldiers present at the capture, during the skirmish as they approached Guevara, he allegedly shouted, "Do not shoot! I am Che Guevara and worth more to you alive than dead."[60]


# ^ Anderson, Jon Lee. Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life, New York: 1997, Grove Press, p.733. "When they were a few feet away, a short, sturdy highland Indian named Sergent Bernardino Huanca broke through the bush and pointed his gun at them. He later claimed Che had told him "Do not shoot! I am Che Guevara and worth more to you alive than dead."

Did he really beg for his life? Or is this the lies of a soldier/government?

[Knight of Cydonia]

i don't know if it true or lies but because i'm a che's fan.... i would say that it was a lies! maybe the CIA or the US government had made up that false statement.

[Dominicana_1965]

He didn't beg for his life, he just simply told the highland indian that he (the indian) was better off keeping him alive.

[Global_Justice]

we'll never kno will we! and the end of the day im not gonna believe what they say because they have every reason to lie

[Whitten]

It was hardly begging, it was the logical course of action really. He just told them who he was.

[loveme4whoiam]

Gut instinct, I sincerely doubt he worded it that way. But obviously we'll never know.

[Ander]

The Jon Lee Anderson biography is excellent, just so you know.

No one will ever really know if it was true or not, but who cares? It doesn't make him a coward and it certainly does nothing to discredit his immense accomplishments.

[Fawkes]

Yeah, who cares what he said?

[RedSabine]

Hell, what would you do? Shot in the leg, broken gun, and no ammo for the pistol? Were you gonna throw a bit of mud at the soldier?





Besides, that was harly begging.

[Rollo]

If I knew I was going to be beaten and executed I would have kept going until they shot me dead.

[Joby]

Originally posted by [email protected] 13, 2006 12:06 am
Hell, what would you do? Shot in the leg, broken gun, and no ammo for the pistol? Were you gonna throw a bit of mud at the soldier?

Besides, that was harly begging.
It's been reported, by a fellow guerilla, that when he was brought in the Bolivian CIA operative was there, and when he tried to speak Che spat in his face and said "I don't speak to traitors"

[Exovedate]

1. Saying that Che begged for his life is most likely CIA lies, although we will never know for sure.

2.
Hell, what would you do? Shot in the leg, broken gun, and no ammo for the pistol? Were you gonna throw a bit of mud at the soldier?
I would have thrown my rifle at him and then charged to attack him as best I could, to die on my feet, instead of at the hands of the CIA.

[TupacAndChe4Eva]

Originally posted by Joby+December 13, 2006 02:05 pm--> (Joby @ December 13, 2006 02:05 pm)
[email protected] 13, 2006 12:06 am
Hell, what would you do? Shot in the leg, broken gun, and no ammo for the pistol? Were you gonna throw a bit of mud at the soldier?

Besides, that was harly begging.
It's been reported, by a fellow guerilla, that when he was brought in the Bolivian CIA operative was there, and when he tried to speak Che spat in his face and said "I don't speak to traitors" [/b]
Actually, I believe he spat and slapped a drunken officer who tried to belittle him, it may have been Mario Teran, his eventual executioner, but don't quote me, I wrote about this incident a long time ago for my history coursework.

[Rollo]

I kinda figured him later saying

"go ahead shoot me, you are only going to kill a man" kind of contradicts the supposed original statement.

[loveme4whoiam]

I kinda figured him later saying

"go ahead shoot me, you are only going to kill a man"
Indeed, I seem to recall him being quoted in this manner rather than the other. Still, won't know either way (not that won't stop anyone speculating :D)

[Rollo]

I think the " don't shoot " statement was supposedly said at his initial capture and the " go ahead shoot coward! " statement was after he had been captured.

[Redmau5]

I would have thrown my rifle at him and then charged to attack him as best I could, to die on my feet, instead of at the hands of the CIA.

Sure you would. It's easy to say things from the comfort of your home sitting in front of the computer.

Besides, Che did not necessarily know he would be executed. Hence the fact he said "I'm worth more to you alive than I am dead."

[Severian]

Originally posted by [email protected] 12, 2006 09:50 am
Did he really beg for his life? Or is this the lies of a soldier/government?
You just answered your own question. In the footnote, it's the claim of a single soldier.

[Janus]

There are a lot of stories and differing accounts concerning Che's capture up until his death. It's really difficult to tell which ones are true and which ones are not but one must take into account that most of these stories are unsubstantiated and were predominantly made by his enemies.

[Qwerty Dvorak]

I don't really believe that Che begged for his life. It just doesn't make sense, I mean Che was always willing to die for the struggle as is evident in the fact that he actually went out and fought in this way, risking capture and/or death every day. Also, Che was very aware of the role played by propaganda in such wars, and wouldn't want to give his enemy something like this that they could use to discredit him and the movement.

[xule]

i doubt it, according to the foreword to bolivian diary [granted, its by fidel], it says that che really didnt say anything. apparently he tried to stand, to face his execution with dignity, but couldnt. he wasnt killed right off though; the assasin only really hit around his legs and lower torso. its likely that in his painful last moments che could have cried mercy