CHE GUEVARA PART 1

The film Che, Part 1: The Argentine analyzes the works of Ernesto "Che" Guevara and his part in taking control of Cuba during the Cuban Revolution. The film begins with Che meeting Fidel Castro and them deciding to plot and rebel against the Cuban regime and the dictator Fulgencio Batista. During part one of this very long film, "flash forwards" occur between revolution scenes to scenes in which Guevara is giving his famous Tricontential speech to the United Nations. In the speech, it is made very clear by Che that there is a constant resentment towards the United States and imperialism overall. From the speech a "Message to the Tricontental" Che is able to express his views and thoughts on global issues (mostly about the United States). He explains that each continent feels the presence of the United States. For example, Che states, "So far it does not have there great interests to defend except its pretended right to intervene in every spot of the world where its monopolies detect huge profits or the existence of large reserves of raw material." (Message to the Tricontinental) It is clearly evident through this statement that he does not like the presence of the U.S. nor does he want to cater to their economic welfare. Another statement in the speech which is very interesting, "Everything indicate [sic] that peace, this unstable peace which bears that name for the sole reason that no worldwide conflagration has taken place, is again in danger of being destroyed by some irrevocable and unacceptable step taken by the United States."(Message to the Tricontinental) Although Che has used much guerrilla warfare and violence in the in the taking of Cuba, he makes a point to say peace is not inevitable if the U.S. was not involved. To me, this is a very complicated statement. It seems as though Che is very critical of the U.S. and he is saying instead of the U.S. stepping in to fight communism and end civil wars within other countries (which is not peace) to allow it to continue to take place and to turn their head.

The Tricontential speech in 1964 came just years before Che Guevara's death on October 9th, 1967. The topic of Che's death is a very controversial one, but it is now public that the United States had a part in the capturing and killing of Che Guevara. In the "Death of Che Guevara: Declassified" by Peter Kornbluh, which is a compilation of declassified documents on Che Guevara, it is written "...the head of the U.S. MILGP (Military Group) in Bolivia and signed by the commander of the Bolivian armed forces, created the Second Ranger Battalion to pursue Che Guevara's guerrilla band".(Death of Che Guevara: Declassified) This order was issued on April 28, 1967. Also within the documents it mentions that President Johnson is to be informed about the tracking of Che's whereabouts. Along with other dated documents, it is clearly evident through the correspondence of the United States CIA and Bolivian forces, that the United States wanted Che and his guerrilla warfare/army put to an end. Part 1 of the film does not touch on Che's death, nor the other things he accomplished before his death but it does, by tying in the Tricontenental speech, provide a list of things to come and an explanation as to why he was assassinated by the U.S. and Bolivian Forces. Overall, this film was very well done and enables viewers who know little of Che Guevara to gain a better perspective on why he has become such an important figure in history.