BOLIVIA SAYS GUEVARA DIED IN FIGHTING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP69B00369R000200270029-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 26, 2003
• Sequence Number: 29
• Publication Date: October 10, 1967
• Content Type: OPEN

;~i.~il: & Y:MC )I .5 LTA
Approved For Release 2003/0- f --I pF69BOO369R000200270029-4
1
r .~ l ;a Lill 611, 14
ED:
Ti 'T 171", 7,
F Y i1 a 'Li 1 1 iJY
Army Reports Former
Castro Aide Trapped
With Guerrillas
La Paz, $olivia, Oct. 9 11P1
Official Army disl atches A" a meeting of the Organi; day was near Vallegrande,
claimed tonight that Ernesto ation of American States in about 300 miles southeast of La:
Che Guevara, reputed master- Washington last month, Bolivian,
Paz. The communique put the;
mind of Latin America's Com- diplomats showed photograpns scene at 4 miles northwest ofmunist guerrillas, was killed in which they claimed proved that the nearby town of Higueras:
a clash in southeast Bolivia Guevara was heading the guer-
;yesterday. But the high com- rillas in Bolivia. The pho!,n? The Army suffered four killed:
mand declined immediate con- graphs showed a man resem- and four wounded in the fig-
firmati.on of the reports. !'.ding Guevara with Bolivian and lilting, said the communique,
Guevara has been reported Cuban guerrillas. which reported that "operations
killed or captured before. Once Report Denied continue in the Higueras zone."
!Cuban `Prime Minister Fidel! Reports earlier today said he '+ press reports from Valle-
l Castro's right-hand man, his! was dead, wounded or captured. grand s said the fighting had
!fate has been a mystery since: An Army communique issued in I begun at about 1 P.M. and
he vanished from Cuba in April,' I a. Paz reported 'a fight be 1
1965. A hunt was intensified for tween soldiers and guerrillas in raged for about five or six
him in Bolivia recently and the the mountains and added: "The;.hours. These accounts said that
Army said it believed he and ai rebels put up desperate re3is-! two of the guerrillas were
small band were trapped, tance and suffered five casual-ijwounded and if Guevara was
Col. Joaquin Zenteno Anaya,, ties, among them being presu-!!not killed, he might be one of
commander of the 8th Armymably Ernesto Che Guevara." the wounded.
said earlier in the day that Some military sources said Gue-! Two-Week Search
Guevara was one of the guerril- vara was mortally wounded and""
Jas killed in the clash at Higue- talked to his captors before hell The Bolivian Army has been
ras, about 400 miles southeast died. ti pressing a search for Guevara
of La Paz. Argentine-born, Guevara, 39,f near Vallegrande for two
Newsmen Invited was said to have been killed in, weeks, convinced that if he'
The-Army's chief of staff, Col. the leftist revolt in the Domini-; were killed or captured 'the
Marcos Vasquez Sempertegui, can Republic in 1965. guerrilla movement, would col=
!'said, "official reports from Val. Later he was reported cap-1 lapse. The guerrillas began ac-
legrande affirm Guevara was tured in Peru. Another reportllive operations in Bolivia seven
killed and' that his body is now said he was hiding out in Argen-fa months ago.
with the Bolivian Army. tina. After. the Bolivian Army Guevara was believed sighted
But he emphasized that the; got what it was convinced was high command did not want to Ij evidence he was leading a guer-i l "n the Vallegrande area ten
confirm the reports for the villa movement in Bolivia, . itlldays ago. Depositions of two
present. ' had to deny a report September Bolivian guerrillas captured last
The Army nevertheless invit 26 that he had been killed. week said Guevara was sick
ed newsmen to fly tomorrow tole The area:of the clash yester- and was moving about on a
Villegrande, near Higueras. The l mule.
invitation led to speculation that Army sources said Guevara
the high command wanted to; sdffered from arthritis and as-
Gueveyara'as and body was reputed withholding!
heing! .' 1 theta.. They asserted Guevara
ucv
any announcement of his death) and his people were fueling
until then. dispirited after suffering heavy
Proceeding Cautiously a casualties in a glash two weeks
It was believed that the high ago.
command was also proceeding)
cautiously because of problems
in identifying the slain guerri
-
la's body as being positively
:-!hat of,.Guevar,~. .
Approved For Release 2003/09/02 CIA-RDP69B00369R000200270029-4