Biographies 

Articles by Che Guevara  

• Making of a Marxist 2001 Extracts from previously unpublished letters and journals written at 25, when Che Guevara, a newly qualified doctor, set off through Central America. This was the journey that transformed him from tourist to revolutionary. Guardian newspaper.
• The Militant Three articles written in 1958 from the Sierra Maestre.
• Che Guevara's Writings, Selections Includes "Socialism and Man in Cuba," "Guerrilla Warfare: A Method," "Message to the Tricontinental," "Camilo," "The United Nations Speech, Dec. 11, 1964," "Che's Letter to Fidel
• Che Guevara Internet Archive A selection of extracts and abstracts. Good links to writings.
• Che Guevara: Fundamentals of Guerrilla Warfare 1988 review of the writings of Che Guevara on the subject of revolutionary guerrilla warfare. Major Jackie Clarke, U.S. Marine Corps
• Che the photographer See many of the photos taken by Guevara himself. The Spanish photography curator Josep Vicent Monzo discovered this collection, which had been preserved in the study centre Che Guevara in Havana, in 1995, and, after screening the material, he presented a selection of 211 photos for the first time in Europe in 2001. The site is no longer active, this is the Wayback version. Nearly all images are available but the text is German. English version is here, but fewer images seem stored. §
• Che Guevara,  Biography, Speeches and Writings ( surrounded by ads for che paraphernalia...)
• Che Guevara texts, speeches and letters A valuable collection, long dead but revived saved & now stored on the Wayback Machine - hence can be slow to load. But no ads for T shirts!   § 

"Che" as "Icon" 

• Two articles about Alberto Korda who took the iconic image:
  • Guevara photographer dies
  • Guevara's image saved from drink
• Che Guevara, Revolutionary Life Image Gallery from Life Magazine
• Ernesto Guevara: Snapshots from the family album. Good early photos of young Ernesto, but the red background.....
• Set 1, Set 2, Set 3 BBC News Che Guevara Images
• Marxist revolutionary seizes market place from beyond grave Article about the commercialisation of Che. From CNN, July 24, 1997
• In Cuba, Che Still Sells Revolution MSNBC Slideshow with images of Che as presented in modern Cuba.
• Picture Essay of Che Slate Magazine gallery of a few classic guevara shots but then more images of his iconic nature today in Cuba and elsewhere.

Death of Che Guevara For final Bolivian campaign and death of Guevara, go to the casahistoria Bolivia site.

Finally:      

• The Death of Che Guevara: Declassified By Peter Kornbluh. National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 5., George Washington University. A selection of key CIA, State Department, and Pentagon documentation relating to Guevara and his death.
• End of a Myth. Gustavo Villoldo, the Man Who Buried Che  From Miami Herald, Sept 1997 
• Forty years ago in a far off jungle Caféhistoria item with links to Pagina 12 article (Diarios del final de vida or in google English) on the final weeks in the Bolivian jungle.
• Forty years since the death of Che Guevara – Part One Left wing analysis in 2007 by Alan Woods
• Two 2007 BBC reports for the 40th anniversary of Guevara's death:
  • CIA man recounts Che's death CIA agent Felix Rodriguez has spoken about his part in the capture and killing of Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara.
  • Che remembered 40 years on Forty years after the death of Che Guevara some of those who fought alongside him have paid tribute. 

        Motorcycle diaries?   

• Just a pretty face? For 40 years he has been a sex symbol, heroic victim and the ultimate poster boy of revolutionary chic. But behind the myth of Che Guevara lie darker truths. Sean O'Hagan reassesses the Sixties' most enduring icon The Observer  
• The Motorcycle Diaries Channel 4 Film Site Walter Salles at the Cannes Film Festival speaking about the making of The Motorcycle Diaries. Granados interview. Diary extracts in English, chronology of journey. Full-size images from The Motorcycle Diaries. Slick Flash presentation (view trailer) !! 

 

Patrick Symmes: Chasing Che   A Motorcycle Journey in Search of the Guevara Legend     A very perceptive travel book: written (in 1996-8) before 2003 recent film - but perhaps used as a basis for the key scenes - the author follows the route of the diaries (Guevara & Granado) but provides a very perceptive commentary on the contextual history of the period from the 1950's through to the present. This is not a sycophantic piece, and does cast a balanced look on the period. Well worth it!

• Bay of Pigs Aftermath, 1961 (1:17) Fidel Castro and soldiers examine Playa Girón at the Bay of Pigs after the failed invasion. Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Culture Newsreel

Cuban Missile Crisis For extensive and greatly increased links to the Missile Crisis & its global consequences, go to the new home for the crisis links in the casahistoria Cold War site on the Thaw

• Castro Visits the U.S.S.R., 1972 (0:55) Castro travels to the U.S.S.R. and meets with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Culture Newsreel

• Kennedy & Castro: The Secret Quest for Accommodation Documents of the National Security Archive show how Kennedy hoped to come to an accommodation with Castro, but that the plans were aborted by his assassination. A very full list of interesting resources.
• Clandestine Radio Interesting site looks at the history of US radio stations aimed at undermining the Castro regime. §
• U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (U.S. Navy) This base remained, as agreed by earlier Treaty. This US Navy personnel site has now vanished from the web given the current use for the base..... §

Africa

Latin America

• On Cuba's support for Latin American revolutionary movements CNN for CNN Cold War series. English transcript but links to actual interview in Spanish

Bolivian campaign of Che Guevara For final Bolivian campaign and death of Che Guevara, go to the casahistoria Bolivia site.

       For something a little different:

•   Cuba: Lost in the Shadows 55 min 2006 documentary about the impact of U.S.-Cuba relations and intrigue

Early Analysis:

• Perspectives of the Cuban Revolution By Albert Weisbord, from the magazine La Parola del Popolo, January 1962.
• October 1962: Castro's regime so far Richard Dimbleby gives an overview of Castro's regime since the revolution of 1959. BBC archive news video downloads

After 40 years

• 40 Years After The Revolution Article by Tom Bramble, 1999. Contains information about the effect of the Cuban Revolution on Latin America. §
• The Revolution Turns Forty Published in 1999, on the 40th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, this article by Saul Landau describes how life in Cuba has changed over the years.
• A Critical Perspective Sam Dolgoff's online book examining the anarchy theory and actions as it relates to the revolution.
Loss of Life Resulting from the Cuban Revolution Subtitled "Revolutionary Justice or Political Murder?" The site gives estimates for the various lives that were lost during the revolution. Includes a persistent tolling of a bass drum.....
• The Truth about the Cuban Revolution Article by Neville Spencer for The Golem online journal.
Neville Spencer presents the benefits that the revolution has brought to the Cuban society. §
• Cuba: ¿socialismo de mercado o planificación socialista? (Cuba: Market socialism or planned economy?) Detailed summary and critique of the book from the Marxist journal Herramienta.
• Amnesty International Report on Modern Cuba Up-to-date listing of the most infractions of Human Rights violations in Cuba

After 50 years A selection of sites to commemorate the 50th anniversary in 2009

• Engaging Cuba, 50 Years Later. Washington Post article by Marcela Sanchez looks forward to a change in US relations with Cuba. From the same paper see also Castro's Cuba at 50. The readers comments are especially interesting....
• The Cuban Revolution 50 Years Later Concise 2003 article by Saul Landau, Cal Poly Pomona University
• Views on Cuba researched by the US PBS for a 2004 bio. Interesting, and concise evaluations of
  • Fidel Castro's Feat by Rafael Rojas, professor at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (C.I.D.E.) in Mexico City.
  • The Right Priorities: Health, Education, and Literacy by Miren Uriarte, University of Massachusetts-Boston sociologist.
  • An Exploration into the Origins of the Cuban Human Rights by Ricardo Bofill, president of the Miami-based Cuban Committee for Human Rights, Ricardo Bofill spent 12 years imprisoned in Cuba.
  • Cuba's Future -- or Futures by Mark Falcoff, scholar emeritus of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
• Four items from the BBC:
  • Reliving the revolution: The people and places at the heart of Fidel's rebel campaign
  • Highs and lows: Cuba's successes and failures in the past 50 years
  • Property pressure: Shortages fuel black market housing boom
  • Exiles' stories: Five Cubans tell of why they left and life in the US
• Photos:
  • Magnum Photos 50th anniversary online exhibition. Very good images drawn from vintage and contemporary prints. Included are Eve Arnold’s pre-revolution images shot in 1954, the unfolding of events in 1959 by Burt Glinn, portraits of the main protagonists, Fidel and Che by Rene Burri and Elliott Erwitt and latterly of modern life under Castro in the crumbling beauty of Havana by Alex Webb, David Alan Harvey and Christopher Anderson. Also included are rarely seen photographs by Magnum correspondants Andrew Saint George and Bob Henriques. Henriques documentation of Castro's troops advancing into Havana are hugely evocative and evidence of Castro's timeless way with his people.
  • BBC - In pictures: Cuba at 50 and En Imágenes - Cuba: 50 años después

• Life after Fidel: for a balanced article on the retirement see this interview with Castro by Jon Lee Anderson, biographer of Che Guevara, in which Fidel reflects on his legacy and the future of the island.
• Castro Quits One Role, but May Not Be Done Yet 2008 article from New York Times
• Cuba's Castro an Inspiration, Not a Role Model 2006 Article by Tom Gjelten examines the real legacy of Castro is restoring pride. US National Public Radio

casahistoria home                              visit caféhistoria for updates and current topic news

 

8. Cuba: General Sites  

---