Diary of a Combatant

by Ernesto Che Guevara

  2. Aristides Guerra (Nonito) was one of the most useful collaborators in the region.

  3. Hipólito Torres Guerra’s (Polo) home in La Mesa later became Che’s base of operations.

  4. The “27” is circled in the diary.

  5. Gilberto Rodríguez Capote later returned to the troop and died heroically at Pino del Agua with the rank of lieutenant. See the chapter in Reminiscences…, “Return Journey.”

  6. In the case of Israel and Banderas these suspicions were baseless. See the chapter “The Return” in Che’s Reminiscences…

  7. In the chapter “Return Journey” in his Reminiscences…, Che explains that Hermes Leyva is the person who made the denunciation. Of that group, William Rodríguez remained until his death as an officer of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and Vilo became Commander Juan Vitalio Acuña (Joaquín) in Che´s guerrilla group in Bolivia.

  8. Francisco Rodríguez (el Mexicano, “the Mexican”) reached the rank of captain, but later became a traitor to the revolution.

  9. Ángel Sánchez Mosquera was infamous for his brutality and had been promoted rapidly to lieutenant colonel.

  10. On July 12, 1957, the Manifesto of the Sierra Maestra was released, signed by Fidel Castro, Felipe Pazos and Raúl Chibás. When the Miami Pact was announced in October 1957 by some of the same political leaders, Fidel Castro energetically denied that the July 26 Movement had been a signatory to that pact. These events are described in the chapter “A Betrayal in the Making” in Che’s Reminiscences…

  11. In the chapter “A Betrayal in the Making” in Reminiscences… Che notes that Ciro was promoted to captain, not lieutenant as he records here.

  12. In his memoir, La Victoria Estratégica, Fidel notes that in mid-July 1957, after the battle of El Uvero, “we decided to create Column Four under the command of Ernesto Guevara. Che had distinguished himself in that tough battle.” Che had originally joined the Granma expedition as troop doctor. At El Uvero “with a small bodyguard he took care of our wounded. He was the first officer [in the Rebel Army] to be promoted as a commander.” p. 20.

  13. For tactical reasons this second column of the Rebel Army (led by now Commander Che Guevara) was referred to as “Column Four” with the objective of making Batista’s army think there were more columns.

  14. The attack was actually carried out by Guillermo García.

  August 1957

  1

  The plan couldn’t be carried out because Ramiro didn’t arrive on time and the sentry, after hearing suspicious noises, went to find out what was going on. I confronted him, giving him the order to halt and when he made a move I shot at him, but the bullet missed and I was left defenseless; the man shot at me but I dodged and ran and I got away. The shoot-out began and at that moment I heard the explosion at the bridge. I sent Israel to look for four or five men to attack along my flank, but nobody came. Then I went to the combat zone and when I arrived the soldiers were surrendering. There were 12 guardsmen in the barracks and six were wounded. We had suffered one fatality: Pedro Rivero had been hit by a bullet in the thorax, and two others had more or less superficial wounds. We burned down the barracks after taking everything that might be useful to us, and we left in the trucks, taking prisoner the sergeant and the snitch Orán. A man called Valolo accompanied us in the last truck and treated us to cold beer when we arrived at his little store.1

  We kept on the move and when we made it to the bridge called Macanacúm we placed some cartridges between the planks, partially destroying it. We reached Las Minas where the people were voting in the street by cheering us on.

  A black guy, who is one of our people there, made an impromptu speech asking us to free the two prisoners. I replied that they had been taken so that their presence would prevent repression against the townspeople, but if this was their will I had nothing to add.

  We continued traveling in the trucks, watching the sky to see if any planes appeared; after two long hours, when we reached California, we saw the first one, but it just circled around the area. We arrived at the house of the Spanish storekeeper and I treated the wounded there. One had a flesh wound from an exploding bullet that had peeled off the outer skin exposing the muscle; another’s hand was perforated by a bullet from a small caliber weapon. It was an insignificant wound. The third had a big lump on his head produced by a piece of a wall that fell when kicked by a wounded mule. After treating them we continued in the truck to the place where the road ends, and then started the climb up the hill.

  We were now minus several of the newcomers but we had been joined by a radio technician who seemed very committed. The army troops were already in California. We continued on our path slowly, and by mid-afternoon reached the foothills of the Sierra Maestra where we had left our backpacks. There we divided up the guns and munitions as well as the clothes and dismissed those who had shown signs of cowardice during the battle. There was one man who wasn’t sent away but transferred to another troop—Fidel’s.2 After the attack we were joined by one of the survivors of the Corynthia, to whom I’d given the Garand. His name was Fernando Virelles and he had the rank of commander in a troop where there was a profusion of ranks, starting with two generals. According to him, there were 27 men [on the Corynthia] and some are still scattered around. We retired to the old position by the creek and slept there.

  2

  We got up in a bad mood and, while we were breaking camp, I sent Raúl [Castro Mercader] to set up an ambush on the road leading up to California. We hid conveniently in two clearings that the soldiers have to pass. I already knew that they had a prisoner called Quinteros as their guide, who had sent word that he was forced to guide the soldiers and that we shouldn’t shoot him. At 2:00 I ordered Raúl to fall back and we all stayed in the ambush position. I sent Ramonín to Oscar’s house to find out if there was an expeditious way to go to Santa Ana, and at nightfall we began our march. Ramonín arrived on the way with news that nobody was there [at Oscar’s house]. We climbed slowly and arrived at midnight at Juan Corría’s house. He was quite obsequious toward us. I took 500 pesos of merchandise from him, including chocolate, condensed milk and beer. Just before dawn we climbed to a little coffee grove near the house and almost everyone bedded down there except me; I went back down to give an injection to Corría’s wife who was sick. I took the opportunity to listen to the morning news, but there was nothing of interest because media censorship had been reimposed since the day of the attack. The government had spread the news that a rebel group had attacked Bueycito, and was repelled, with three dead and several wounded. That would mean that two of the wounded had died.

  3

  We spent the day quietly, stocking up on some things we needed. I gave Juancito Corría some IOUs that he could collect in Bayamo. In the afternoon Oscar came with the news that [troops] were in La Gloria, which was a place we had left, and that others were coming from La Vigía to end up at Santa Ana. As we were in a small wooded area, I decided to leave; we headed for a coffee plantation belonging to someone called Papi, intending to proceed down from there along the road and take La Nevada. Oscar, who was going ahead, all of a sudden saw soldiers coming and gave the alarm. We hid as best we could; but when it occurred to Oscar to take another look, he saw that the four people had nothing to do with the Rural Guards.

  We left along the little trail and in a short while a tremendous rainstorm began. I took cover under a rock with Armando Oliver. A man called Arnoldo Castellanos caught up with me there, bringing news of the four “soldiers,” who were himself, another compañero, and two young women that Armando had told me about. The girls had come to stay with us, but I refused to give my permission. In any case I told him to tell them to come up from where they were at Juan Corría’s house so I could greet them. They arrived in a while. One of them turned out to be sort of Armando’s girlfriend. I told them that they absolutely couldn’t stay but the youngest (a 17-year-old, Oniria Gutiérrez) insisted, telling me a tale about some horrendous demands by Castellanos, whos
e house she was supposed to go to. I let her stay on probation, while the other one left happily with Armando, who also took the dynamiter. We slept curled up in Papi’s little house.

  4

  I resolved to ambush the Rural Guards on the road, above where we slept. A guide that Oscar had provided showed us the way. We set out expecting the imminent arrival of the guardsmen and spent the whole day that way without any incident other than the machine-gunning of La Nevada by the air force. We were joined by a large number of men from Las Minas, among them the young black guy who had disappeared during the shooting at Bueycito. I assigned him to be a carrier because he no longer had any other use. In the early evening we returned to Papi’s camp by way of a well-worn path cut through the bushes that enabled us to take positions without being seen, although by now all the neighbors knew where we were. The new recruits from Las Minas asked permission to go and find a brother and some others who had gone to look for their belongings in Santa Ana and I agreed.

  5

  I decided, against the opinion of the captains, to attack Casillas’s forces where they were, and for that purpose we mobilized toward the ambush site of the previous day and continued, following a slope to where they were. But shots and gunfire were heard on the other side of the slope, along with two bazooka shots or something like that. We then calculated that the soldiers were about to come up and we again hid in ambush to wait for them. But they never showed up although we spent the whole day waiting.

  In the evening I sent Lalo with his platoon to shoot it out with the Rural Guards, but they couldn’t do anything because the guardsmen were down in a hole. It was already night when he returned to camp. The same young black guy who had fled in Bueycito deserted; I sent someone to look for him in a house where I knew he could be and they brought him back. Nothing was done to him because he’s only 17 years old. We rejected the incorporation of two youths from Holguín, who were 15 and 14 years old, and also the reincorporation of man from Holguín because he had turned tail and run at Bueycito. The man promised to bring from Holguín one of the survivors of the Corynthia called Ranful [Carlos Rafuls]. Oscar took them to his house.

  6

  At 4:00 in the morning we got up, leaving after 5:00. We quickly crossed the clearing of the Sierra Maestra, placing ourselves on the other side of the main road and crossing to La Uvita, where we arrived at Matamoros’s house where we bought a few supplies. Immediately the whole town poured out to greet us. Aristidio turned up and in his pompous manner told us about all the problems they had had and offered us a cow, which I accepted right away. He reported to me about the number of people he had there ready to join, but I only accepted those with weapons. Papo Beatón also arrived with a group, among which were Manolo Rodríguez, two of Israel’s brothers, Sabro (Papo’s half-brother) and two of Rosabal’s brothers. I accepted all those who were armed, not the others. They remained in Aristidio’s charge. He informed me that there was a snitch called Fenzue Lien, who was causing a lot of headaches. I sent the vanguard to the heights of the Sierra Maestra to look for him and I went there with Joel and a guide. We arrived at the meeting place at 10:00. A little after 3:00 in the morning, Aristidio arrived to say they were on their way. I met with them at 4:00. The old man came accompanied by a son and son-in-law; he swore over and over again that he was a Fidelista and that people who had it in for him had made the accusation against him. I counseled him a little and let him leave again. We also arrived at daybreak.

  7

  Papo and one of Israel’s brothers informed me of what happened in Peladero. It seems that David talked too much and told everything to a snitch cattleman. Shortly afterwards David was imprisoned, tortured and murdered,3 and the army occupied Peladero. There they took one of Israel’s father’s fieldworkers and at the first blow he told everything he knew. The result was that they killed 10 people, including two of David’s muleteers, took all the supplies, burned all the houses in the area and viciously beat several neighbors, some of whom were later killed, and others, like Israel’s dad, suffered fractures. According to the reports there were three snitches and I asked for volunteers to kill them. There were several offers but I selected Israel, his brother Samuel, Manolito and Rodolfo. They left early with some signs that read: Executed for betraying the people—M-26-7.4 Papo went with them taking a reply to a letter I’d received offering us heavy weapons; I told them where and how we had to find them. The day passed without any other incident besides the sending back of several young kids from Las Minas who had already shown signs of cowardice. We let the young black deserter go, too. Casillas’s troops haven’t moved from La Gloria.

  8

  We got up early and set out on the trail to the heights of El Hombrito in a foul mood. On reaching the main road a messenger was waiting for me to tell me that Gilberto Capote, the ex-sergeant rajado,5 was coming with four men, all armed. I agreed to wait for them on the road. We continued walking a long time until we reached Fidencio Santana’s house. From there we were sent to the home of the neighbor Perucho, who has a creek running through in his land, where we all settled in. I had heard on the radio the news that four rebels had been killed in combat in Peladero, and I thought that might be Israel and the kids who might have been surprised somewhere and killed. I sent for Polo so I could talk with him the next day. A black man, whose name I don’t remember, brought me a present of some roast pork, which was just perfect.

  9

  We’ve had a large number of visitors since this morning. Polo came and agreed to go to the beach tomorrow morning to see where the Rural Guards are and to bring one of Israel’s brothers and old man Antonio, a Gallego [Spaniard], whom we had met the last time we were in this area. The men we were waiting for didn’t come because they became worn out climbing the Sierra Maestra. A cousin of Ramonín’s called Osorio came from Yao. I was very favorably impressed with him. I asked them to continue providing us with supplies. They asked me what to do with René Cuervo, the deserter from Almeida’s group, the man who killed a snitch and wrote me a letter asking for pardon, but who is now screwing around in Yao. I gave the order that they should kill him if he was causing too much trouble.

  The day passed calmly. I had a trail cut through the gully below to have a way out to old man Tamayo’s house. There were a good number of requests for release and I had a surprise visit at night by an old deserter from Victoria de las Tunas, who had been with Camilo in the vanguard; he brought two unarmed men from Las Tunas who were rejected. In addition, a deserter from Oscar’s troop who arrived from Palma Mocha was taken prisoner.

  10

  El Gallego Antonio arrived early from Polo’s house, while Polo went to the beach to find out about the Rural Guards. Chúa came with the news that there were 25 armed Masferreristas6 in Pico Verde, two of them armed with machine guns. I ordered him to go and talk with them and to bring them to the Sierra Maestra, where we would wait for them. I ordered Alejandro to take old man Antonio to Polo’s house. At 4:00 p.m. he arrived saying he had accomplished his mission. Polo came from the beach saying there was no one anywhere in the area. Another of Israel’s brothers called Benjamín joined us; he and old man Antonio complained of Manolito’s cowardice.

  At dusk Oscar arrived with Cristino [Naranjo], the dynamiter. They brought a letter from Armando Oliver saying some supplies were in Oscar’s house. I sent Raúl Castro [Mercader] to wait for the Masferreristas and to take them prisoner, to send them with Pupo and then to go on to pick up the supplies. Oscar was to set out first with the group of rejects, who now number 16. When I asked about the deserter we were holding prisoner I learned that Alejandro had been confused and had taken him to Polo’s house where he set him loose. I gave Vilo the order not to do anything and not to let anyone leave without my written order. Cristino asked to be allowed to stay with the troop and I told Armando this. Pupo arrived in the early morning hours saying that there was no one at the place where I had told them to wait.

  11

  We broke camp earl
y going by the lower part below of La Leche Creek, along the trail that the guide and I had made. I left the vanguard in a coffee grove way ahead and the rearguard where the creek meets the Zorzal River. Polo treated us very well as usual. Nothing new all day.

  12

  The announcement of the arrival of the supplies came early. Then Chúa came to tell us that they hadn’t captured the Masferreristas because they didn’t exist; he didn’t explain how it is that they had been seen. Israel arrived with his compañeros and Papo. They had killed a snitch called Jesús Suárez with two shots. There hadn’t been any Guards in the whole area. I decided to send Lalo to shoot it out with Casillas’s troops, which are the only ones in the vicinity. In the afternoon Raúl arrived with the supplies that were rapidly divided up.

  At this point in Notebook V there is a group of blank pages with no comment afterwards by Che, nor has a consecutive Notebook VI ever been found. This leaves a substantial gap in Che’s diary from August 13, 1957, to April 17, 1958. To date it has not been possible to determine anything about the missing parts of the diary, despite several unconfirmed versions. In his Reminiscences…, Che writes about this period that covers the actions carried out by Column Four under his command and it would appear, from the style and content of those chapters, he used the diary as his source. Notebook VII of Che’s diary begins on April 18, 1958.

  1. This encounter is described in “The Attack on Bueycito” in Che’s Reminiscences…. At the end of the chapter, he mentions the death of Frank País, “one of our most valiant combatants.”

  2. Sic.

  3. Actually, David, the foreman, hadn’t died.

  4. Translator’s note: “M-26-7” was a commonly used shorthand reference to the July 26 Movement.

  5. Translator’s note: Rajado is used to refer to deserters from Batista’s army who joined the rebels.

  6. The Masferreristas were a group of brutal assassins in the service of the Batista dictatorship, led by Rolando Masferrer, known for his criminal activities since the 1930s.