SOLDIERS TESTIFY ON THE EXECUTION OF CHE GUEVARA
{Walter Operto, a correspondent of the sensationalistic Buenos Aires magazine Asi, flew in a private plane to Vallegrande, the Bolivian town where Che Guevara's body was displayed to the press. Operto managed to interview four soldiers concerning the execution of Guevara and then flew out of the country before the Bolivian authorities could seize the tape. Part of Operto's article was reproduced in the October 20 issue of Marcha, the Montevideo weekly. The following is a translation by World Outlook of this extract.]
* * * At four in the afternoon of Friday
the thirteenth, we were in Vallegrande,
interviewing Colonel Joaquin Zenteno
Anaya, head of the 8th Division of the
army. We told him that we would like to
interview the soldiers and officers who
fought in the battle where "Che" lost his
life. Colonel Zenteno Anaya replied that
this was impossible since these men were
not in Vallegrande. "They are in the Que-
brada del Yuro," he told us, "on the
trail of those who were with 'Che.'" But
a half hour later, without Colonel Zen-
teno Anaya knowing about it, we were in
Sefior de Malta hospital talking with four
soldiers who were convalescing from the
wounds they received in the encounter
with "Che's" guerrilla fighters. These four soldiers, belonging to the group of "Rangers" trained by U.S. officers, told the special correspondents of Asi that "Che" had been wounded, that he had been taken prisoner and that he was killed the day following the battle. The names of the soldiers are as follows: Miguel Taboada, 20; Julio Paco, 19; Valentin Choque, 19, and Beno Giménez, 20. Their declarations corroborate what had already been said by Dr. Martinez Caso.
The soldier Miguel Taboada, of Cochabamba, fought against "Che" in Higueras, receiving a bullet wound in his left leg. Here is what he told us:
"You fought in Higueras against 'Che'?"
"Ye s . it
"Was he killed instantly?"
"No. A round from a machine gun broke his legs and another shot jammed his automatic rifle."
"That means he was taken alive?"
"Yes . tt
"And what was done with him?"
"The cadetes (in Bolivia officers are called cadetes) surrounded him and talked with him."
"And then?"
"We made camp. We were tired and we had wounded compafieros. The guerrillas who were with 'Che' had retreated."
"Did you see 'Che' alive?"
"Yes . "
"And when did he die?"
"The next day."
"Did he die from his wounds?"
"No . tt
"Then how did he die? Was he
killed?"
"Lieutenant Prado killed him with
a bullet in the heart."
Julio Paco, Valentin Choque and
Beno Giménez said the same. The three,
like Taboada, saw "Che" alive, and the
three declared that "Lieutenant Prado
killed him the next day with a bullet in
the heart."
As we were listening to this sen-
sational revelation, another soldier in
the bed next to Taboada, who had been
wounded in an earlier battle with the
guerrillas, shouted to a nurse who hap-
pened to come into the room:
"Run to the post and tell an of-
ficer to come at once..."
We took this as a signal to get
out of the place. Fifteen minutes later
our plane was flying over Vallegrande.
Below, a military jeep was racing along
the road to the airport.
An hour later were saying good-
bye by Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
THE STRUGGLE