The Militant(logo) 
    Vol.62/No.1           January 12, 1998 
 
 
`A Man Of Che's Guerrilla' Reviewed  

BY PAU DIMAS
The following review of Pombo: A Man of Che's `guerrilla' appeared in the October 1997 issue of Noticias Latin America, a monthly Spanish-language newspaper published in London, under the headline "Diary of a guerrilla."

English-speaking readers can now get to know one of the legendary chapters of the history of Latin America. The release in July by Pathfinder Press of Pombo: A Man of Che's `guerrilla', the English-language edition of the previously unpublished diary of Harry Villegas, shines a spotlight on the efforts of a handful of men to organize the struggle to liberate the nations of Latin America.

Harry Villegas worked alongside Che [Guevara] for ten years as a member of his personal escort. He commanded the group of rebels that, after the capture and murder of the famous guerrilla leader, survived numerous battles with and encirclement by the CIA and Bolivian army. And he was the only one who kept a written record of the clandestine and guerrilla actions carried out between 1966 and 1968.

Pombo is, without a shred of doubt, an essential work for understanding the revolutionary spirit of the 1960s. It recounts the difficulties and obstacles confronted day after day by those who took up arms and went into the mountains, prepared to give their lives for their ideals.

Throughout the pages of the diary one can perceive the human qualities of these men who, in a situation of extraordinary tension, attacked and fought a well-armed and much larger army. The writings of Pombo do justice to those who, after Che's death, vowed courageously and organized decisively to continue the struggle to the final consequences.

As the author says in the introduction, these pages of the history of Bolivia were written in the international context of "one of the most horrendous crimes humanity has ever witnessed: the aggression against the people of Vietnam .. by the strongest imperialist power on earth."

Precisely in this period, guerrilla movements arose in several countries to fight for independence and against imperialism. The communist conception of the taking power through armed struggle was interpreted in different ways, and the diary recounts the difficulties in creating a continental leadership that could unite the workers, peasants, and youth to make the social revolution.

After reading Pombo, the reader will understand the communist idea that in a social revolution, you either take power or you lose "the gains won with so much sacrifice and so much blood." The objective was not to create a sectarian struggle but to extend the revolutionary movement to those who were prepared to fight for an ideal of social justice throughout the continent. The diary explains how and where contacts among progressive leaders from the continent took place, but above all it tells how the guerrilla functioned under Che's command.

The greatness, the harshness, and the reality of essential episodes of Bolivian history are captured here: the difficulties of survival and isolation in the rural and mountainous zones; the armed struggle, the prisoners, the gradual wearing down of the guerrilla, the ambushes, the guerrilla psychology, the betrayals and desertions, and the loss of comrades, combatants, and friends.

The respect and affection of all of the men of the guerrilla, and especially of Pombo, toward Che is reflected is each and every one of the actions narrated in the diary.

The human values of Che, who never ordered a single prisoner shot (he freed them after explaining to them the importance and goals of the guerrilla struggle), his teachings, his confidence in victory, his faith in man, and his unshakable sense of loyalty explain the irreplaceable character of his legacy.

Pombo's firsthand account of the guerrilla actions in Bolivia and the relationship among the Latin American revolutionaries, Che's final hours, and the escape of the survivors of the battle at Yuro Ravine (October 8, 1967) make this diary a work that is essential for gaining a real understanding - down to the first and last names of those who fought and died at the side of Che - the men of the Latin American revolutionary guerrilla.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home