Guevara deserves to be forgotten

Dear Editor,

For some, Che Guevara is a mythical figure that fought for the poor and attempted to liberate Latin America. For most experts on Cuba, Guevara was an anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist mercenary attempting and failing to establish Marxist regimes in Africa and Latin America. He spread death and misery in the Congo and in Bolivia, executing prisoners and enemies without mercy. During the Tricontinental Conference in Havana in 1966, Guevara insisted that “hate toward the enemy transforms fighters into an effective, violent, cold killing machine.”   During his stay in Cuba, he executed several thousand Cubans during the early days of the Castro revolution. No trials. In most cases, summary executions. In many cases only suspected of being part of the old regime or enemies of Castroism. He briefly became Economic Minister, presiding over the destruction and communization of the Cuban economy and impoverishment of the Cubans.

Che may be a hero for some on the left. But for most Cubans that suffered his wrath, he was a foreigner that helped the Castro brothers impose a half-century dictatorship. Instead of statues, he deserves to be forgotten or better yet, condemned.

Sincerely,

Jaime Suchlicki,

Professor of History and Director of the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, University of Miami