Gen. Gary Prado Salmon led the Bolivian operation that captured and executed Che Guevara, the Argentine communist guerrilla who was attempting to bring the death and destruction of Cuba’s socialist revolution to Bolivia.
Che Guevara: Bolivian General Gary Prado Salmón who captured revolutionary dies
The Bolivian general who captured the Cuban revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara and became a national hero has died aged 84.
In 1967 Gary Prado Salmón led a military operation in Bolivia, backed by US secret service agents, that defeated a communist insurrection organised by Che Guevara.
At the time Bolivia had a right-wing military government.
An army officer executed Argentina-born Guevara a day after his arrest.
The Cold War between the US and Soviet Union was at its height and Washington was extremely concerned about communist influence in Latin America, including Che Guevara’s activities.
He had left Cuba after the triumph of the 1959 revolution there, to lead guerrilla movements in other countries. He was a key ally of Cuban communist leader Fidel Castro and became a hero for communists worldwide.
Gen Prado’s son described his father as “an extraordinary person”, who left “a legacy of love, integrity and courage”.
Continue reading HERE.
Alas, even Bolivia dealt with the Che problem far better than Batista dealt with the Castro problem–which he absolutely should have been able to deal with effectively. Well, it was all part of a cluster fuck-up.