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The politics of complicity: the CIA and the death of Che Guevara

2026/03/14 by Thomas C. Field, Luca Trenta · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Cuban History and Society #Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics #Race, History, and American Society

paper · doi:10.1080/02684527.2026.2640398

openalex publication_date 2026/03/14 · openalex created_date 2026/03/15 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/13

Abstract

This article analyzes the United States role in Bolivia’s 1967 operation to capture and execute Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara. Existing literature is marked by three interpretations. One dismisses claims of CIA involvement as sensationalist and unfounded. Another, based on Bolivian military accounts, frames the operation as domestic and sovereign. A third perspective argues for US complicity, ranging from claims that the CIA ‘got away with murder’ to shadow involvement by American officials who ‘washed their hands’ of the affair. Drawing on newly available sources, we offer a fine-grained analysis of US intervention in the manhunt and execution.

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