Talk:Che Guevara/Sandbox/Guatemala
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This sandbox is going to be used to work on the section of the Che Guevara article titled "Guatemala". The text of that section as of 31 August 2006 at 17:49 UTC was as follows [Please do not modify the text in red which needs to be kept for reference purposes, work instead on the section in black below it:
On 7 July 1953, Guevara set out on a trip through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador, arriving during the final days of December in Guatemala where President Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán headed a populist government that, through various programs, particularly land reform, was attempting to bring about a social revolution. Explaining his motive for settling down for a time in Guatemala, Guevara wrote to his Aunt Beatriz, "In Guatemala I will perfect myself and accomplish whatever may be necessary in order to become a true revolutionary." [1]
According to Jon Anderson, Guevara's main political contact in Guatemala was the Peruvian socialist Hilda Gadea, who introduced him to high-level politicians in the Arbenz government. Hilda was a member of the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA), a political movement led by Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre. He also renewed contact with a group of Cuban exiles linked to Fidel Castro whom he had initially met in Costa Rica; among them was Antonio "Ñico" López, associated with the attack on the "Carlos Manuel de Céspedes" barracks in Bayamo in the Cuban province of Oriente,[2] and who would die at Ojo del Toro bridge soon after the Granma landed in Cuba.[3] Guevara joined these "moncadistas" in the sale of religious objects related to the Black Christ, and he also assisted two Venezuelan malaria specialists. Around this time he acquired his famous nickname, "Che", due to his frequent use of the Argentine interjection Che (pronounced /tʃe/), which is used in much the same way as "hey", "pal" or "mate" are employed colloquially in various English-speaking countries. Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and the south of Brazil are the only areas where this word is used, making it a trademark of the Rioplatense region. His economic situation was frequently precarious, and he pawned some of Hilda's jewelry. Then, on May 15, 1954, a shipment of high-quality Skoda infantry and light artillery weapons sent from Communist Czechoslovakia for the Arbenz Government arrived in Puerto Barrios aboard the Swedish ship Alfhem. The amount of weapons was estimated to be 2000 tons by the CIA [4] and strangely enough 2 tons by Jon Lee Anderson. [5] (Anderson's tonnage estimate is thought to be a typo due to how few scholarly sources support it.) Guevara briefly left Guatemala for El Salvador to pick up a new visa, then returned to Guatemala. Meanwhile, the CIA-sponsored coup attempt led by Carlos Castillo Armas had begun.[6] The anti-Arbenz forces were unable to stop the trans-shipment of the Czechoslovak weapons by train; however, after recovering energy, and apparently with the help of air support, they started to gain ground.[7] Guevara joined an armed militia organized by the Communist Youth for several days but, frustrated with the group's inaction, soon returned to medical duties. Following the coup Guevara volunteered to fight; however, Arbenz told his foreign supporters to leave the country, and after Gadea was arrested, he briefly took refuge in the Argentine consulate and then moved on to Mexico.
The overthrow of the Arbenz government by a coup d'état backed by the Central Intelligence Agency cemented Guevara's view of the United States as an imperialist power that would implacably oppose governments attempting to address the socioeconomic inequality endemic to Latin America and other developing countries. This strengthened his conviction that socialism achieved through armed struggle and defended by an armed populace was the only way to rectify such conditions.
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The following text is in the process of being edited for the purposes of cleanup and general improvement, this space is a kind of "scratch pad". Constructive participation is welcomed!
On 7 July 1953, Guevara set out on a trip through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador. During the final days of December 1953 he arrived in Guatemala where President Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán headed a populist government that, through land reform and other initiatives, was attempting to bring about a social revolution. In a letter to his Aunt Beatriz, Guevara explained his motivation for settling down for a time in Guatemala: "In Guatemala", he wrote, "I will perfect myself and accomplish whatever may be necessary in order to become a true revolutionary." [8]
Shortly after reaching Guatemala City, Guevara acted upon the suggestion of a mutual friend that he seek out Hilda Gadea Acosta, a Peruvian economist who was living and working there. Gadea, whom he would later marry, was well-connected politically as a result of her membership in the socialist American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA) led by Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre, and she introduced Guevara to a number of high-level officials in the Arbenz government. He also re-established contact with a group of Cuban exiles linked to Fidel Castro whom he had initially met in Costa Rica; among them was Antonio "Ñico" López, associated with the attack on the "Carlos Manuel de Céspedes" barracks in Bayamo in the Cuban province of Oriente,[9] and who would die at Ojo del Toro bridge soon after the Granma landed in Cuba.[10] Guevara joined these "moncadistas" in the sale of religious objects related to the Black Christ, and he also assisted two Venezuelan malaria specialists at a local hospital. It was during this period that he acquired his famous nickname, "Che", due to his frequent use of the Argentine interjection Che (pronounced /tʃe/), which is utilized in much the same way as "hey", "pal" or "mate" are employed colloquially in various English-speaking countries. Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and the south of Brazil are the only areas where this idiom is used, making it a trademark of the Rioplatense region.
Guevara's attempts to obtain a medical internship were unsuccessful and his economic situation was often precarious, leading him to pawn some of Hilda's jewelry. Political events in the country began to move quickly after May 15, 1954 when a shipment of high-quality Skoda infantry and light artillery weapons sent from Communist Czechoslovakia for the Arbenz Government arrived in Puerto Barrios aboard the Swedish ship Alfhem. The amount of Czech weaponry was estimated to be 2000 tons by the CIA [11] and strangely enough 2 tons by Jon Lee Anderson. [12] (Anderson's tonnage estimate is thought to be a typo due to how few scholarly sources support it.) Guevara briefly left Guatemala for El Salvador to pick up a new visa, then returned to Guatemala only a few days before the CIA-sponsored coup attempt led by Carlos Castillo Armas began.[13] The anti-Arbenz forces tried, but failed, to stop the trans-shipment of the Czechoslovak weapons by train; nevertheless, after pausing to regroup and recover energy, and apparently with the assistance of air support provided by the USA, they started to gain ground.[14] Guevara was eager to fight on behalf of Arbenz and joined an armed militia organized by the Communist Youth for that purpose; but, frustrated with the group's inaction, he soon returned to medical duties. Following the coup, Guevara again volunteered to fight; however, Arbenz told his foreign supporters to leave the country and, after Gadea was arrested, he took refuge in the Argentine consulate where he remained until he received a safe-conduct pass some weeks later. At that point, he turned down a free seat on a flight back to Argentina that was offered to him by the Embassy, preferring instead to make his way to Mexico.
The overthrow of the Arbenz regime by a coup d'état backed by the Central Intelligence Agency cemented Guevara's view of the United States as an imperialist power that would implacably oppose and attempt to destroy any government that sought to redress the socioeconomic inequality endemic to Latin America and other developing countries. This strengthened his conviction that socialism achieved through armed struggle and defended by an armed populace was the only way to rectify such conditions.
