PERSPE CTIVE MON DIALE
Vol. 5, No. 14 April 7, 1967
BOLIVIAN GOVERNMENT CLAIMS OUTBREAK OF GUERRILLA WAR
The government of René Barrientos Ortufio announced March 30 that it had thrown some 3,000 troops into battle with elusive bands of guerrilla fighters not far from the Paraguayan border. The government sources -- which are not exactly the most reliable in the world -- claimed that the guerrillas were being led personally by "Maj. Ernesto Che Guevara, the revolutionary leader from Cuba."
Gen. Jorge Belmonte, acting chief of staff of the Bolivian army, reported a series of clashes in which there had been deaths and injuries on both sides. He announced a body count of two in the Tiraboy area. As in the case of the American statistics in Vietnam, the two were obviously guerrillas, otherwise how explain that they were killed?
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As further proof, he said that his troops had occupied an abandoned landing strip near the Rio Grande and had found empty ration cans and gasoline and oil drums there.
The La Paz newspaper El Diario printed a dispatch from Sucre claiming that an "aide" of Che Guevara's was leading some 400 guerrillas in the south. El Diario also claimed that about a month ago Guevara had been in Nancahuzu, "a main guerrilla camp," but had left to continue his activities in Colombia.
The Paris daily Le Monde assembled the dispatches on the wires of Associated Press and Agence France-Presse, presenting these in the March 30 issue but without assuming responsibility for them, in fact noting that they had not been confirmed. According to these sources, a part of the guerrillas are of Paraguayan origin. They have been encircled and, according to the Bolivian high command, cannot escape.
Captured guerrillas are supposed to have admitted that there are three training centers for guerrillas in Bolivia with instructors from the guerrilla forces in Venezuela and Peru. A radio correspondent in La Plata claimed that the guerrillas have tunnel systems that enable them to escape air attacks. Their medical service includes five "Cuban" doctors. He also told a story about a Bolivian army commander who was captured along with his patrol by the guerrilla forces. He suffered a heart attack but was saved by a "Chinese" doctor. After he and his men were photographed and their names placed on file, their uniforms were taken away and they were released.
A more serious bit of information was the news in Le Monde that the ministry of the interior had announced the arrest of 41 members of leftist parties, including the Communist party, the Trotskyists, the Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario and the Partido de la Izquierda Revolucionaria.
According to a March 30 United Press International dispatch, "The military high command was in almost constant session in La Paz, but officials would not comment on what was being discussed. It was reported, however, that the Government had put its peasant followers on an alert basis throughout the country and ordered civilians to patrol strategic sites."
An Associated Press dispatch the same day said: "President Barrientos met last night with military leaders and members of the United States military mission after the American and Bolivian officers returned from an inspection of the operation area."
Evidently the antiguerrilla operation is being carried out under the direct supervision of American officers. This no doubt accounts for the fact that napalm bombs are being dumped on areas in the mountains reputed to be hiding places of guerrilla forces. Besides napalm, suspected areas are also being machine-gunned from the air. Barrientos, it appears, is bidding for the title of "the Cao Ky of Bolivia."
There are several aspects associated with the sensational reports issued by the Barrientos regime that need to be cleared up before it can be determined exactly what is involved. For instance, the March 22 Le Monde printed the following dispatch: "BOLI- VIA -~ The border military garrisons have been placed in a state of alert following an overflight on Bolivian territory of 12 jet planes at high altitude, presumably Chilean. The planes, it is reported in La Paz, came over the towns of Huachacalla and Uyuni, then returned to Chile via the southwest border of Bolivia."
No more was said about this provocative overflight of 12 jet planes. Was Barrien-~ tos toying with the idea of engaging in some kind of international incident? Did he then drop it on advice from higher authorities? The timing is significant. It came just before the decision to deploy 3,000 troops to hunt down various bands of guerrillas.
The sudden sensation involving guerrilla war serves another useful purpose from Barrientos’ viewpoint. It helps justify the nationwide raids in which leaders of a series of parties of the left were arrested and exiled to remote parts of the country. [See World Outlook March 24, p. 307.] The repressive police action undoubtedly touched off a wave of protest. The deployment of the army is Barrientos' way of replying.
It is also possible, of course, that the arbitrary arrest and exiling of dozens of very prominent leftist and revolutionary-minded leaders aroused such anger among the ranks that underground activities were stepped up. These would most likely center in the mine centers and the main cities. No reports of such activities have been announced by the regime. One more consideration should be borne in mind. Since Barrientos came to power and launched open warfare on the labor movement, including armed attacks on the tin miners, efforts have been made to launch a guerrilla movement. These forces have not played much of a role up to now. If they have grown to such size as to require the deployment of 3,000 troops then the Barrientos regime is obviously in serious trouble. The evidence up to now, however, is too thin to judge this.
AUSTRALIAN SEAMEN REFUSE TO CARRY BOMBS TO VIETNAM
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