EXCERPTS FROM CHE'S DIARY READ AT DEBRAY TRIAL
{Irregularities upon irregularities continue to be heaped up in the military trial of Régis Debray in Camiri, Bolivia. The latest is the reading of extracts, said to be from the diary of Che Guevara, in the court record.
{The prosecution had announced early that. Guevara's diary would be submitted as evidence against the young French journalist. But this did not happen during the time allotted for the submission of evidence when the attorneys for both sides could examine it. The failure caused a good deal of comment, particularly in view of the challenge of the defense that the entire diary be read into the record, since this would definitively prove Debray's innocence.
[Finally the summations were made and all that remained was for the court to bring in its verdict which, it was expected, would be done within a few days.
{On November 13 a surprise move was made. The court was suddenly convened, Debray was dragged in by physical force, and long extracts from the diary were read. Due to the violation of all rules for trial in Bolivia, it was difficult to ascertain the authenticity of what appeared to be photostats.
[At least some of the passages appear to be genuine, however, and were reported by various wire services. The following is a translation from the version that appeared in the November 15 issue of Le Monde. The phrases in brackets were added either by Le Monde or by the wire services.
x * *
March 20 -- A message has been brought from Marcos [in command of the advance guard]. Benigno's [Cuban guerrilla] suspicion is confirmed: the army, some sixty men, is advancing along the
route from Valle Grande. At the camp I
found Danton [Debray], El Pelado [Bustos]
and Tania.
There is an atmosphere of disorder.
Impression of chaos. I talked with "El
Chino" [Peruvian guerrilla] who asked for
5,000 dollars a month, for ten months. In
flavana they told him to discuss the prob-
lem directly with me.
March 21 -- I spent the day talk-
ing with El Chino, Danton, El Pelado and
Tania. The Frenchman brought news we al-
ready knew from Monge, Kolla and Simén
Reyes [three leaders of the pro-Soviet,
Bolivian Communist party]. He wants to
join us. I asked him to go and organize
a network of support in France, where he
is returning after going to Havana.
March 25 -- Analysis of the errors
of Marcos. I removed him from command and
put Miguel in charge of the advance guard.
Long analysis of the situation for the
Frenchman. It was decided to call the
movement "National Front for the Libera-
tion of Bolivia."
March 27 -- The news [of the an-
bush] made a sensation on the radio.
Barrientos' press conference. They in-
pute fifteen deaths to us....Thus we lose
five years work. They are also talking
about two guerrillas as deserters...We
will have to hold a general staff meet-
ing to decide on a course of action in
the coming days.
March 28 -- We are encircled by
two thousand soldiers with trucks and
napalm bombs. Arrival of a Red Cross
truck escorted by soldiers. They told us
they would return tomorrow to get the re-
mains of the seven [soldiers who fell
March 23] and burn then.
The Frenchman is too vehement on
the usefulness of his mission abroad.
April 18 -- Meeting with the journalist Roth. His papers are in order, but there is something suspicious about him.
April 19 -- Danton, Carlos [Bustos' other surname] and Roth left. Danton proposed to Roth to prove his good faith by serving as a guide for them in leaving the zone. Carlos accepted this solution sourly; as for me I wash my hands...
* * *
A page reserved for a summary of the month read:
"Everything is proceeding normally, except that we lost two of our best men: Rolando and Rubio. Rubio [killed at Iripiti April 10]...was a hard blow. Our isolation remains complete. The peasant ranks are not moving. Held by fear. Their support will come later.
“After the publication of my article in Havana, my presence in Bolivia can no longer be doubted. The Americans are already sending helicopters and green berets, but we have not yet seen then.
ZENGAKUREN