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Exposing the Real Che Guevara: And the Useful Idiots Who Idolize Him

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I am always amazed when I see the faces of Mao or Che Guevara on clothing or posters by those free spirits who imagine that these men would do anything but kill them for their social and political views. On page 16 of this book the author recounts how Henry Gomez made a t-shirt to counter all the "Che Lives" shirts floating around. His said "Che's Dead - Get Over It". Carlos Santana saw it and came over to berate him (never mind that Santata's brand of music was banned in Cuba by Guevara). Santata said, "Che may be dead for you, but he lives in our hearts ... Che is all about love and compassion." They then exchanged points. Santata's were based on fantasy and Gomez in fact. In the end, Santana said what one would expect, "You're getting hung up on facts, man." Wow.

This book recounts Che's murderous role in the deaths of more than 10,000 people after the Cuban revolution. Just one story of horror involves a mother pleading for the life of her boy directly in front of Che. He listened, thought, and then picked up the phone and shouted a command for the boy to be taken out and shot immediately. He had no respect for the law. It was a bourgeois detail that impeded the revolution. When one official pleaded for a trial before a sentence of death was passed, Che shouted that the man could conduct his trial tomorrow, but that the execution had to be conducted tonight. Even when there were trials, they were just for show with the sentences already noted on the form prior to the trail. There is much of this.

That so many on the left, including many American media outlets (such as the New York Times, Time Magazine, Life, and many others), helped Castro and Che come to power should still be a matter of shame, but is never mentioned anymore. That so many on the left extolled Che's justice, courage, beauty, and perfections should be always remembered. More than few are still writing today. All of them are wrong, all of them are perpetuating lies. Che ran from real fights and enjoyed bullying and even killing the defenseless.

Far from being a savvy guerilla leader (despite his book on the subject), he bungled every fight he was in and got lost for weeks at a time. In Bolivia, he never recruited a single Bolivian to his cause. Oh, he tricked a few into joining him by promising them training in the USSR or China, but as soon as they could, many of those deserted and became informants for those looking for Che.

If you are committed to the dream of Che, you will hate this book. If you want to know more of the reality of who he really was and the atrocities he committed, this book will be an important read for you.

Far from being Satre's "most complete human being of our time", he was a monster who improved the world most when he was sent out of it.

Dear Humberto,

Sorry I didn't buy your new book. Yesterday I read
about half of of it sitting in the coffee shop of my
local bookstore. Cheapness was instilled in me during
my formative years by my chinese parents. Fortunately,
their political leanings were not and I learned to
read, think, and analyze for myself.

Thank You for writing the book! Even though it's about
Che and Cuba, it means a lot to me as well--a
Chinese-American. Any book against one dictator is a
book against ALL dictators. I imagine you must feel
the same rage seeing a Che T-shirt as I do seeing a
Mao T-shirt. It bothers me that many people do not
think twice about wearing either T-shirt, but if
somebody wore a T-shirt with the visage of Hitler,
Stalin, bin Laden, or that Virginia Tech guy it'd be
all over the news.

I don't want to be a "woe is me I'm a minority/person
of color", but unfortunately part of me does feel when
it's whites killing whites (ie Hitler, Stalin) then
those dictators are evil. When it comes to "minority"
dictators, those guys are suave, cute, cuddly, or part
of "other people's" cultures. What? Dictators are
dictators regardless of country, race, culture, or
faith.

Keep up the good work! You've given me courage now to
voice my opinion. When I see someone wearing a Mao
(and Che) T-shirt I'll be sure to set them
straight. Those images are just as offensive as the
Confederate flag or a Nazi symbol.

Exposing the Real Che Guevara is an interesting text, and certainly sheds some light on a man who was a blight in twentieth century history. I learned some out of the ordinary facts in this text, and I would tell people to read it simply as a starting point to finding out the truth about Che.
Having said that though...Mr. Fontova's prejudices come through, and he has a right to them. But in being so emotional, he gives his detractors something to point at and belittle. This allows people, and disingenuous reviewers on this site, to distort the book by attacking his obvious emotional bent without touching on the truth in this book. For the most part Fontova substantiates most of what he says, and some of it is truly shocking. Still, I keep coming back to my desire for a more scholarly approach to this text. The book suffers from redundancy and that again takes away from his thesis. This text is imminently readable, which I think accounts for some of the author's simplistic style choices, and I hope it serves as a jumping off point for even more scholarly research into the joke that is the myth of Che Guevara.

As I began this book, I thought that Fontova was ranting a bit much for my tastes, while painting a rough picture of Che. I read Fontova's account of his family's escape from Cuba and saw that this colored his view of things to some degree. By the end, I was right there with Fontova, as the evidence became clearer and clearer that Che was a sick man who took pleasure in killing (according to his own hand, in a letter to his father). He was a man who was only brave when his opponents were defenseless.

Some basic points of background:
1) The hundreds of thousands of Cuban refugees were not fleeing a kindly ruler, nor were they all wealthy. Dismissing their ire at Castro and Che -- and their eyewitness accounts of their brutalities -- is equivalent to dismissing the anger that Poles or German Jews reserve for Nazis.

2) The glowing portrayals of Che are based on Castro-produced stories, Che's own delusional diaries, and the fawning of Che's buddies like Sartre. Would we only consult the North Korean propaganda ministry for a biography of Kim Jong Il? Eyewitness accounts of Che's murderous ways are not hard to find.

This book used a fair amount of second hand sources, but Fontova also included numerous stirring accounts from eyewitnesses that really makes it impossible to believe that anyone would consider Che Guevara to be admirable in any way.

Josef Stalin may have referred to radical left-wing Americans as "useful idiots", which to him, they were. To the rest of us, they are useless idiots. Young people who sport Che tee shirts can be forgiven for their ignorance and naivete. However, this book won't have any impact on useless idiots who refuse to acknowledge the truth about their darling Che. Hopefully, enough young people with a mind of their own to venture beyond MTV, You Tube, and Rolling Stone will read this and maybe some day Che idolatry will become the domain of fringe kooks, like the Aryan goons who still worship Hitler.

Humberto Fontova, a Cuban refugee who knows some of the victims of Castro and Che, has the credentials to set the record straight once and for all. Meticulously researched with numerous first hand accounts, this book exposes the great martyr of the radical left for what he really was: a liar; a fraud; a hypocrite; a hedonistic narcissist; a perverse sadist; a cruel and merciless tyrant; a bungling fool; and ultimately, a coward.

I always knew that Castro and Che turned Cuba into a totalitarian cesspool. The boatloads of Cuban refugees who risked their lives to get out of there convinced me of that. I never knew how evil these two thugs actually were. Their cruelty was of the same nature as Hitler, Stalin, and Saddam Hussein. It is maddening how mindless stooges in our media and entertainment industry have been duped into believing Castro's propaganda. It must be a slap in the face for Cuban American refugees and their descendants to see Che garbage paraded in front of them in the very country they risked their lives getting into. God bless them. Their outrage is justified.

Fontova points out how Che Guevara was the exact opposite of how he has been portrayed by his foolish admirers. He was an opressor rather than a liberator. He was hardly a champion of the poor Cuban masses. Most of his victims, those who defied him, were rural campesinos whom he defeated with the help of the KGB and Soviet armaments. Much of his revolution was financed by wealthy opponents of Batista and was aided by the Soviets. A PEOPLE'S REVOLUTION? HARDLY!!! It was Castro and Che who destroyed the Cuban economy, not any embargo. As a result, the poor became poorer while Castro, Che, and their cronies plundered Cuba's wealth mostly for themselves. Their critics were quickly silenced, usually with torture or a bullet to the head.

The slackers and dead heads who wear Che's face on their shirts would be suprised to know that their idol detested such people and rounded their type up into forced labor camps where they could be molded into good and obedient subjects of the "revolution". The same people who hate authority and call George Bush a fascist would have a rude awakening in the Cuba of the early 1960's. Castro and Che's vision for Cuba was a Soviet type police state in which they would have absolute power.

Fontova brings to light the real heroes of the Cuban revolution, those who dared to defy it, most of whom were rural campesinos. These were the people who took part in the Escambray Rebellion who refused to be slaves on Cuba's state-owned farms and refused to have their small family farms taken from them. The "heroic" Che had to defeat these people with Russian helicopters and convoys of Russian trucks. The real bloodletting of the Cuban revolution was done in prisons like La Cabana where Che ordered dissidents executed without a trial, some by his own hand. The names and exploits of the real martyrs of Cuba who defied Castro and Che are chronicled in this book.

We also learn how Che, as Cuba's Minister of Industries, botched things up so badly, the Soviets and Castro had to abandon him, which they finally did in Bolivia. As Fontova humorously puts it, "It usually requires an earthquake, volcano, tsunami, or atomic bomb to equal Che's industrial and economic achievements in Cuba".

Che's final debacle, trying to start a revolution in Bolivia, was opposed primarily by Bolivian campesinos who wanted no part of it. Unlike his comrades, Che surrendered without a fight, convinced that his life would be spared because, as he put it, "Don't shoot! I'm Che! I'm worth more alive to you than dead!" This is hardly the stuff martyrs are made of.

I wonder if the celebrities who visit Cuba and return with glowing reports parroting Castro's propganda, realize that their rooms may have been bugged and their itineraries closely monitored?

If this book doesn't outrage you, you are either a useless idiot or you need to check your pulse...you probably don't have one. After reading this, you'll never look at Che's image the same again. As for the crackpot celebrities who adorn themselves with it, you'll wonder why we take such people seriously.

Thank goodness for this product, more like it should exist.
People need to open their eyes and understand who that scum of the earth Che Guevara really was.

Thank you Sirs for taking a stand on the reality of things.

Joe R.

Humberto Fontova has done it again. He has written another opinion-turning expose of a folk hero of the far left. After overturning many of the fashionable myths about the Cuban revolution with Fidel: Hollywood's Favorite Tyrant, Fontova cracks the whip yet another time with Exposing the Real Che Guevara and the Useful Idiots Who Idolize Him (Sentinel, 2007, 224 pages). Humberto has the fashionista left's favorite tee-shirt model firmly in his crosshairs.
Rarely does the preface of a political biography grab anyone's attention. Fontova's first-person narrative in his book on Che Guevara grabs you and gives you a shake. The Fontova family has known not only loss from totalitarianism but pure terror as well. Communist thugs victimized law-abiding Cubans even as they were being allowed to leave. At Cuba's Rancho Boyero's airport in 1961, as well at other times and places, the Fontova family like others were victims. It was Che Guevara who, in concert with Soviet advisors, gave the various government goons their training.
There are no holds barred by the author. He makes his and other anti-Communist Cubans' case clear:
"If Cuban Americans strike you as too passionate, over the top, even a little crazy there is a reason. Practically every day, we turn on our televisions or go out to the street only to see the image of the very man who trained the secret police to murder our relatives-thousands of men, women, and boys. This man committed many of these murders with his own hands. And yet we see him celebrated everywhere as the quintessence of humanity, progress, and compassion.
That man, that murderer, is Ernesto `Che' Guevera."
While Humberto's book, like his similar work about Castro, is written for the mass-market, it is not just about his own experiences during the Cuban Communist revolution; its thesis is amply supported by diverse and documented testimonials about the cruelty of Che Guevara. This book will be difficult to refute.
Recently a movie that was sympathetic to Guevara was foisted on the public by executive producer Robert Redford. It chronicled a pre-revolution trip by "Che" during his youth. We can call these his "motorcycle years," I guess. Fontova's book chronicles yet another era in "Che" the sociopath's life path. I think we should call these the "missile years." I am of course referring to the Soviet missiles that were secretly based in Cuba. They were removed after the agreement with the United States in the fall of 1962. The events leading up to the removal of the missiles by the Soviet Union-perhaps against the wishes of the Cuban leadership-provided some of the highest tension during the "Cold War."
A November 1962 "London Daily Worker" interview of Guevara gives us some interesting insight into Che, as quoted in Fontova's book from Che's own lips: "If the nuclear missiles had remained, we would have used them against the very heart of America including New York City."
Ironically enough, a then-young actor named Robert Redford resided in New York City. Redford was, as I have mentioned, the executive producer of the recent movie, "The Motorcycle Diaries," that painted such a positive picture of a young, idealistic Che. In a 1962 episode of the old "Twilight Zone," Robert Redford plays the "angel of death." If the Russians had let Che use those missiles, young Bob might have been able to do character research for his part up close. The second part of the title to Fontova's expose is, after all, "And the Useful Idiots Who Idolize Him." Thanks for the object lesson, Robert Redford.
Many of those who wear Che tee-shirts are taking part in a cultural myth. In the minds of some, Che was some sort of cool everyman, a counter-cultural icon for many. Fontova offers ample evidence that Guevara was an enemy of dissent and individualism, even to the point of persecuting rock musicians. That practice continues to this day. Che's grandson Canek Sanchez Guevara now resides in Mexico. A rock musician, he simply left Cuba after a beating at the hands of the secret police. Having been educated in Cuba, Fontova points out that Canek sees this as evidence of Castro's betrayal of the ideas of the revolution. Fontova, however, while not favorably inclined to either Fidel or Che, sees Che as the more totalitarian and Stalinist. According to the author, Che's picture now adorns the building that houses the secret police; there is a picture provided.
The many personal testimonies provided by Humberto Fontova attesting to the mass-murders and other cruelties committed by Guevara will be hard to contradict. The central point is that Che Guevara, the founder of Cuba's secret police, was a ruthless and doctrinaire Stalinist thug. Fontova sprinkles this message with interesting and sometimes almost comical examples of Che's incompetence and klutziness. But it is still difficult to laugh at mass murder. The biography itself is a short, concise read and about as enjoyable as it can be, given the subject matter.

This is a real eye opener for those of us interersted in piercing the huge cloud of propaganda around Guevara, who, the author proves, was nothing more than a racist thug. Everyone who ever thought Che was cool should read this book: a terrifying look into how propaganda stumps reality.

This book obviously is skewed to the right. Mr. Fontova's family history will let you understand that.

Every other Che biography I have read is skewed to the left, and most of those biographies were penned by authors with unashamed borderline Marxist track records.

My father told me that the best judge of a man is by the word of his enemies. That is why I picked up this book.

As a child growing up in South FL, it was easy to get swept into the anti-Castro sentiment that is still prominent to this day (as evidence of this, the CITY OF MIAMI has a committee organized to plan a parade/party the day Castro passes away!!! The CITY OF MIAMI!!).

I decided to rebel against this Castro hatred, and decided to use Che as the spring board as a means to this end. (I also was influenced by Che murals in Belfast, Northern Ireland while visiting family).

My almost infatuation with Che led me to read 3 biographies and The Motorcycle Diaries.

Then I studied about the Russian Communist propaganda machine and their agitprop (in a marketing class of all places), and thought of the paint-by-numbers communist propaganda that Castro implemented in the early days of his regime.

Is it a stretch to think that Castro would turn someone of little importance to the actual revolution who was as marketable as any political figure in the last 100 years this side of Ghandi and Mandela into the figurehead for his revolution?

The reason I read this book was to figure out the other side of the story, even if the other side of the story would be as extreme in their opposition as the proponents of the Che legacy are for their cause.

The reality is the truth probably falls somewhere in the middle, and I have a hunch that it is probably closer to the story Mr. Fontova is telling. But really, who knows?

"The truth is being kept from us!" is a common complaint from Che's supporters. Actually, it is the mainstream media and popular culture that are doing the hiding. Fortunately, Fontova has addressed this problem. This eminently readable book thoroughly debunks the prevalent lies that Che was a great thinker, a great man of the people, a great leader, and an all-around great guy. All of the facts presented here are well documented by reliable sources and the truth shines from every page. Unfortunately, this very readability will probably keep it from the shelves of many college libraries, where it could conceivably have done some good; liberal academics will undoubtedly object on the grounds that it lacks what they would consider proper gravitas. Still, if your children come home wearing Che t-shirts or other accoutrement, don't let them out of the house until they've read this book. Che's picture is not just an image, and this seemingly harmless indoctrination is not just a phase that they'll outgrow.

Before you object or dismiss what I am about to write, please go to an encyclopedia and look up the clinical definition of the term "psychopath". Wikipedia has an excellent article. One reviewer of this book (who boasted that he hadn't and wouldn't read this book) claimed that Che wasn't a communist. He may have been right. This statement would surprise Che; he fancied himself the ultimate communist, even signing letters as "Stalin II". The real evidence (not the propaganda spoon-fed to the world by the Castro regime) indicates that Che was a psychopath; he fit the clinical description perfectly. He killed people. He killed lots of people. He even wrote about how much he enjoyed killing people. His revolutionary persona was largely a façade; he would have glommed onto any movement that gave him the opportunity to kill people.

It is amazing that the people who idolize Che are usually those who oppose such issues as globalization and the death penalty. It is ironic and somewhat hypocritical that they import an ersatz hero like Che when our country has so many of the genuine article who go largely ignored. It is even more ironic and hypocritical when they claim that the death penalty is unjust, yet they sing the praises of a man who ordered people executed without trials, without evidence, and with only "necessity" as an excuse. As Che himself would have put it, if one is to believe the movie The Motorcycle Diaries, "Ah, such injustice! Suuuuch injustice!"

Another logic-impaired reviewer wrote recently claimed that poor, semiliterate recruits in remote communist rebel camps are better informed than we are about the life of El Che. Such are the cognitive abilities of Che's fans. Really, now, how sensible is this? Who is more likely to have access to reliable information: the little guy in a guerilla camp who can barely read but is allowed half a dozen books, each of which was hand picked by the camp's political officer? Or you, who can, if you take the time and make the effort, read a huge variety of material ranging from reports by CIA case officers to unabashedly pro-revolution puff-pieces?

The truth really is being kept from you, but it is the mainstream media that is doing the hiding. Thank you, Mr. Fontova, for making the truth available. Now, if only people will bother to read it.