Che Guevara, Richard Goodwin, and the Almost Peace of 1961

[Judi Lynn]

1 May 2017 by S.T. Patrick
The Rise of Ernesto “Che” Guevara

Che Guevara was an Argentine. More importantly, Che Guevara was a revolutionary. Guevara had left a privileged life in Buenos Aires to become a physician for the poor. He traveled throughout Latin America immersing himself in the lifestyle of the people for which he would fight. He chronicled these travels in a work he called The Motorcycle Diaries.

Goodwin had come to Washington D.C. just out of college in the 1950’s to work as a congressional investigator during the television quiz show scandals. Like Kennedy, Goodwin had come from an affluent Massachusetts family. Also like Kennedy, Goodwin believed in the power of the Latin American people more than the oppressive oligarchies that had dominated the region throughout the 1950’s.

Che’s first direct contact with America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) came in defense of the democratically-elected Guatemalan government of Jacobo Arbenz in 1951. This fight inspired Che to dedicate his life to armed revolution. If the oppressive governments were armed, why should the revolution not be?


Richard Goodwin and President Kennedy

Richard Goodwin was part of a group of young, idealistic, Northeastern liberals who entered the oval office with President John F. Kennedy in 1961. At 31, Goodwin had joined the administration as Ted Sorensen’s speechwriting assistant before being appointed to the role of JFK’s point man on Latin American affairs.

Guevara joined Fidel and Raul Castro’s Cuban uprising after meeting them both in Mexico in 1956. Che shared the black beret, olive fatigues, and combat boots that would become a symbol of Castro’s 26th of July Movement for decades. Castro’s victory over the Fulgencio Batista regime led to Che’s appointment as Cuba’s economic minister.

The Kennedy Men vs. The Military-Industrial Complex

The 1961 Bay of Pigs disaster led to Kennedy’s distrust of the national security establishment that he believed had lied to him. It was this same “military-industrial complex” that outgoing President Dwight D. Eisenhower had warned the nation about in his farewell address. Now it would be Kennedy, a Democrat, whose struggle with the same military-industrial complex would later possibly cost him his life.

More:
https://midnightwriternews.com/che-guevara-richard-goodwin-and-the-almost-peace-of-1961/

Also posted in Editorials and other articles:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016258809

[BeyondGeography]

1. Goodwin was a key player for both Kennedy's and LBJ

Fearless, brilliant and principled. Even Guevara liked and respected him. His memoir, Remembering America, is one of the best books of the 60s you can read.