Ernesto Che Guevara - Guerrilla Warfare: Revolutionary Guide - HQ Full Book - SECRETS OF POWER: Masters of Politics, Strategy & War

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Ernesto che Guevara, Guerrilla Warfare,nineteen sixty one, Chapter one, General
Principles of Guerrilla Warfare One Essence ofGuerrilla Warfare. The armed victory of the
Cuban people over the Batista dictatorship wasnot only the triumph of heroism, as
reported by the newspapers of the world. It also forced a change in the

(00:22):
old dogmas concerning the conduct of thepopular masses of Latin America. It showed
plainly the capacity of the people tofree themselves by means of guerrilla warfare from
a government that oppresses them. Weconsider that the Cuban Revolution contributed three fundamental
lessons to the conduct of revolutionary movementsin America. They are one, popular

(00:45):
forces can win a war against thearmy. Two, it is not necessary
to wait until all conditions for makingrevolution exist, the insurrection can create them.
Three. In underdeveloped America, thecountryside is the basic for armed fighting.
Of these three propositions, the firsttwo contradict the defeatist attitude of revolutionaries

(01:07):
or pseudo revolutionaries who remain inactive andtake refuge in the pretext that against a
professional army nothing can be done,who sit down to wait until in some
mechanical way, all necessary objective andsubjective conditions are given without working to accelerate
them. As these problems were formerlya subject of discussion in Cuba until facts
settled the question, they are probablystill much discussed in America. Naturally,

(01:32):
it is not to be thought thatall conditions for revolution are going to be
created through the impulse given to themby guerrilla activity. It must always be
kept in mind that there is anecessary minimum without which the establishment and consolidation
of the first center is not practicable. People must see clearly the futility of
maintaining the fight for social goals withinthe framework of civil debate. When the

(01:55):
forces of oppression come to maintain themselvesin power against established life law, peace
is considered already broken. In theseconditions, popular discontent expresses itself in more
active forms. An attitude of resistancefinally crystallizes in an outbreak of fighting,
provoked initially by the conduct of theauthorities. Where a government has come into

(02:17):
power through some form of popular vote, fraudulent or not, and maintains at
least an appearance of constitutional legality,the guerrilla outbreak cannot be promoted, since
the possibilities of peaceful struggle have notyet been exhausted. The third proposition is
a fundamental of strategy. It oughtto be noted by those who maintain dogmatically

(02:38):
that the struggle of the masses iscentered in city movements, entirely forgetting the
immense participation of the country people inthe life of all the underdeveloped parts of
America. Of course, the strugglesof the city masses of organized workers should
not be underrated, but their realpossibilities of engaging in armed struggle must be
carefully analyzed. Where the guarantees whichcustomarily add dor in our constitutions are suspended

(03:01):
or ignored. In these conditions,the illegal workers movements face enormous dangers.
They must function secretly without arms.The situation in the open country is not
so difficult. There In places beyondthe reach of the repressive forces, the
armed guerrillas can support the inhabitants.We will later make a careful analysis of

(03:24):
these three conclusions that stand out inthe Cuban revolutionary experience. We emphasize them
now at the beginning of this workas our fundamental contribution. Guerrilla warfare the
basis of the struggle of a peopleto redeem itself has diverse characteristics different facets,
even though the essential will for liberationremains the same. It is obvious

(03:46):
and writers on the theme have saidit many times that war responds to a
certain series of scientific laws. Whoeverignores them will go down to defeat.
Guerrilla warfare as a phase of war, must be ruled by all of the
use, but besides, because ofits special aspects, a series of corollary
laws must also be recognized in orderto carry it forward. Though geographical and

(04:10):
social conditions in each country determine themode and particular forms that guerrilla warfare will
take, there are general laws thathold for all fighting of this type.
Our task at the moment is tofind the basic principles of this kind of
fighting and the rules to be followedby people seeking liberation, to develop theory
from facts, to generalize and givestructure to our experience for the profit of

(04:31):
others. Let us first consider thequestion who are the combatants in guerrilla warfare?
On one side, we have agroup composed of the oppressor and his
agents, the professional army, wellarmed and disciplined, in many cases receiving
foreign help as well as the helpof the bureaucracy in the employ of the
oppressor. On the other side arethe people of the nation or region involved.

(04:56):
It is important to emphasize that guerrillawarfare is a war of the master,
a war of the people. Thegorilla band is an armed nucleus,
the fighting vanguard of the people.It draws its great force from the mass
of the people themselves. The gorillaband is not to be considered inferior to
the army against which it fights simplybecause it is inferior in firepower. Gorilla

(05:19):
warfare is used by the side whichis supported by a majority, but which
possesses a much smaller number of armsfor use in defense against oppression, The
gorilla fighter needs full help from thepeople of the area. This is an
indispensable condition. This is clearly seenby considering the case of bandit gangs that

(05:39):
operate in a region. They haveall the characteristics of a gorilla army,
homogeneity, respect for the leader,valor, knowledge of the ground, and
often even good understanding of the tacticsto be employed. The only thing missing
is support of the people, andinevitably these gangs are captured and exterminated by

(05:59):
the public force. Analyzing the modeof operation of the gorilla band. Seeing
its form of struggle and understanding itsbase in the masses, we can answer
the question why does the gorilla fighterfight. We must come to the inevitable
conclusion that the gorilla fighter is asocial reformer, that he takes up arms
responding to the angry protest of thepeople against their oppressors, and that he

(06:21):
fights in order to change the socialsystem that keeps all his unarmed brothers in
ignominin misery. He launches himself againstthe conditions of the reigning institutions at a
particular moment, and dedicates himself withall the vigor that circumstances permit to breaking
the mold of these institutions. Whenwe analyze more fully the tactic of guerrilla

(06:42):
warfare, we will see that theguerrilla fighter needs to have a good knowledge
of the surrounding countryside, the pathsof entry and escape, the possibilities of
speedy maneuver, good hiding places.Naturally, also, he must count on
the support of the people. Allthis indicates that the guerrilla fighter will carry
out his action in wild places ofsmall population, since in these places the

(07:04):
struggle of the people for reforms isaimed primarily and almost exclusively at changing the
social form of land ownership. Theguerrilla fighter is above all an agrarian revolutionary.
He interprets the desires of the greatpeasant mass to be owners of land,
owners of their means of production,of their animals, of all that
which they have long yearned to calltheir own, of that which constitutes their

(07:27):
life, and will also serve astheir cemetery. It should be noted that
in current interpretations, there are twodifferent types of guerrilla warfare, one of
which a struggle complementing great regular armies, such as was the case of the
Ukrainian fighters in the Soviet Union,does not enter into this analysis. We
are interested in the other type,the case of an armed group engaged in

(07:47):
struggle against the constituted power, whethercolonial or not, which establishes itself as
the only base, and which buildsitself up in rural areas. In all
such cases, whatever the ideological aimsthat may inspire the fight, the economic
aim is determined by the aspiration towardownership of land. The China of Mau

(08:09):
begins as an outbreak of worker groupsin the south, which is defeated and
almost annihilated it succeeds in establishing itselfand begins its advance only when, after
the long march from Yinan, ittakes up its base in rural territories and
makes agrarian reform its fundamental goal.The struggle of ho Chi Min is based
in the rice growing peasants who areoppressed by the French colonial yoke. With

(08:33):
this force, it is going forwardto the defeat of the colonialists. In
both cases, there is a frameworkof patriotic war against the Japanese invader,
but the economic basis of a fightfor the land has not disappeared. In
the case of Algeria, the grandidea of Arab nationalism has its economic counterpart
in the fact that a million Frenchsettlers utilize nearly all of the arable land

(08:56):
of Algeria. In some countries,such as poor Ploto Rico, where the
special conditions of the island have notpermitted a gorilla outbreak, the nationalist spirit,
deeply wounded by the discrimination that isdaily practiced, has as its basis
the aspiration of the peasants, eventhough many of them are already a proletariat,
to recover the land that the Yankeeinvader seized from them. This same

(09:18):
central idea, though in different forms, inspired the small farmers, peasants and
slaves of the eastern Estates of Cubato close ranks and defend together the right
to possess land during the thirty yearWar of Liberation. Taking account of the
possibilities of development of guerrilla warfare,which is transformed with the increase in the

(09:39):
operating potential of the gorilla band intoa war of positions, this type of
warfare, despite its special character,is to be considered as an embryo,
a prelude of the other. Thepossibilities of growth of the gorilla band and
of changes in the mode of fightuntil conventional warfare is reached, are as
great as the possibilities of defeating theenemy in each of the different battles,

(10:01):
combats, or skirmishes that take place. Therefore, the fundamental principle is that
no battle, combat or skirmish isto be fought unless it will be one.
There is a malevolent definition that saysthe gorilla fighter is the jesuit of
warfare. By this is indicated aquality of secretiveness, of treachery, of

(10:22):
surprise that is obviously an essential elementof guerrilla warfare. It is a special
kind of Jesuitism, naturally prompted bycircumstances, which necessitates acting at certain moments
in ways different from the romantic andsporting conceptions with which we are taught to
believe war is fought. War isalways a struggle in which each contender tries

(10:43):
to annihilate the other. Besides usingforce, they will have recourse to all
possible tricks and stratagems in order toachieve the goal. Military strategy and tactics
are a representation by analysis of theobjectives of the groups and of the means
of achieving these objectives. These meanscontemplate taking advantage of all the weak points

(11:03):
of the enemy. The fighting actionof each individual platoon in a large army
in a war of positions will presentthe same characteristics as those of the gorilla
band. It uses secretiveness, treachery, and surprise, and when these are
not present, it is because vigilanceon the other side prevents surprise. But

(11:24):
since the gorilla band is a divisionunto itself, and since there are large
zones of territory not controlled by theenemy, it is always possible to carry
out gorilla attacks in such a wayas to a sure surprise, and it
is the duty of the gorilla fighterto do so. Underscore, hit and
run underscore. Some call this scornfully, and this is accurate. Hit and

(11:45):
run, wait, lie in,ambush again, hit and run, and
thus repeatedly without giving any rest tothe enemy. There is in all this
it would appear a negative quality,an attitude of retreat, of avoiding frontal
fights. However, this is consequentupon the general strategy of guerrilla warfare,
which is the same in its ultimateend as is any warfare, to win,

(12:09):
to annihilate the enemy. Thus itis clear that guerrilla warfare is a
phase that does not afford in itsself opportunities to arrive at complete victory.
It is one of the initial phasesof warfare and will develop continuously until the
guerrilla army, in its steady growth, acquires the characteristics of a regular army.
At that moment it will be readyto deal final blows to the enemy

(12:31):
and to achieve victory. Triumph willalways be the product of a regular army,
even though its origins are in aguerrilla army. Just as the general
of a division in a modern wardoes not have to die in front of
his soldiers. The guerrilla fighter,who is general of himself need not die
in every battle. He is readyto give his life. But the positive

(12:54):
quality of this guerrilla warfare is preciselythat each one of the guerrilla fighters is
ready to die, not to deferan ideal, but rather to convert it
into reality. This is the basisthe essence of guerrilla fighting. Miraculously,
a small band of men, thearmed vanguard of the great popular force that
supports them, goes beyond the immediatetactical objective, goes on decisively to achieve

(13:18):
an ideal, to establish a newsociety, to break the old molds of
the outdated, and to achieve finally, the social justice for which they fight.
Considered, thus, all these disparagedqualities acquire a true nobility, the
nobility of the end at which theyaim, and it becomes clear that we
are not speaking of distorted means ofreaching an end. This fighting attitude,

(13:39):
this attitude of not being dismayed atany time, this inflexibility when confronting the
great problems in the final objective,is also the nobility of the Gribar fighter.
Guerrilla Warfare nineteen sixty one two Gorillastrategy. In gorilla terminology, strategy
is understood as the annalis of theobjectives to be achieved in the light of

(14:01):
the total military situation and the overallways of reaching these objectives. To have
a correct strategic appreciation from the pointof view of the gorilla band, it
is necessary to analyze fundamentally what willbe the enemy's mode of action. If
the final objective is always the completedestruction of the opposite force, the enemy

(14:22):
is confronted, in the case ofa civil war of this kind, with
the standard task he will have toachieve the total destruction of each one of
the components of the gorilla band.The gorilla fighter, on the other hand,
must analyze the resources which the enemyhas for trying to achieve that outcome,
the means in men, in mobility, in popular support, in armaments,

(14:43):
in capacity of leadership on which hecan count. We must make our
own strategy adequate on the basis ofthese studies, keeping in mind always the
final objective of defeating the enemy army. There are fundamental aspects to be studied.
The armament, for example, andthe manner of using this armament.
The value of a tank of anairplane in a fight of this type must

(15:05):
be weighed. The arms of theenemy, his ammunition, his habits must
be considered because the principal source ofprovision for the gorilla force is precisely in
enemy armaments. If there is apossibility of choice, we should prefer the
same type as that used by theenemy, since the greatest problem of the
gorilla band is the lack of ammunition, which the opponent must provide. After

(15:28):
the objectives have been fixed and analyzed, it is necessary to study the order
of the steps leading to the achievementof the final objective. This should be
planned in advance, even though itwill be modified and adjusted as the fighting
develops and unforeseen circumstances arise. Atthe outset, the essential task of the
gorilla fighter is to keep himself frombeing destroyed. Little by little, it

(15:52):
will be easier for the members ofthe gorilla band or bands to adapt themselves
to their form of life and tomake flight and escape from the force that
are on the offensive an easy taskbecause it is performed daily. When this
condition is reached, the gorilla havingtaken up inaccessible positions out of reach of
the enemy, or having assembled forcesthat deter the enemy from attacking ought to

(16:14):
proceed to the gradual weakening of theenemy. This will be carried out at
first at those points nearest to thepoints of active warfare against the Gorilla band,
and later will be taken deeper intoenemy territory, attacking his communications,
later attacking or harassing his bases ofoperations in his central bases, tormenting him
on all sides. To the fullextent of the capabilities of the gorilla forces.

(16:37):
The blows should be continuous. Theenemy soldier in a zone of operations
ought not to be allowed to sleep. His outposts ought to be attacked and
liquidated systematically at every moment. Theimpression ought to be created that he is
surrounded by a complete circle in woodedand broken areas. This effort should be
maintained both day and night, inopen zones that are easily penetrated by enemy

(17:00):
patrols at night only. In orderto do all this, the absolute cooperation
of the people and a perfect knowledgeof the ground is necessary. These two
necessities affect every minute of the lifeof the guerrilla fighter. Therefore, along
with centers for study of present andfuture zones of operations, intensive popular work

(17:22):
must be undertaken to explain the motivesof the revolution its ends, and to
spread the incontrovertible truth that victory ofthe enemy against the people is finally impossible.
Whoever does not feel this undoubted truthcannot be a goerrilla fighter. This
popular work should at first be aimedat securing secrecy. That is, each
peasant, each member of the societyin which action is taking place, will

(17:45):
be asked not to mention what hesees and hears. Later, help will
be sought from inhabitants whose loyalty tothe revolution offers greater guarantees. Still later,
use will be made of these personsin missions of contact, for transporting
goods or arms, as guides inthe zones familiar to them. Still later,
it is possible to arrive at organizedmass action in the centers of work,

(18:08):
of which the final result will bethe general strike. The strike is
a most important factor in civil war, but in order to reach it,
a series of complementary conditions are necessary, which do not always exist, and
which very rarely come to exist spontaneously. It is necessary to create these essential
conditions, basically by explaining the purposesof the revolution and by demonstrating the forces

(18:33):
of the people and their possibilities.It is also possible to have recourse to
certain very homogeneous groups which must haveshown their efficacy previously in less dangerous tasks,
in order to make use of anotherof the terrible arms of the guerrilla
band sabotage. It is possible toparalyze entire armies, to suspend the industrial
life of a zone, leaving theinhabitants of a city without factories, without

(18:57):
light, without water, without communicationsof any kind, without being able to
risk travel by highway except at certainhours. If all this is achieved,
the morale of the enemy falls,the morale of his combatant unit's weakens,
and the fruit ripens for plucking ata precise moment. All this presupposes an

(19:17):
increase in the territory included within thegorilla action, but an excessive increase of
this territory is to be avoided.It is essential always to preserve a strong
base of operations and to continue strengtheningit during the course of the war.
Within this territory, measures of indoctrinationof the inhabitants of the zone should be
utilized. Measures of quarantine should betaken against the irreconcilable enemies of the revolution.

(19:41):
All the purely defensive measures such astrenches, mines and communications should be
perfected. When the gorilla band hasreached a respectable power in arms and in
number of combatants, it ought toproceed to the formation of new columns.
This is an act similar to thatof the beehive, when at a given
moment it releases a new queen whogoes to another region with a part of

(20:04):
the swarm. The mother hive withthe most notable guerrilla chief will stay in
the less dangerous places, while thenew columns will penetrate other enemy territories.
Following the cycle already described, amoment will arrive in which the territory occupied
by the columns is too small forthem, and in the advance toward regions
solidly defended by the enemy, itwill be necessary to confront powerful forces.

(20:29):
At that instant the columns join,they offer a compact fighting front, and
a war of positions is reached,a war carried on by regular armies.
However, the former gorilla army cannotcut itself off from its base, and
it should create new gorilla bands behindthe enemy, acting in the same way
as the original bands operated Earlier proceedingthus to penetrate enemy territory until it is

(20:52):
dominated. It is thus that guerrillasreach the stage of attack, of the
encirclement of fortified bases, of thedefeat of reinforcements, of mass action ever
more ardent in the whole national territory, arriving finally at the objective of the
war. Guerrilla Warfare, nineteen sixtyone. Free gorilla tactics. In military

(21:15):
language, tactics are the practical methodsof achieving the grand strategic objectives. In
one sense, they complement strategy,and in another they are more specific rules
within it. As means, tacticsare much more variable, much more flexible
than the final objectives, and theyshould be adjusted continually during the struggle.

(21:36):
There are tactical objectives that remain constantthroughout a war and others that vary.
The first thing to be considered isthe adjusting of gorilla action to the action
of the enemy. The fundamental characteristicof a gorilla band is mobility. This
permits it, in a few minutesto move far from a specific theater,
and in a few hours far evenfrom the region if that becomes necessary,

(22:00):
permits it constantly to change front andavoid any type of encirclement as the circumstances
of the war require. The gorillaband can dedicate itself exclusively to fleeing from
an encirclement, which is the enemy'sonly way of forcing the band into a
decisive fight that could be unfavorable.It can also change the battle into a
counter encirclement. Small bands of menare presumably surrounded by the enemy, when

(22:22):
suddenly the enemy is surrounded by strongercontingents or men located in a safe place
serve as a lure, leading tothe encirclement and annihilation of the entire troops
and supply of an attacking force.Characteristic of this war of mobility is the
so called minuet, named from theanalogy with the dance. The gorilla bands

(22:44):
encircle an enemy position an advancing column, for example, they encircle it completely
from the four points of the compass, with five or six men in each
place, far enough away to avoidbeing encircled themselves. The fight is started
at any one of the points,and the art army moves toward it.
The gorilla band then retreats, alwaysmaintaining visual contact, and initiates its attack

(23:07):
from another point. The army willrepeat its action and the gorilla banned the
same. Thus successively, it ispossible to keep an enemy column immobilized,
forcing it to expend large quantities ofammunition and weakening the morale of its troops
without incurring great dangers. This sametactic can be applied at night time,

(23:27):
closing in more and showing greater aggressiveness, because in these conditions counter encirclement is
much more difficult. Movement by nightis another important characteristic of the gorilla band,
enabling it to advance into position foran attack and where the danger of
betrayal exists, to mobilize in newterritory. The numerical inferiority of the gorilla

(23:49):
makes it necessary that attacks always becarried out by surprise. This great advantage
is what permits the gorilla fighter toinflict losses on the enemy without suffering losses.
In a fight between a hundred menon one side and ten on the
other, losses are not equal.Where there is one casualty on each side,
the enemy loss is always reparable.It amounts to only one percent of

(24:12):
his effectiveness. The loss of thegorilla band requires more time to be repaired
because it involves a soldier of highspecialization and is ten percent of the operating
forces. A dead soldier of theguerrillas ought never to be left with his
arms and his ammunition. The dutyof every guerrilla soldier whenever a companion falls

(24:33):
is to recover immediately these extremely preciouselements of the fight. In fact,
the care which must be taken ofammunition and the method of using it are
further characteristics of guerrilla warfare. Inany combat between a regular force and a
gorilla band, it is always possibleto know one from the other by their
different manner of fire. A greatamount of firing on the part of the

(24:53):
regular army, sporadic and accurate shotson the part of the gorillas. Once
one of our heroes, now dead, had to employ his machine guns for
nearly five minutes, burst after burst, in order to slow up the advance
of enemy soldiers. This fact causedconsiderable confusion in our forces, because they

(25:14):
assumed from the rhythm of fire thatkey position must have been taken by the
enemy. Since this was one ofthe rare occasions where departure from the rule
of saving fire had been called forbecause of the importance of the point being
defended, another fundamental characteristic of theguerrilla soldier is his flexibility, his ability
to adapt himself to all circumstances andto convert to his service all of the

(25:36):
accidents of the action. Against therigidity of classical methods of fighting, the
guerrilla fighter invents his own tactics atevery minute of the fight and constantly surprises
the enemy. In the first place, there are only elastic positions, specific
places that the enemy cannot pass,and places of diverting him. Frequently,

(25:56):
the enemy, after easily overcoming difficultiesin a gradual advance, is surprised to
find himself suddenly and solidly detained,without possibilities of moving forward. This is
due to the fact that the gorilladefended positions, when they have been selected
on the basis of a careful studyof the ground, are invulnerable. It
is not the number of attacking soldiersthat counts, but the number of defending

(26:19):
soldiers. Once that number has beenplaced there, it can nearly always hold
off a battalion with success. Itis a major task of the chiefs to
choose well the moment and the placefor defending a position without retreat. The
form of attack of a gorilla armyis also different. Starting with surprise and
fury irresistible, it suddenly converts itselfinto total passivity. The surviving enemy,

(26:45):
resting believes that the attacker has departed. He begins to relax, to return
to the routine life of the campor of the fortress, when suddenly a
new attack bursts forth in another placewith the same characteristics. While the main
body of the gorilla band lies inweight to intercept reinforcements, at other times
an outposts defending the camp will besuddenly attacked by the gorilla dominated and captured.

(27:11):
The fundamental thing is surprise and rapidityof attack. Acts of sabotage are
very important. It is necessary todistinguish clearly between sabotage, a revolutionary and
highly effective method of warfare, andterrorism, a measure that is generally ineffective
and indiscriminate in its results, sinceit often makes victims of innocent people and

(27:33):
destroys a large number of lives thatwould be valuable to the revolution. Terrorism
should be considered a valuable tactic whenit is used to put to death some
noted leader of the oppressing forces,well known for his cruelty, his efficiency
in repression, or other quality thatmakes his elimination useful. But the killing
of persons of small importance is neveradvisable, since it brings on an increase

(27:55):
of reprisals, including deaths. Thereis one point very much in controversy in
opinions about terrorism. Many consider thatits use by provoking police oppression, hinders
all more or less legal or semiclandestine contact with the masses, and makes
impossible unification for actions that will benecessary at a critical moment. This is

(28:17):
correct, but it also happens thatin a civil war the repression by the
governmental power in certain towns is alreadyso great that, in fact every type
of legal action is suppressed already,and any action of the masses that is
not supported by arms is impossible.It is therefore necessary to be circumspect in
adopting methods of this type, andto consider the consequences that they may bring

(28:40):
for the revolution. At any rate, well managed sabotage is always a very
effective arm, though it should notbe employed to put means of production out
of action, leaving a sector ofthe population paralyzed and thus without work.
Unless this paralysis affects the normal lifeof the society, it is ridiculous to
carry out sabotage against a soft drinkfactory, but it is absolutely correct and

(29:03):
advisable to carry out sabotage against apower plant. In the first case,
a certain number of workers are putout of a job, but nothing is
done to modify the rhythm of industriallife. In the second case, there
will again be displaced workers, butthis is entirely justified by the paralysis of
the life of the region. Wewill return to the technique of sabotage later.

(29:26):
One of the favorite arms of theenemy army, supposed to be decisive
in modern times, is aviation.Nevertheless, this has no use whatsoever during
the period that guerrilla warfare is inits first stages, with small concentrations of
men in rugged places. The utilityof aviation lies in the systematic destruction of

(29:47):
visible and organized defenses, and forthis there must be large concentrations of men
who construct these defenses, something thatdoes not exist in this type of warfare.
Planes are also potent against marches bycolumn through level places or places without
cover. However, this latter dangeris easily avoided by carrying out the marches
at night. One of the weakestpoints of the enemy is transportation by road

(30:11):
and railroad. It is virtually impossibleto maintain a vigil yard by yard over
a transport line, a road,or a railroad. At any point,
a considerable amount of explosive charge canbe planted that will make the road impassable,
or by exploding it at the momentthat a vehicle passes. A considerable
loss in lives and material to theenemy is caused at the same time that

(30:33):
the road is cut. The sourcesof explosives are varied. They can be
brought from other zones, or usecan be made of bombs seized from the
dictatorship, though these do not alwayswork, or they can be manufactured in
secret laboratories within the gorilla zone.The technique of setting them off is quite
varied. Their manufacture also depends uponthe conditions of the gorilla band. In

(30:59):
our laboratory, we made powder whichwe used as a cap, and we
invented various devices for exploding the minesat the desired moment. The ones that
gave the best results were electric.The first mind that we exploded was a
bomb dropped from an aircraft of thedictatorship. We adapted it by inserting various
caps and adding a gun with thetrigger pulled by a cord. At the

(31:22):
moment that an enemy truck passed,the weapon was fired to set off the
explosion. These techniques can be developedto a high degree. We have information
that in Algeria, for example,tele explosive mines, that is, mines
exploded by radio at great distances fromthe point where they are located, are
being used today against the French colonialpower. The technique of lying in ambush

(31:47):
along roads in order to explode minesand annihilate survivors is one of the most
remunerative in point of ammunition and arms. The surprised enemy does not use his
ammunition and has no time to flee. With a small expenditure of ammunition,
large results are achieved as blows aredealt the enemy. He also changes his

(32:07):
tactics and in place of isolated trucks, veritable motorized columns move. However,
by choosing the ground well, thesame result can be produced by breaking the
column and concentrating forces on one vehicle. In these cases, the essential elements
of guerrilla tactics must always be keptin mind. These are perfect knowledge of

(32:28):
the ground, surveillance and foresight asto the lines of escape, vigilance over
all the secondary roads that can bringsupport to the point of attack, Intimacy
with people in the zone so asto have sure help from them in respect
to supplies, transport, and temporaryor permanent hiding places if it becomes necessary
to leave wounded companions behind. Numericalsuperiority at a chosen point of action,

(32:51):
total mobility, and the possibility ofcounting on reserves. If all these tactical
requisites are fulfilled, surprise attack alongthe lines of communication of the enemy yields
notable dividends. A fundamental part ofgorilla tactics is the treatment accorded the people
of the zone. Even the treatmentaccorded the enemy is important. The norm

(33:13):
to be followed should be an absoluteinflexibility at the time of attack, an
absolute inflexibility toward all the despicable elementsthat resort to informing an assassination and clemency
as absolute as possible toward the enemysoldiers who go into the fight performing or
believing that they perform a military duty. It is a good policy so long
as there are no considerable basis ofoperations and in vulnerable places to take no

(33:37):
prisoners survivors ought to be set free. The wounded should be cared for with
all possible resources at the time ofthe action. Conduct toward the civil population
ought to be regulated by a largerespect for all the rules and traditions of
the people of the zone, inorder to demonstrate effectively with deeds the moral

(33:58):
superiority of the gorilla fire over theoppressing soldier. Except in special situations,
there ought to be no execution ofjustice without giving the criminal an opportunity to
clear ourself. Guerrilla warfare nineteen sixtyone for warfare on favorable ground. As
we have already said, gorilla fightingwill not always take place in country most

(34:21):
favorable to the employment of its tactics, but when it does, that is
when the gorilla band is located inzones difficult to reach, either because of
dense forests, steep mountains, impassabledeserts, or marshes. The general tactics,
based on the fundamental postulates of guerrillawarfare, must always be the same.
An important point to consider is themoment for making contact with the enemy.

(34:45):
If the zone is so thick sodifficult that an organized army can never
reach it, the gorilla band shouldadvance to the regions where the army can
arrive and where there will be apossibility of combat. As soon as the
survival of the gorilla band has beenassured, it should fight. It must
constantly go out from its refuge tofight. Its mobility does not have to

(35:07):
be as great as in those caseswhere the ground is unfavorable. It must
adjust itself to the capabilities of theenemy. But it is not necessary to
be able to move as quickly asin places where the enemy can concentrate a
large number of men in a fewminutes. Neither is the nocturnal character of
this warfare so important. It willbe possible in many cases to carry out

(35:27):
daytime operations, especially mobilizations by day, though subjected to enemy observation by land
and air. It is also possibleto persist in a military action for a
much longer time. Above all,in the mountains, it is possible to
undertake battles of long duration with veryfew men, and it is very probable
that the arrival of enemy reinforcements atthe scene of the fight can be prevented.

(35:51):
A close watch over the points ofaccess is, however, an axiom
never to be forgotten by the guerrillafighter his aggressiveness on account of the difficulties
that the enemy faces in bringing upreinforcements, can he greater. He can
approach the enemy more closely, fightmuch more directly, more frontally, and
for a longer time. Though theserules may be qualified by various circumstances,

(36:14):
such for example, as the amountof ammunition. Fighting on favorable ground and
particularly in the mountains presents many advantages, but also the inconvenience that it is
difficult to capture in a single operationa considerable quantity of arms and ammunition,
owing to the precautions that the enemytakes in these regions. The gorilla soldier

(36:35):
must never forget the fact that itis the enemy that must serve as his
source of supply of ammunition and arms, but much more rapidly than in unfavorable
ground. The gorilla band will herebe able to dig in, that is,
to form a base capable of engagingin a war of positions, where
small industries may be installed as theyare needed, as well as hospitals,
centers for education and training, storagefacilities or organs of propaganda, et cetera.

(37:01):
Adequately protected from aviation or from longrange artillery. The gorilla band in
these conditions can number many more personnel. There will be noncombatants and perhaps even
a system of training in the useof the arms that eventually are to fall
into the power of the gorilla army. The number of men that a gorilla
band can have is a matter ofextremely flexible calculation, adapted to the territory,

(37:24):
to the means available of acquiring supplies, to the mass flights of oppressed
people from other zones, to thearms available, to the necessities of organization.
But in any case it is muchmore practicable to establish a base and
expand with the support of new combatantelements. The radius of action of a
gorilla band of this type can beas wide as conditions or the operations of

(37:47):
other bands in adjacent territory permit.The range will be limited by the time
that it takes to arrive at azone of security from the zone of operation,
assuming that marches must be made atnight. If it will not be
possible to operate more than five orsix hours away from a point of maximum
security, small gorilla bands that workconstantly at weakening a territory can go farther

(38:09):
away from the zone of security.The arms preferable for this type of warfare
are long range weapons requiring small expenditureof bullets, supported by a group of
automatic or semi automatic arms. Ofthe rifles and machine guns that exist in
the markets of the United States,one of the best is the M one
rifle called the Garrand. However,only people with some experience should use this,

(38:35):
since it has the disadvantage of expendingtoo much ammunition. Medium heavy arms
such as tripod machine guns can beused on favorable ground, affording a greater
margin of security for the weapon andits personnel, but they ought always to
be a means of repelling an enemy, and not for attack. An ideal
composition for a gorilla band of twentyfive men would be ten to fifteen single

(38:58):
shot rifles and about ten automatic arms, between garrens and hand machine guns,
including light and easily portable automatic armssuch as the Browning or the more modern
Belgian fal and M fourteen automatic rifles. Among the hand machine guns, the
best are those of nine millimeters,which permit a larger transport of ammunition.

(39:19):
The simpler its construction the better,because this increases the case of switching parts.
All this must be adjusted to thearmament that the enemy uses. Since
the ammunition that he employs is whatwe are going to use when his arms
fall into our hands, it ispractically impossible for heavy arms to be used.
Aircraft cannot see anything and cease tooperate. Tanks and cannons cannot do

(39:43):
much owing to the difficulties of advancingin these zones. A very important consideration
is supply. In general, thezones of difficult access for this very reason,
present special problems. Since there arefew peasants and therefore animal and food
supplies are scarce. It is necessaryto maintain stable lines of communication in order

(40:04):
to be able always to count ona minimum of food stockpiled in the event
of any disagreeable development. In thiskind of zone of operations, the possibilities
of sabotage on a large scale aregenerally not present. With the inaccessibility goes
a lack of constructions telephone lines,aqueducts, et cetera that could be damaged
by direct action. For supply purposes, it is important to have animals,

(40:29):
among which the mule is the best. In rough country, adequate pasturage permitting
good nutrition is essential. The mulecan pass through extremely hilly country impossible for
other animals. In the most difficultsituations, it is necessary to resort to
transport by men. Each individual cancarry twenty five kilograms for many hours daily

(40:51):
and for many days. The linesof communication with the exterior should include a
series of intermediate points manned by peopleof complete life liability, where products can
be stored and where contacts can goto hide themselves. At critical times.
Internal lines of communication can also becreated. Their extension will be determined by

(41:12):
the stage of development reached by thegorilla band. In some zones of operations
in the recent Cuban War, telephonelines of many kilometers of length were established,
roads were built, and a messengerservice maintained sufficient to cover all zones
in a minimum of time. Thereare also other possible means of communication,
not used in the Cuban War,but perfectly applicable, such as smoke signals,

(41:36):
signals with sunshine reflected by mirrors,and carrier pigeons. The vital necessities
of the gorillas are to maintain theirarms in good condition, to capture ammunition,
and, above everything else, tohave adequate shoes. The first manufacturing
efforts should therefore be directed toward theseobjectives. Shoe factories can initially be cobbler

(41:58):
installations that were place half saws onold shoes, expanding afterwards into a series
of organized factories with a good averagedaily production of shoes. The manufacture of
powder is fairly simple, and muchcan be accomplished by having a small laboratory
and bringing in the necessary materials fromoutside. Mind areas constitute a grave danger

(42:19):
for the enemy. Large areas canbe mined for simultaneous explosion destroying up to
Hunt of Baran Guerrilla warfare nineteen sixtyone five warfare on unfavorable ground. In
order to carry on warfare in countrythat is not very hilly, lacks forests,
and has many roads, all thefundamental requisites of guerrilla warfare must be

(42:42):
observed. Only the forms will bealtered. The quantity, not the quality
of guerrilla warfare will change. Forexample, following the same order as before,
the mobility of this type of gorillashould be extraordinary. Strikes should be
made preferably at night. They shouldbe extremely rapid, But the gorilla should
move to places different from the startingpoint, the farthest possible from the scene

(43:05):
of action, assuming that there isno place secure from the repressive forces that
the gorilla can use as its garrison. A man can walk between thirty and
fifty kilometers during the night hours.It is possible also to march during the
first hours of daylight, unless thezones of operation are closely watched, or
there is danger that people in thevicinity seeing the passing troops will notify the

(43:28):
pursuing army of the location of thegorilla band and its route. It is
always preferable in these cases to operateat night, with the greatest possible silence.
Both before and after the action.The first hours of night are best
here, too, There are exceptionsto the general rule, since at times
the dawn hours will be preferable.It is never wise to habituate the enemy

(43:50):
to a certain form of warfare.It is necessary to vary constantly the places,
the hours, and the forms ofoperation. We have already said that
the action cannot endure for long,but must be rapid. It must be
of a high degree of effectiveness,last a few minutes, and be followed
by an immediate withdrawal. The armsemployed here will not be the same as

(44:12):
in the case of actions on favorableground. A large quantity of automatic weapons
is to be preferred in night attaxMarksmanship is not the determining factor, but
rather concentration of fire. The moreautomatic arms firing at short distance, the
more possibilities there are of annihilating theenemy. Also, the use of mines
in roads and the destruction of bridgesare tactics of great importance. Attacks by

(44:37):
the guerrilla will be less aggressive sofar as the persistence and continuation are concerned,
but they can be very violent,and they can utilize different arms such
as mines and the shotgun against openvehicles heavily loaded with men, which is
the usual method of transporting troops,and even against closed vehicles that do not

(44:57):
have special defenses against buses for examssample. The shotgun is a tremendous weapon.
A shotgun loaded with large shot isthe most effective. This is not
a secret of guerrilla fighters. Itis used also in big wars. The
Americans used shotgun platoons armed with highquality weapons and bayonets for assaulting machine gun

(45:17):
nests. There is an important problemto explain that of ammunition. This will
almost always be taken from the enemy. It is therefore necessary to strike blows
where there will be the absolute assuranceof restoring the ammunition expended unless there are
large reserves in secure places. Inother words, an annihilating attack against a

(45:38):
group of men is not to beundertaken at the risk of expending all ammunition
without being able to replace it.Always, in gorilla tactics it is necessary
to keep in mind the grave problemof procuring the war material necessary for continuing
the fight. For this reason,gorilla arms ought to be the same as
those used by the enemy, exceptfor weapons such as revolt and shotguns,

(46:00):
for which the ammunition can be obtainedin the zone itself or in the cities.
The number of men that a gorillaband of this type should include does
not exceed ten to fifteen. Informing a single combat unit, it is
of great importance always to consider thelimitations on numbers ten, twelve, fifteen
men can hide anywhere, and atthe same time can help each other in

(46:22):
putting up a powerful resistance to theenemy. Four or five would perhaps be
too small a number, but whenthe number exceeds ten, the possibility that
the enemy will discover them in theircamp or on the march is much greater.
Remember that the velocity of the gorillaband on the march is equal to
the velocity of its slowest man.It is more difficult to find uniformity of

(46:45):
marching speed with twenty thirty or fortymen than with ten, and the gorilla
fighter on the plane must be fundamentallya runner. Here the practice of hitting
and running acquires its maximum use.The gorilla bands on the plains side for
the enormous inconvenience of being subject toa rapid encirclement and of not having sure
places where they can set up afirm resistance. Therefore, they must live

(47:07):
in conditions of absolute secrecy for along time, since it would be dangerous
to trust any neighbor whose fidelity isnot perfectly established. The reprisals of the
enemy are so violent, usually sobrutal, inflicted not only on the head
of the family, but frequently onthe women and children as well, that
pressure on individuals lacking firmness may resultat any moment in their giving way and

(47:30):
revealing information as to where the gorillaband is located and how it is operating.
This would immediately produce an encirclement,with consequences always disagreeable, although not
necessarily fatal. When conditions the quantityof arms and the state of insurrection of
the people call for an increase inthe number of men. The gorilla band

(47:51):
should be divided. If it isnecessary. All can rejoin at a given
moment to deal a blow, butin such a way that immediately afterwards they
can disperse towards separate zones a gaindivided into small groups of ten, twelve
or fifteen men, it is entirelyfeasible to organize whole armies under a single
command and to assure respect and obedienceto this command without the necessity of being

(48:15):
in a single group. Therefore,the election of the gorilla chiefs and a
certainty that they coordinate ideologically and personallywith the overall chief of the zone are
very important. The bazuka is aheavy weapon that can be used by the
gorilla band because of its easy portabilityand operation. Today, the rifle fired
anti tank grenade can replace it.Naturally, it will be a weapon taken

(48:39):
from the enemy. The bazuka isideal for firing on armored vehicles and even
on unarmored vehicles that are loaded withtroops, and for taking small military bases
of few men in a short time. But it is important to point out
that not more than three shells perman can be carried, and this only
with considerable exertion. As for theutilization of heavy arms taken from the enemy,

(49:02):
nothing is to be scorned. Butthere are weapons such as the tripod
machine gun, the heavy fifty millimetermachine gun, free, et cetera,
that, when captured, can beutilized with a willingness to lose them again.
In other words, in the unfavorableconditions that we are now analyzing a
battle to defend, the heavy machinegun or other weapon of this type cannot

(49:23):
be allowed. They are simply tobe used until the tactical moment when they
must be abandoned. In our CubanWar of liberation, to abandon a weapon
constituted a grave offense, and therewas never any case where the necessity arose.
Nevertheless, we mention this case inorder to explain clearly the only situation

(49:44):
in which abandonment would not constitute anoccasion for reproaches on unfavorable ground. The
guerrilla weapon is the personal weapon ofrapid fire. Easy access to the zone
usually means that it will be habitableand that there will be a peasant population
In these places. This facilitates supplyenormously having trustworthy people and making contact with

(50:07):
establishments that provide supplies to the population. It is possible to maintain a guerrilla
band perfectly well without having to devotetime or money to long and dangerous lines
of communication. Also, it iswell to reiterate that the smaller the number
of men, the easier it willbe to procure food for them. Essential
supplies such as bedding, waterproof material, mosquito netting, shoes, medicines,

(50:30):
and food will be found directly inthe zone since they are things of daily
use by its inhabitants. Communications willbe much easier in the sense of being
able to count on a larger numberof men more roads, but they will
be more difficult as a problem ofsecurity for messages between distant points, since
it will be necessary to rely ona series of contacts that have to be

(50:51):
trusted. There will be the dangerof an eventual capture of one of the
messengers who are constantly crossing enemy zones. If the message are of small importance,
they should be oral. If ofgreat importance, code writing should be
used. Experience shows that transmission byword of mouth greatly distorts any communication.

(51:12):
For these same reasons, manufacture willhave much less importance at the same time
that it would be much more difficultto carry it out. It will not
be possible to have factories making shoesor arms. Practically speaking, manufacture will
have to be limited to small shopscarefully hidden, where shotgun shells can be
recharged in mines, simple grenades,and other minimum necessities of the moment manufactured.

(51:37):
On the other hand, it ispossible to make use of all the
friendly shops of the zone for suchwork as is necessary. This brings us
to two consequences that flow logically fromwhat has been said. One of them
is that the favorable conditions for establishinga permanent camp in guerrilla warfare are inverse
to the degree of productive development ofa place. All favorable cant conditions,

(52:00):
all facilities of life, normally inducemen to settle, but for the gorilla
band, the opposite is the case. The more facilities there are for social
life, the more nomadic, themore uncertain the life of the gorilla fighter.
These really are the results of oneand the same principle. The title
of this section is war on unfavorableground, because everything that is favorable to

(52:23):
human life, communications bourbon and semiurban concentrations of large numbers of people land
easily worked by machine. All theseplaced the gorilla fighter in a disadvantageous situation.
The second conclusion is that if goerrillafighting must include me extremely important faction
of work on the masses. Thiswork is even more important in the unfavorable

(52:45):
zones, where a single enemy attackcan produce a catastrophe. Indoctrination should be
continuous, and so should be thestruggle for unity of the workers, of
the peasants and of other social classesthat live in the zone, in order
to achieve or the gorilla fighters amaximum homogeneity of attitude. This task with
the masses. This constant work atthe huge problem of relations of the gorilla

(53:08):
band with the inhabitants of the zonemust also govern the attitude to be taken
toward the case of an individual recalcitrantenemy soldier, he should be eliminated without
hesitation when he is dangerous. Inthis respect, the gorilla band must be
drastic. Enemies cannot be permitted toexist within the zone of operations in places

(53:28):
that offer no guerrilla warfare nineteen sixtyone six suburban warfare. If during the
war the gorilla bands close in oncities and penetrate the surrounding country in such
a way as to be able toestablish themselves in conditions of some security.
It will be necessary to give thesesuburban bands a special education, or rather

(53:50):
a special organization. It is fundamentalto recognize that a suburban guerrilla band can
never spring up of its own accord. It will be born only after certain
conditions necessary for its survival have beencreated. Therefore, the suburban gorilla will
always be under the direct orders ofchiefs located in another zone. The function

(54:12):
of this gorilla band will not beto carry out independent actions, but to
coordinate its activities with overall strategic plansin such a way as to support the
action of larger groups situated in anotherarea, contributing specifically to the success of
a fixed tactical objective. Without theoperational freedom of gorilla bands of the other
types, for example, a suburbanband will not be able to choose among

(54:35):
the operations of destroying telephone lines,moving to make attacks in another locality,
and surprising a patrol of soldiers ona distant road. It will do exactly
what it is told. If itsfunction is to cut down telephone poles or
electric wires to destroy sewers, railroadsor water mainz. It will limit itself
to carrying out these tasks efficiently.It ought not to number more than four

(54:59):
or five men. The limitation onnumbers is important because the suburban gorilla must
be considered as situated in exceptionally unfavorableground, where the vigilance of the enemy
will be much greater, and thepossibilities of reprisals as well as of betrayal
are increased enormously. Another aggravating circumstanceis that the suburban gorilla band cannot depart

(55:21):
far from the places where it isgoing to operate to speed of action and
withdrawal. There must be added alimitation on the distance of withdrawal from the
scene of action and the need toremain totally hidden during the daytime. This
is a nocturnal gorilla band in theextreme, without possibilities of changing its manner
of operating until the insurrection is sofar advanced that it can take part as

(55:43):
an active combatant in the siege ofthe city. The essential qualities of the
gorilla fighter in this situation are disciplined, perhaps in the highest degree of all
and discretion. He cannot count onmore than two or three friendly houses that
will provide food. It is almostcertain that an encirclement in these conditions will
be equivalent to death. Weapons furthermore, will not be of the same kind

(56:07):
as those of the other groups.They will be for personal defense, of
the type that do not hinder arapid flight or betray a secure hiding place.
As their armament, the band oughtto have not more than one carbine
or one sawed off shotgun, orperhaps two with pistols for the other members.
They will concentrate their action on prescribedsabotage and never carry out armed attacks,

(56:30):
except by surprising one or two membersor agents of the enemy troops.
For sabotage, they need a fullset of instruments. The guerrilla fighter must
have good saws, large quantities ofdynamite, picks and shovels, apparatus for
lifting rails, and in general adequatemechanical equipment for the work to be carried

(56:51):
out. This should be hidden inplaces that are secure but easily accessible to
the hands that will need to useit. If there is more than one
gorilla band, they will all beunder a single chief who will give orders
as to the necessary tasks through contactsof proven trustworthiness who live openly as ordinary
citizens. In certain cases, theguerrilla fighter will be able to maintain his

(57:14):
peace time work, but this isvery difficult practically speaking. The suburban guerrilla
band is a group of men whoare already outside the law in a condition
of war, situated as unfavorably.As we have described, the importance of
a suburban struggle has usually been underestimated. It is really very great. A

(57:34):
good operation of this type, extendedover a wide area paralyzes almost completely the
commercial and industrial life of the sector, and places the entire population in a
situation of unrest, of anguish,almost of impatience for the development of violent
events that will relieve the period ofsuspense. If from the first moment of
the war thought is taken for thefuture possibility of this type of fight and

(57:57):
an organization of specialists started, amuch more rapid action will be assured,
and with it a saving of livesand of the priceless time of honition.
Guerrilla Warfare nineteen sixty one, Chaptertwo. The gorilla Band one the goerrilla
fighter Social Reformer. We have alreadydescribed the gorilla fighter as one who shares

(58:17):
the longing of the people for liberation, and who, once peaceful means are
exhausted, initiates the fight and convertshimself into an armed vanguard of the fighting
people. From the very beginning ofthe struggle, he has the intention of
destroying an unjust order, and thereforean intention more or less hidden, to
replace the old with something new.We have also already said that in the

(58:39):
conditions that prevail, at least inAmerica and in almost all countries with deficient
economic development, it is the countrysidethat offers ideal conditions for the fight.
Therefore, the foundation of the socialstructure that the guerrilla fighter will build begins
with changes in the ownership of agrarianproperty. The banner of the fight throughout

(58:59):
this period will be agrarian reform.At first, this goal may or may
not be completely delineated in its extentand limits. It may simply refer to
the age old hunger of the peasantfor the land on which he works or
wishes to work. The conditions inwhich the agrarian reform will be realized depend
upon the conditions which existed before thestruggle began, and on the social depth

(59:22):
of the struggle. But the guerrillafighter, as a person conscious of a
role in the vanguard of the people, must have a moral conduct that shows
him to be a true priest ofthe reform to which he aspires. To
the stoicism imposed by the difficult conditionsof warfare should be added an austerity born
of rigid self control that will preventa single excess, a single slip.

(59:43):
Whatever the circumstances, the gorilla soldiershould be an ascetic. As for social
relations, these will vary with thedevelopment of the war. At the beginning,
it will not be possible to attemptany changes in the social order.
Merchandised that cannot be paid for incash will be paid for with bonds,
and these should be redeemed at thefirst opportunity. The peasant must always be

(01:00:07):
helped technically, economically, morally andculturally. The guerrilla fighter will be a
sort of guiding angel who has falleninto the zone, helping the poor always
and bothering the rich as little aspossible in the first phases of the war,
But this war will continue on itscourse, contradictions will continuously become sharper.

(01:00:28):
The moment will arrive when many ofthose who regarded the revolution with a
certain sympathy at the outset will placethemselves in a position diametrically opposed, and
they will take the first step intobattle against the popular forces. At that
moment, the guerrilla fighter should actto make himself into the standard bearer of
the cause of the people, punishingevery betrayal with justice. Private property should

(01:00:51):
acquire in the war zones its socialfunction. For example, excess land and
livestock, not essential for the maintenanceof a wealthy family, should into the
hands of the people and be distributedequitably and justly. The right of the
owners to receive payment for possessions usedfor the social good ought always to be
respected. But this payment will bemade in bonds, bonds of hope,

(01:01:13):
as they were called by our teacher, General Baale three, referring to the
common interest that is thereby established betweendebtor and creditor. The land and property
of notorious and active enemies of therevolution should pass immediately into the hands of
the revolutionary forces. Furthermore, takingadvantage of the heat of the war,
those moments in which human fraternity reachesits highest intensity, all kinds of cooperative

(01:01:36):
work, as much as the mentalityof the inhabitants will permit ought to be
stimulated. The guerrilla fighter, asa social reformer, should not only provide
an example in his own life,but he ought also constantly to give orientation
in ideological problems, explaining what heknows and what he wishes to do at
the right time. He will alsomake use of what he learns as the

(01:01:58):
months or years of the war strengthenhim as revolutionary convictions, making him more
radical, as the potency of armsis demonstrated, as the outlook of the
inhabitants becomes a part of his spiritand of his own life, and as
he understands the justice and the vitalnecessity of a series of changes of which
the theoretical importance appeared to him before, but devoid of practical urgency. This

(01:02:20):
development occurs very often because the initiatorsof guerrilla warfare, or rather the directors
of guerrilla warfare, are not menwho have bent their back stay after day
over the furrow. They are menwho understand the necessity for changes in the
social treatment accorded peasants, without havingsuffered, in the usual case, this
bitter treatment in their own persons.It happens, then I am drawing on

(01:02:44):
the Cuban experience and enlarging it,that a genuine interaction is produced between these
leaders, who, with their actsteach the people the fundamental importance of the
armed fight, and the people themselves, who rise in rebellion and teach the
leaders these practical necessities of which wespeak. Thus, as a product of
this interaction between the guerrilla fighter andhis people, a progressive radicalization appears,

(01:03:07):
which further accentuates the revolutionary characteristics ofthe movement and gives it. In Nashvarsco
Guerrilla Warfare nineteen sixty one two,the guerrilla fighter as combatant. The life
and activities of the guerrilla fighter sketchedthus in their general lines, call for
a series of physical, mental,and moral qualities needed for adapting oneself to

(01:03:29):
prevailing conditions and for fulfilling completely anymission assigned. To the question as to
what the gorilla soldier should be like, the first answer is that he should
preferably be an inhabitant of the zone. If this is the case, he
will have friends who will help him. If he belongs to the zone itself,
he will know it, and thisknowledge of the ground is one of

(01:03:49):
the most important factors in guerrilla warfare, and since he will be habituated to
local peculiarities, he will be ableto do better work. Not to mention
that he will add to all thisthe enthusiasm that arises from defending his own
people and fighting to change a socialregime that hurts his own world. The
gorilla combatant is a night combatant.To say this is to say at the

(01:04:10):
same time that he must have allthe special qualities that such fighting requires.
He must be cunning, able tomarch to the place of attack across plains
or mountains without anybody noticing him,and then to fall upon the enemy,
taking advantage of the factor of surprise, which deserves to be emphasized again as
important in this type of fight.After causing panic by this surprise, he

(01:04:31):
should launch himself into the fight implacably, without permitting a single weakness in his
companions, and taking advantage of everysign of weakness on the part of the
enemy, striking like a tornado,destroying all, giving no quarter unless the
tactical circumstances call for it, judgingthose who must be judged, sowing panic
among the enemy combatants. He neverthelesstreats defenseless prisoners benevolently and shows respect for

(01:04:57):
the dead. A wounded enemy shouldbe treated with care and respect, unless
his former life has made him liableto a death penalty, in which case
he will be treated in accordance withhis deserts. What can never be done
is to keep prisoners unless a securebase of operations invulnerable to the enemy has
been established. Otherwise the prisoner willbecome a dangerous menace to the security of

(01:05:20):
the inhabitants of the region or tothe gorilla band itself because of the information
that he can give upon rejoining theenemy army. If he has not been
a notorious criminal, he should beset free after receiving a lecture. The
gorilla combatant ought to risk his lifewhenever necessary, and be ready to die
without the least sign of doubt.But at the same time he ought to

(01:05:42):
be cautious and never expose himself unnecessarily. All possible precautions ought to be taken
to avoid a defeat or an annihilation. For this reason, it is extremely
important in every fight to maintain vigilanceover all the points from which enemy reinforcements
may arrive, and to take precautionagainst an encirclement. The consequences of which
are usually not physically disastrous, butwhich damages morale by causing a loss of

(01:06:06):
faith in the prospects of the struggle. However, he ought to be audacious
and, after carefully analyzing the dangersand possibilities in an action, always ready
to take an optimistic attitude towards circumstancesand to see reasons for a favorable decision,
even in moments when the analysis ofthe adverse and favorable conditions does not

(01:06:27):
show an appreciable positive balance. Tobe able to survive in the midst of
these conditions of life and enemy action, the guerrilla fighter must have a degree
of adaptability that will permit him toidentify himself with the environment in which he
lives, to become a part ofit, and to take advantage of it
as his ally to the maximum possibleextent. He also needs a faculty of

(01:06:47):
rapid comprehension and an instantaneous inventiveness thatwill permit him to change his tactics according
to the dominant course of the action. These faculties of adaptability and inventiveness in
popasular armies are what ruined the statisticsof the war lords and cause them to
waver. The gorilla fighter must neverfor any reason leave a wounded companion at

(01:07:09):
the mercy of the enemy troops,because this would be leaving him to an
almost certain death. At whatever cost, he must be removed from the zone
of combat to a secure place.The greatest exertions and the greatest risks must
be taken in this task. Thegorilla soldier must be an extraordinary companion.
At the same time, he oughtto be close mouthed. Everything that is

(01:07:31):
said and done before him should bekept strictly in his own mind. He
ought never to permit himself a singleuseless word, even with his own comrades
in arms, since the enemy willalways try to introduce spies into the ranks
of the gorilla band in order todiscover its plans, location, and means
of life. Besides the moral qualitiesthat we have mentioned, the guerrilla fighter

(01:07:55):
should possess a series of very importantphysical qualities. He must be indefatigable.
He must be able to produce anothereffort At the moment when weariness seems intolerable.
Profound conviction expressed in every line ofhis face forces him to take another
step, and this not the lastone, since it will be followed by

(01:08:15):
another, in another, in another, until he arrives at the place designated
by his chiefs. He ought tobe able to endure extremities, to withstand
not only the privations of food,water, clothing, and shelter to which
he is subjected frequently, but alsothe sickness and wounds that often must be
cured by nature without much help fromthe surgeon. This is all the more

(01:08:36):
necessary because usually the enemy will assassinatethe individual who leaves the guerrilla zone to
recover from sickness or wounds. Tomeet these conditions, he needs an iron
constitution that will enable him to resistall these adversities without falling ill, and
to make of his hunted animal's lifeone more factor of strength. With the
help of his natural adaptability, hebecomes a part of the land itself where

(01:09:00):
he fights. All these considerations bringus to ask what is the ideal age
for the gorilla fighter. These limitsare always very difficult to state precisely,
because individual and social peculiarities changed thefigure. A peasant, for example,
will be much more resistant than aman from the city. A city dweller

(01:09:20):
who is accustomed to physical exercise anda healthy life will be much more efficient
than a man who has lived allhis life behind a desk. But generally,
the maximum age of combatants in thecompletely nomadic stage of the Gorilla struggle
ought not to exceed forty years,although there will be exceptional cases, above
all among the peasants. One ofthe heroes of our struggle, Commandant Crescenzo

(01:09:44):
Perez, entered the Sierra at sixtyfive years of age and was immediately one
of the most useful men in thetroupe. We might also ask if the
members of the gorilla band should bedrawn from a certain social class. It
has already been said that this socialcomposition ought to be adjusted to that of
the zone chosen for the center ofoperations, which is to say that the
combatant nucleus of the gorilla army oughtto be made up of peasants. The

(01:10:09):
peasant is evidently the best soldier,but the other strata of the population are
not by any means to be excludedor deprived of the opportunity to fight for
a just cause. Individual exceptions arealso very important in this respect. We
have not yet fixed the lower limitof age. We believe that miners less
than sixteen years of age ought notto be accepted for the fight, except

(01:10:32):
in very special circumstances. In general, these young boys only children, do
not have sufficient development to bear tipunder the work, the weather, and
the suffering to which they will besubjected. The best age for a gorilla
fighter varies between twenty five and thirtyfive years, a stage in which the
life of most sons has assumed definiteshape. Whoever sets out at that age

(01:10:57):
abandoning his home, his children,and his entire world must have thought well
of his responsibility and reached a firmdecision not to retreat a step. There
are extraordinary cases of children who,as combatants, have reached the highest ranks
of our rebel army. But thisis not the usual case. For every
one of them who displayed great fightingqualities, there were tens who ought to

(01:11:18):
have been returned to their homes,and who frequently constituted a dangerous burden for
the gorilla band. The gorilla fighter, as we have said, is a
soldier who carries his house on hisback like the snail. Therefore, he
must arrange his knapsack in such away that the smallest quantity of utensils will
render the greatest possible service. Hewill carry only the indispensable, but he

(01:11:41):
will take care of it at alltimes as something fundamental and not to be
lost, except in extremely adverse situations. His armament will also be only that
which he can carry on his own. Reprovisioning is very difficult, above all
with bullets. To keep them dry, always, to keep them clean,
to count them one by one sothat none is lost. These are the

(01:12:02):
watchwords, and the gun ought alwaysto be kept clean, well greased,
and with the barrel shining. Itis advisable for the chief of each group
to impose some penalty or punishment onthose who do not maintain their armaments in
these conditions. People with such notabledevotion firmness must have an ideal that sustains

(01:12:23):
them in the adverse conditions that wehave described. This ideal is simple,
without great pretensions, and in generaldoes not go very far. But it
is so firm, so clear,that one will give his life for it
without the least hesitation. With almostall peasants, this ideal is the right
to have and work a piece ofland of their own, and to enjoy

(01:12:43):
just social treatment. Among workers,it is to have work to receive an
adequate wage, as well as justsocial treatment among students and professional people.
More abstract ideas such as liberty arefound to be motives for the fight.
This brings us to the question whatis the life of the gorilla fighter like
his normal life is the long hike. Let us take as an example a

(01:13:06):
mountain gorilla fighter located in wooded regionsunder constant harassment by the enemy. In
these conditions, the gorilla band movesduring daylight hours without eating in order to
change its position when night arrives.Camp is set up in a clearing near
water supply according to a routine,each group assembling in order to eat in

(01:13:27):
common. At dusk, the firesare lighted with whatever is at hand.
The gorilla fighter eats when he canand everything he can. Sometimes, fabulous
feasts disappear in the gullet of thecombatant. At other times he fasts for
two or three days without suffering anydiminution in his capacity for work. His
house will be the open sky.Between it and his hammock, he places

(01:13:49):
a sheet of waterproof nylon, andbeneath the cloth and hammock he places his
knapsack, gun and ammunition, whichare the treasures of the gorilla fighter.
At times it is it is notwise for shoes to be removed because of
the possibility of a surprise attack bythe enemy. Shoes are another of his
precious treasures. Whoever has a pairof them has the security of a happy

(01:14:12):
existence within the limits of the prevailingcircumstances. Thus, the guerrilla fighter will
live for days without approaching any inhabitedplace, avoiding all contact that has not
been previously arranged, staying in thewildest zones, knowing hunger at times,
thirst, cold heat, sweating duringthe continuous marches, letting the sweat dry
on his body and adding to itnew sweat, without any possibility of regular

(01:14:35):
cleanliness, although this also depends somewhatupon the individual disposition, as does everything
else. During the recent war,upon entering the village of El Yuvro,
following a march of sixteen kilometers anda fight of two hours and forty five
minutes in a hot sun, alladded to several days passed in very adverse
conditions along the sea with intense heatfrom a boiling sun, our bodies gave

(01:15:00):
gave off a peculiar and offensive odourthat repelled anyone who came near our noses
were completely habituated to this type oflife. The hammocks of gorilla fighters are
known for their characteristic individual odor.In such conditions, breaking camp ought to
be done rapidly, leaving no tracesbehind. Vigilance must be extreme. For

(01:15:20):
every ten men sleeping, there oughtto be one or two on watch,
with the sentinels being changed continually anda sharp vigil being maintained over all entrances
to the camp. Campaign life teachesseveral tricks for preparing meals, some to
help speed their preparation, others toadd seasoning with little things found in the
forest, still others for inventing newdishes that give a more varied character to

(01:15:43):
the gorilla menu, which is composedmainly of roots, grains, salt,
a little oil or lard, andvery sporadically pieces of the meat of some
animal that has been slain. Thisrefers to the life of a group operating
in tropical sectors within when the frameworkof the combatant life. The most interesting
event, the one that carries allto a convulsion of joy and puts new

(01:16:06):
vigor in everybody's steps, is thebattle. The battle climax of the gorilla
life is sought at an opportune moment, either when an enemy encampment sufficiently weak
to be annihilated has been located andinvestigated, or when an enemy column is
advancing directly toward the territory occupied bythe liberating force. The two cases are

(01:16:27):
different. Against an encampment, theaction will be a thin encirclement and fundamentally
will become a hunt for the membersof the columns that come to break the
encirclement. An entrenched enemy is neverthe favorite prey of the gorilla fighter.
He prefers his enemy to be onthe move, nervous, not knowing the
ground, fearful of everything, andwithout natural protections for defense. Whoever is

(01:16:49):
behind a parapet with powerful arms forrepelling and offensive will never be in the
plight, however bad his situation ofa long column that is attacked suddenly into
two or three places in cut.If the attackers are not able to encircle
the column and destroy it totally,they will retire prior to any counteraction.

(01:17:09):
If there is no possibility of defeatingthose entrenched in a camp by means of
hunger or thirst, or by adirect assault, the gorilla ought to retire
after the encirclement has yielded its fruitsof destruction in the relieving columns. In
cases where the gorilla column is tooweak and the invading column too strong,
the action should be concentrated upon thevanguard. There should be a special preference

(01:17:31):
for this tactic, whatever the hopefor result, Since after the leading ranks
have been struck several times, thusdiffusing among the soldiers the news that death
is constantly occurring to those in thevan, the reluctance to occupy those places
will provoke nothing less than mutiny.Therefore, attacks ought to be made on
that point, even if they arealso made at other points of the column.

(01:17:54):
The facility with which the gorilla fightercan perform his function and adapt himself
to the environment will depend upon hisequipment. Even though joined with others in
small groups, he has individual characteristics. He should have in his knapsack,
besides his regular shelter, everything necessaryto survival in case he finds himself alone

(01:18:14):
for some time. In giving thelist of equipment, we will refer essentially
to that which should be carried byan individual located in rough country at the
beginning of a war with frequent rainfall, some cold weather, and harassment by
the enemy. In other words,we place ourselves in a situation that existed
at the beginning of the Cuban Warof Liberation. The equipment of the guerrilla

(01:18:36):
fighter is divided into the essential andthe accessory. Among the first is a
hammock. This provides adequate rest.It is easy to find two trees from
which it can be strung see picturetwo to one, and in cases where
one sleeps on the ground, itcan serve as a mattress. Whenever it

(01:18:56):
is raining or the ground is wet, a frequent occurrence in tropical mounts zones,
the hammock is indispensable for sleeping.A piece of waterproof nylon cloth is
its complement. The nylon should belarge enough to cover the hammock when tied
from its four corners, and witha line strung through the center to the
same trees from which the hammock hangs. This last line serves to make the

(01:19:18):
nylon into a kind of tent byraising a center ridge and causing it to
shed water. A blanket is indispensablebecause it is cold in the mountains at
night. It is also necessary tocarry a garment such as a jacket or
coat, which will enable one tobear the extreme changes of temperature. Clothing
should consist of rough work trousers andshirt, which may or may not be

(01:19:41):
of a uniform cloth. Shoes shouldbe of the best possible construction. Also,
since without good shoes, marches arevery difficult, they should be one
of the first articles laid up inreserve. Since the gorilla fighter carries his
house in his knapsack, the latteris very important. The more primitive types
may be made from any kind ofsac carried by two ropes, but those

(01:20:03):
of canvas found in the market ormade by a harness maker are preferable.
The gorilla fighter ought always to carrysome personal food besides that which the troop
carries or consumes in its camps.Indispensable articles are lard or oil, which
is necessary for fat consumption. Cannedgoods, which should not be consumed except

(01:20:24):
in circumstances where food for cooking cannotbe found, or when there are too
many cans and their weight impedes themarch. Preserved fish, which has great
nutritional value. Condensed milk, whichis also nourishing, particularly on account of
the large quantity of sugar that itcontains. Some sweet for its good taste.
Powdered milk can also be carried.Sugar is another essential part of the

(01:20:47):
supplies, as is salt, withoutwhich life becomes sheer martyrdom, and something
that serves to season the meals suchas onion, garlic, et cetera.
According to the characteristics of the country. This completes the category of the essentials.
The gorilla fighter should carry a plate, knife, and fork camping style,

(01:21:08):
which will serve all the various necessaryfunctions. The plate can be camping
or military type, or a panthat is usable for cooking anything from a
piece of meat to a potato,or for brewing tea or coffee. To
care for the rifle, special greasesare necessary, and these must be carefully
administered. Sewing machine oil is verygood if there is no special oil available.

(01:21:31):
Also needed are cloths that will servefor cleaning the arms frequently, and
a rod for cleaning the gun inside, something that ought to be done often.
The ammunition belt can be of commercialtype or home made according to the
circumstances, but it ought to beso made that not a single bullet will
be lost. Ammunition is the basisof the fight, without which everything else

(01:21:53):
would be in vain, it mustbe cared for like gold. A canteen
or a bottle for water is essential, since it will frequently be necessary to
drink in a situation where water isnot available. Among medicines, those of
general use should be carried, forexample, penicillin for some other type of
antibiotic, preferably the types taken orallycarefully closed, medicines for lowering fever,

(01:22:16):
such as aspirin, and others adaptedto treating the endemic diseases of the area.
These may be tablets against malaria,sulfus for diarrhea, medicines against parasites
of all types. In other words, fit the medicine to the characteristics of
the region. It is advisable inplaces where there are poisonous animals to carry

(01:22:38):
appropriate injections. Surgical instruments will completethe medical equipment. Small personal items for
taking care of less important injuries shouldalso be included. A customary and extremely
important comfort in the life of theguerrilla fighter is a smoke, whether cigars,
cigarettes, or pipe tobacco. Assmoke in moments of rest, is

(01:22:59):
a great friend to the solitary soldier. Pipes are useful because they permit using
to the extreme all tobacco that remainsin the butts of cigars and cigarettes at
time of scarcity. Matches are extremelyimportant, not only for lighting a smoke,
but also for starting fires. Thisis one of the great problems in
the forest in rainy periods. Itis preferable to carry both matches and a

(01:23:23):
lighter, so that if the lighterruns out of fuel, matches remain as
a substitute. Soap should be carriednot only for personal cleanliness, but for
washing eating utensils, because intestinal infectionsor irritations are frequent and can be caused
by spoiled food left on dirty cookingwear. With this set of equipment,

(01:23:44):
the guerrilla fighter can be assured thathe will be able to live in the
forest under adverse conditions, no matterhow bad, for as long as is
necessary to dominate the situation. Thereare accessories that at times are useful in
others that constitute a bother but arevery useful. The compass is one of
these. At the outset, thiswill be used a great deal in gaining

(01:24:04):
orientation, but little by little knowledgeof the country will make it unnecessary.
In mountainous regions, a compass isnot of much use since the rooted indicates
will usually be cut off by impassableobstacles. Another useful article is an extra
nylon cloth for covering all equipment whenit rains. Remember that rain and tropical

(01:24:27):
countries is continuous during certain months,and that water is the enemy of all
the things that the gorilla fighter mustcarry food, ammunition, medicine, paper,
and clothing. A change of clothingcan be carried, but this is
usually a mark of inexperience. Theusual custom is to carry no more than
an extra pair of pants, eliminatingextra underwear and other articles such as towels.

(01:24:50):
The Life of the gorilla fighter teacheshim to conserve his energy in carrying
his knapsack from one place to another, and he will, little by little
get rid of everything that does nothave essential value. In addition to a
piece of soap useful for washing utensilsas well as for personal cleanliness, a
tooth brush and paste should be carried. It is worth while also to carry

(01:25:13):
a book, which will be exchangedwith other members of the band. These
books can be good biographies of pastheroes, histories or economic geographies preferably of
the country, and works of generalcharacter that will serve to raise the cultural
level of the soldiers and discourage thetendency toward gambling or other undesirable forms of
passing the time. There are periodsof boredom in the life of the guerrilla

(01:25:36):
fighter. Whenever there is extra spacein a knapsack one it ought to be
used for food, except in thosezones where the food supply is easy and
sure, sweets or food of lesserimportance complementing the basic items can be carried.
Crackers can be one of these,although they occupy a large space and
break up into crumbs in thick forests. An as shetty is useful in very

(01:26:00):
wet places. A small bottle ofgasoline or light resinous wood such as pine
for kindling will make fire building easierwhen the wood is wet. A small
notebook and pen or pencil for takingnotes and for letters to the outside or
communication with other gorilla bands ought alwaysto be a part of the gorilla fighters
equipment. Pieces of string or ropeshould be kept available. These have many

(01:26:25):
uses. Also needles, thread andbuttons for clothing. The gorilla fighter who
carries this equipment will have a solidhouse on his back. Rather heavy but
furnished to assure a comfortable life duringthe hardships of Kivara Guerrilla Warfare nineteen sixty
one. Free organization of a gorillaband. No rigid scheme can be offered.

(01:26:47):
For the organization of a gorilla band. There will be innumerable differences according
to the environment in which it isto operate. For convenience of exposition,
we will suppose that our experience hasa universe application. But it should be
kept in mind that it is onlyone way that there will possibly be new
forms that may work better with theparticular characteristics of another given armed group.

(01:27:10):
The size of the component units ofthe guerrilla force is one of the most
difficult problems to deal with. Therewill be different numbers of men in different
compositions of the troop. As wehave already explained. Let us suppose a
force situated in favorable ground mountainous,with conditions not so bad as to necessitate
perpetual flight, but not so goodas to afford a base of operations.

(01:27:32):
The combat units of an armed forcethus situated ought to number not more than
one hundred and fifty men, andeven this number is rather high. Ideal
would be a unit of about onehundred men. This constitutes a column,
and in the Cuban organization, iscommanded by a commandant. It should be
remembered that in our war the gradesof corporal and sergeant were omitted because they

(01:27:54):
were considered reminiscent of the tyranny.On this premise, the common dant commands
this, this whole force of onehundred to one hundred fifty men, and
there will be as many captains asthere are groups of thirty to forty men.
The captain has the function of directing, unifying his platoon, making it
fight almost always as a unit,and looking after the distribution of men in

(01:28:15):
the general organization. In guerrilla warfare, the squad is the functional unit.
Each squad, made up of approximatelyeight to twelve men, is commanded by
a lieutenant, who performs for hisgroup functions analogous to those of the captain,
to whom he must always be inconstant subordination. The operational tendency of
the guerrilla band to function in smallgroups makes the squad the true unit.

(01:28:41):
Eight to ten men are the maximumthat can act as a unit in a
fight in these conditions. Therefore,the squad, which will frequently be separated
from the captain, even though theyfight on the same front, will operate
under the orders of its lieutenant.There are exceptions, of course, a
squad should not be broken up norkept this same burst. At times when
there is no fighting. Each squadand platoons should know who the immediate successor

(01:29:05):
is in case the chief falls,and these persons should be sufficiently trained to
be able to take over their newresponsibilities immediately. One of the fundamental problems
of the troop is food supply.In this everyone from the last man to
the chief must be treated alike.This acquires a high importance, not only
because of the chronic shortage of supplies, but also because meals are the only

(01:29:29):
events that take place daily. Thetroops, who have a keen sense of
justice, measure the rations with asharp eye. The least favoritism for anyone
ought never to be permitted. Ifin certain circumstances the meal is served to
the whole column, a regular ordershould be established and observed strictly, and
at the same time, the quantityand quality of food given to each one

(01:29:49):
ought to be carefully checked. Inthe distribution of clothing, the problem is
different, these being articles of individualuse. Here too, consider prevail first
the demand for necessities of those whoneed them, which will almost always be
greater than the supply, and secondthe length of service and merits of each

(01:30:10):
one of the applicants. The lengthof service and merits, something very difficult
to fix exactly, should be notedin special booklets by one assigned this responsibility
under the direct supervision of the chiefof the column. The same should be
said about other articles that become availableand are of individual rather than collective utility.

(01:30:30):
Tobacco and cigarettes ought to be distributedaccording to the general rule of equal
treatment for everybody. This task ofdistribution should be a specifically assigned responsibility.
It is preferable that the persons designatedbe attached directly to the command. The
command performs therefore administrative tasks of liaison, which are very important, as well

(01:30:51):
as all the other special tasks thatare necessary. Officers of the greatest intelligence
ought to be in Soldiers attached tothe command ought to be alert and of
maximum dedication, since their burdens willusually be greater than those borne by the
rest of the troop. Nevertheless,they can have no special treatment. At

(01:31:12):
meal time. Each gorilla fighter carrieshis complete equipment. There is also a
series of implements of use to thegroup that should be equitably distributed within the
column. For this, two rulescan be established depending upon the number of
unarmed persons in the troop. Onesystem is to distribute all extra material such
as medicines, medical or dental orsurgical instruments, extra food, clothing,

(01:31:38):
general supplies, and heavy weapons equallyamong all platoons, which will then be
responsible for their custody. Each captainwill distribute these supplies among the squads,
and each chief of squad will distributethem among his men. Another solution,
which can be used when a partof the troop is not armed, is
to create special squads or platoons theassigned to transport. This works out well

(01:32:01):
since it leaves the soldier, whoalready has the weight and responsibility of his
rifle, free of extra cargo.In this way, danger of losing material
is reduced since it is concentrated,and at the same time there is an
incentive for the porter to carry moreand to carry better, and to demonstrate
more enthusiasm, since in this wayhe will win his right to a weapon.
In the future. These platoons willmarch in the rear positions and will

(01:32:26):
have the same duties and the sametreatment as the rest of the troop.
The tasks to be carried out bya column will vary according to its activities.
If it is encamped, there willbe special teams for keeping watch.
These should be experienced, specially trained, and they should receive some special reward
for this duty. This can consistof increased independence, or if there is

(01:32:49):
an excess of suites or tobacco,after proportional distribution to each column, something
extra for the members of those unitsthat carry out special tasks. For example,
if there are one hundred men andone hundred and fifteen packages of cigarettes,
the fifteen extra packs of cigarettes canbe distributed among the members of the
units referred to the vanguard and therearguard. Units separated from the rest will

(01:33:13):
have special duties of vigilance. Butbesides, each platoon ought to have such
a watch of its own. Thefarther from the encampment the watch is maintained,
the greater is the security of thegroup, especially when it is in
open country. The places chosen shouldbe high, dominating a wide area by
day and difficult to approach by night. If the plan is to stay several

(01:33:35):
days, it is worth while toconstruct defenses that will permit a sustained fire
in case of an attack. Thesedefenses can be obliterated when the guerrilla band
moves, or they can be leftif circumstances no longer make it necessary to
hide the path of the column.In places where permanent encampments are established,

(01:33:55):
the defenses ought to be improved constantly. Remember that in amount of fines is
zwn on ground carefully chosen. Theonly heavy arm that is effective is the
mortar. Using roofs reinforced with materialsfrom the region such as wood, rocks,
et cetera, it is possible tomake good refuges which are difficult for
the enemy forces to approach and whichwill afford protection from mortar shells. For

(01:34:17):
the gorilla forces, it is veryimportant to maintain discipline in the camp,
and this should have an educational function. The gorilla fighters should be required to
go to bed and get up atfixed hours. Games that have no social
function and that hurt the morale ofthe troops and the consumption of alcoholic drinks
should both be prohibited. All thesetasks are performed by a Commission of Internal

(01:34:42):
Order, elected from those combatants ofgreatest revolutionary merit. Another mission of these
persons is to prevent the lighting offires in places visible from a distance,
or that raise columns of smoke beforenightfall. Also to see that the camp
is kept clean, and that itis left in such a condition when the
column leaves as to show no signsof passage. If this is necessary,

(01:35:04):
great care must be taken with fireswhich leave traces for a long time.
They must be covered with earth.Papers, cans and scraps of food should
also be burned. During the march. Complete silence must prevail in the column.
Orders are passed by gestures or bywhispers that go from mouth to mouth

(01:35:25):
until they reach the last man.If the gorilla band is marching through unknown
places, breaking a road, orbeing led by a guide, the vanguard
will be approximately one hundred or twohundred meters or even more in front,
according to the characteristics of the ground. In places where confusion may arise as
to the route, a man willbe left at each turning to await those

(01:35:45):
who follow, and this will berepeated until the last man in the rear
guard has passed. The rear guardwill also be somewhat separated from the rest
of the column, keeping a watchon the roads in the rear and trying
to erase tracks of the troops asmuch as possible. If there is a
road coming from the side that offersdanger, it is necessary always to have
a group keeping a watch on ituntil the last man has passed. It

(01:36:10):
is more practical that each platoon utilizeits own men for this special duty,
with each having the obligation to passthe guard to members of the following platoon
and then to rejoin his own unit. This process will be continued until the
whole troop has passed. The marchshould be uniform and in an established order,
always the same. Thus it willalways be known that Platoon number one

(01:36:31):
is the vanguard, followed by Platoonnumber two, and then Platoon number three,
which may be the command, thennumber four, followed by the rear
guard or Platoon number five or otherplatoons that make up the column, always
in the same order. In night, march's silence should be even stricter,
and the distance between each combatant shorter, so that no one will get lost

(01:36:53):
and make it necessary to shout andturn on lights. Light is the enemy
of the guerrilla fighter at night time. If all this marching has attack as
its objective, then upon arriving ata given point, the point to which
all will return after the objective hasbeen accomplished, extra weight will be set
down, such things as knapsacks andcooking utensils, for example, and each

(01:37:15):
platoon will proceed with nothing more thanits arms and fighting equipment. The point
of attack should have been already studiedby trustworthy people who have reconnoitered the ground
and have observed the location of theenemy guards. The leaders, knowing the
orientation of the base, the numberof men that defend it, et cetera,
will make the final plan for theattack and send combatants to their places,

(01:37:36):
always keeping in mind that a goodpart of the troops should be assigned
to intercept reinforcements in cases where theattack upon the base is to be merely
a diversion. In order to provokethe sending of reinforcements along roads that can
be easily ambushed, a man shouldcommunicate the result rapidly to the command as
soon as the attack has been carriedout, in order to break the encirclement,

(01:37:59):
if necessary, to prevent being attackedfrom the rear. In any case,
there must always be a watch onthe roads that lead to the place
of combat while the encirclement or directattack is being carried out by night.
A direct attack is always preferable.It is possible to capture an encampment if
there is enough drive and necessary presenceof mind, and if the risks are

(01:38:20):
not excessive. An encirclement requires waitingand taking cover, closing in steadily on
the enemy, trying to harass himin every way, and above all,
trying to force him by fire tocome out when the circle has been closed.
To short range, the Molotov cocktailis a weapon of extraordinary effectiveness.

(01:38:41):
Before arriving at a range for thecocktail, shotguns with a special charge can
be employed. These arms, christenedin our war with the name of M
sixteen, consist of a sixteen calibersawed off shotgun with a pair of legs
added in such a way that withthe butt of the gun they form a
tripod. The weapon will thus thusbe mounted at an angle of about forty

(01:39:01):
five degrees. This can be variedby moving the legs back and forth.
It is loaded with an open shellfrom which all the shot has been removed
A cylindrical stick extending from the muzzleof the gun is used as the projectle.
A bottle of gasoline resting on arubber base is placed on the end
of the stick. This apparatus willfire the burning bottles one hundred meters or

(01:39:25):
more with a fairly high degree ofaccuracy. This is an ideal weapon for
enrichments when the enemy has many woodenor inflammable material constructions, also for firing
against tanks in hilly country. Oncethe encirclement ends with a victory or having
completed its objectives, is withdrawn,all platoons retire in order to the place
where the knapsacks have been left,and normal life is resumed. The nomadic

(01:39:50):
life of the guerrilla fighter in thisstage produces not only a deep sense of
fraternity among the men, but attimes also dangerous rivalries between groups or platoons.
If these are not channeled to producebeneficial emulation, there is a risk
that the unity of the column willbe damaged. The education of the guerrilla
fighter is important from the very beginningof the struggle. This should explain to

(01:40:15):
them the social purpose of the fightand their duties, clarify their understanding,
and give them lessons in morale thatserve to forge their characters. Each experience
should be a new source of strengthfor victory, and not simply one more
episode in the fight for survival.One of the great educational techniques is example.
Therefore, the chiefs must constantly offerthe example of a pure and devoted

(01:40:39):
life. Promotion of the soldier shouldbe based on valor, capacity and a
spirit of sacrifice. Whoever does nothave these qualities in a high degree ought
not to have responsible assignments, sincehe will cause unfortunate accidents at any moment.
The conduct of the guerrilla fighter willbe subject to judgment. Whenever he
approaches a house to ask for something, the inhabitants will draw favorable or unfavorable

(01:41:02):
conclusions about the gorilla band according tothe manner in which any service, or
food or other necessity is solicited andthe methods used to get what is wanted.
The explanation by the chief should bedetailed about these problems, emphasizing their
importance. He should also teach byexample. If a town is entered,
all drinking of alcohol should be prohibited, and the troops should be exhorted before

(01:41:27):
hand to give the best possible exampleof discipline. The entrances and exits to
the town should be constantly watched.The organization, combat capacity, heroism and
spirit of the gorilla band will undergoa test of fire during an encirclement by
the enemy, which is the mostdangerous situation of the war. In the
jargon of our gorilla fighters in therecent war, the phrase encirclement face was

(01:41:51):
given to the face of fear wornby someone who was frightened. The hierarchy
of the deposed regime pompously spoke ofits campaigns of encirclement and annihilation. However,
for a gorilla band that knows thecountry and that is united ideologically and
emotionally with its chief, this isnot a particularly serious problem. It need

(01:42:13):
only take cover, try to slowup the advance of the enemy, impede
his action with heavy equipment, andawait nightfall, the natural ally of the
gorilla fighter. Then, with thegreatest possible stealth, after exploring and choosing
the best road, the band willdepart, utilizing the most adequate means of
escape and maintaining absolute silence. Itis extremely difficult in these conditions at night

(01:42:36):
to prevent a group of men fromescaping the in ser Guerilla Warfare nineteen sixty
one. For the combat combat isthe most important drama in the gorilla life,
it occupies only a short time.Nevertheless, these brilliant moments acquire an
extraordinary importance, since each small encounteris a battle of a fundamental kind for

(01:42:59):
the combatant. We have already pointedout that an attack should be carried out
in such a way as to givea guarantee of victory. In addition to
general observations concerning the tactical function ofattack in guerrilla warfare, the different characteristics
that each action can precent ought tobe noted. We will refer initially for
purposes of description to the type offight carried out on favorable ground, because

(01:43:24):
this is the original model of guerrillawarfare, and it is in this connection
that certain principles must be examined beforedealing with other problems through a study of
practical experience. Warfare on the planeis always the result of an advance by
the gorilla bands consequent on their beingstrengthened and on changes in conditions. This
implies an increase of experience on thepart of the gorilla and with it the

(01:43:45):
possibility of using that experience to advantage. In the first stage of guerrilla warfare,
enemy columns will penetrate insurgent territory deeply. Depending on the strength of these
columns, two different types of gorillaattacks will be made. One of these,
first in chronological order, is fora fixed number of months to cause
systematic losses in the enemy's offensive capacity. This tactic is carried out on the

(01:44:11):
vanguards. Unfavorable ground impedes flank defensesby the advancing columns. Therefore, there
must always be one point of thevanguard that, as it penetrates and exposes
the lives of its components, servesto give security to the rest of the
column. When men and reserves areinsufficient and the enemy is strong, the
gorilla should always aim for the destructionof this vanguard point. The system is

(01:44:35):
simple, only a certain coordination isnecessary. At the moment when the vanguard
appears at the selected place, thesteepest possible, a deadly fire is let
loose on them. After a convenientnumber of men have been allowed to penetrate,
a small group must hold the restof the column for some moments while
arms, munitions, and equipment arebeing collected. The gorilla soldier ought all

(01:45:00):
is to have in mind that hissource of supply of arms is the enemy,
and that, except in special circumstances, he ought not to engage in
a battle that will not lead tothe capture of such equipment. When the
strength of the gorilla ban permits,a complete encirclement of the column will be
carried out, or at least thisimpression will be given. In this case,
the gorilla front line must be strongenough and well enough covered to resist

(01:45:24):
the frontal assaults of the enemy,considering naturally both offensive power and combat morale.
At the moment in which the enemyis detained in some chosen place,
the reguard goerrilla forces make an attackon the enemy's rear. Such a chosen
place will have characteristics making a flankmaneuver difficult. Snipers outnumbered, perhaps by

(01:45:45):
eight or ten times, will havethe whole enemy column within the circle of
fire. Whenever there are sufficient forces. In these cases, all roads should
be protected with ambushes in order todetain reinforcements. The encirclement will be closed
gradually. Above all, at night, the gorilla fighter knows the places where
he fights. The invading column doesnot. The gorilla fighter grows at night

(01:46:10):
and the enemy feels his fear growingin the darkness. In this way,
without too much difficulty, a columncan be totally destroyed, or at least
such losses can be inflicted upon itas to prevent its returning to battle and
to force it to take a longtime for regrouping. When the force of
the gorilla band is small and itis desired above all to detain and slow

(01:46:30):
down the advance of the invading column, groups of snipers fluctuating between two and
ten should be distributed all around thecolumn at each of the four cardinal points.
In this situation, combat can bebegun, for example, on the
right flank, when the enemy centershis action on that flank and fires on
it. Shooting will begin at thatmoment from the left flank, at another

(01:46:51):
moment from the regard, or fromthe vanguard, and so forth. With
a very small expenditure of ammunition,it is possible to hold the enemy in
check indefinitely. The technique of attackingan enemy convoy or position must be adapted
to the conditions of the place chosenfor the combat. In general, the
first attack on an encircled place shouldbe made during night hours against an advance

(01:47:15):
post with surprise assured. A surpriseattack carried out by skillful commandos can easily
liquidate a position thanks to the advantageof surprise. For a regular encirclement,
the paths of escape can be controlledwith a few men in the roads of
access defended with ambushes. These shouldbe distributed in such a way that if
one is unsuccessful, it falls backor simply withdraws, while a second remains,

(01:47:40):
and so on successively. In caseswhere the surprise factor is not present,
victory in an attempt to take anencampment will depend on the capacity of
the encircling force to detain the attemptsof the rescue columns. In these cases
there will usually be support on theenemy's side by artillery, mortars, airplanes,
and tanks. In favorable ground,the tank is an arm of small

(01:48:03):
danger. It must travel by roadsthat are narrow and is an easy victim
of mines. The offensive capacity ofthese vehicles and information is here generally absent
or reduced, since they must proceedin indian file or at most too abreast.
The best and surest weapon against thetank is the mine, but in
a close fight, which may easilytake place in steep places that molotov cocktail

(01:48:29):
is an arm of extraordinary value.We will not talk yet of the bazukah,
which for the guerrilla force is adecisive weapon, but difficult to acquire,
at least in the first stages.Against the mortar, there is the
recourse of a trench with a roof. The mortar is an arm of formidable
potency when used against an encircled place, but on the other hand, against

(01:48:49):
mobile attackers, it loses its effectivenessunless it is used in large batteries.
Artillery does not have great importance inthis type of fight, since it has
to be placed in locations of convenientaccess and it does not see the targets
which are constantly shifting. Aviation constitutesthe principal arm of the oppressor forces,

(01:49:10):
but its power of attack also ismuch reduced by the fact that its only
targets are small trenches. Generally hidden. Planes will be able to drop high
explosive or napalm bombs, both ofwhich constitute inconveniences rather than true dangers.
Besides, as the guerrilla draws asclose as possible to the defensive lines of
the enemy, it becomes very difficultfor planes to attack these points of the

(01:49:33):
vanguard effectively when encampments with wood orinflammable constructions are attacked. A Molotov cocktail
is a very important arm at ashort distance. At longer distances, bottles
with inflammable material with the fuse lightedcan be launched from a sixteen caliber shotgun,
as described earlier. Of all thepossible types of mines, the most

(01:49:56):
effective, although requiring the most technicalcapacity, is a remotely exploded mine,
but contact FEUs and above all electricmines with their lengths of cord are also
extremely useful in constitute on mountainous roadsdefenses for the popular forces that are virtually
invulnerable. A good defense against armoredcars along roads is to dig sloping ditches

(01:50:17):
in such a way that the tankenters them easily and afterwards cannot get out.
As picture two to three shows,these can easily be hidden from the
enemy, especially at night time orwhen he has no infantry in advance of
the tanks because of resistance by thegorilla forces. Another common form of advance
by the enemy in zones that arenot too steep is in trucks that are

(01:50:40):
more or less open. The columnsare headed by armoured vehicles and the infantry
follows behind in trucks. Depending uponthe force of the gorilla band, it
may be possible to encircle the entirecolumn following the general rules, or it
can be split by attacking some ofthe trucks in simultaneously exploding mines. It
is necessary to act rapidly in thiscase, seizing the arms of the fallen

(01:51:02):
enemy in retiring. For an attackon open trucks. An arm of great
importance which should be used with allits potential is the shotgun. A sixteen
caliber shotgun with large shot can sweepten meters nearly the whole area of the
truck, killing some of the occupants, wounding others, and provoking an enormous
confusion. Grenades, if they areavailable, are also excellent weapons for these

(01:51:28):
cases. For all these attack surpriseis fundamental because at least at the moment
of firing the first shot. Itis one of the basic requirements of guerrilla
warfare. Surprise is not possible ifthe peasants of the zone know of the
presence of the insurgent army. Forthis reason, all movements of attack should
be made at night. Only menof proven discretion and loyalty can know of

(01:51:51):
these movements and establish the contacts.The march should be made with knapsacks full
of food in order to be ableto live two, three or four days.
In the places of ambush. Thediscretion of the peasants should never be
trusted too much, first because thereis a natural tendency to talk and to
comment on events with other members ofthe family or with friends, and also

(01:52:14):
because of the inevitable cruelty with whichthe enemy soldiers treat the population. After
a defeat, terror can be sown, and this terror leads to someone's talking
too much, revealing important information inthe effort to save his life. In
general, the place chosen for anambush should be located at least one day's
march from the habitual camp of thegorilla band, since the enemy will almost

(01:52:36):
always know its location more or lessaccurately. We said before that the form
of fire in a battle indicates thelocation of the opposing forces. On one
side, violent and rapid firing bythe soldier of the line who has the
customary abundance of ammunition. On theother side, the methodical, sporadic fire
of the guerrilla fighter who knows thevalue of every bullet and who endeavors to

(01:52:59):
expend, and that with a highdegree of economy, never firing one shot
more than necessary. It is notreasonable to allow an enemy to escape or
to fail to use an ambush tothe full in order to save ammunition.
But the amount that is to beexpended in determined circumstances should be calculated in
advance, and the action carried outaccording to these calculations. Ammunition is the

(01:53:21):
great problem of the gorilla fighter.Arms can always be obtained. Furthermore,
those which are obtained are not expendedin guerrilla warfare, while ammunition is expended.
Also, generally it is arms withtheir ammunition that are captured, and
never or rarely ammunition only. Eachweapon that is taken will have its loads,

(01:53:43):
but it cannot contribute to the othersbecause there are no extras. The
tactical principle of saving fire is fundamentalin this type of warfare. A gorilla
chief who takes pride in his rolewill never be careless about withdrawal. This
should be timely, rapid, andcarried out so as to save all the
wounded and the equipment of the guerrillaits knapsacks, ammunition, et cetera.

(01:54:06):
The rebels ought never to be surprisedwhile withdrawing, nor can they permit themselves
the negligence of becoming surrounded. Therefore, guards must be posted along the chosen
road at all places where the enemyarmy will eventually bring its troops forward in
an attempt to close a circle,and there must be a system of communication
that will permit rapid reports. Whena force tries to surround the rebels in

(01:54:30):
the combat, there must always besome unarmed men. They will recover the
guns of companions who are wounded ordead, guns seized in battle or belonging
to prisoners. They will take chargeof the prisoners, of removing the wounded,
and of transmission of messages. Besides, there ought to be a good
corps of messengers with iron legs anda proven sense of responsibility, who will

(01:54:51):
give the necessary reports in the leastpossible time. The number of men needed
besides the armed combatants varies, buta general the rule is two or three
for each ten, including those whowill be present at the scene of the
battle and those who will carry outnecessary tasks in the regard keeping watch on
the root of withdrawal and performing themessenger services mentioned above. When a defensive

(01:55:14):
type of war is being fought.That is to say, when the gorilla
band is endeavoring to prohibit the passageof an invasion column. Beyond a certain
point, the action becomes a warof positions, but always at the outset
it should have the factor of surprise. In this case, since trenches as
well as other defensive systems that willbe easily observable by the peasants are going
to be used, it is necessarythat these latter remain in the friendly zone.

(01:55:40):
In this type of warfare, thegovernment generally establishes a blockade of the
region, and the peasants who havenot fled must go to buy their basic
foods at establishments located outside the zonesof gorilla action. Should these persons leave
the region at critical moments such asthose we are now describing, this would
constitute a serious danger on accout ofthe information that they could eventually supply to

(01:56:01):
the enemy army. The policy ofcomplete isolation must serve as the strategic principle
of the guerrilla army. In thesecases, the defenses and the whole defensive
apparatus should be arranged in such amanner that the enemy vanguard will always fall
into an ambush. It is veryimportant as a psychological factor that the man

(01:56:23):
in the vanguard will die without escapein every battle, because this produces within
the enemy army a growing consciousness ofthis danger until the moment arrives when nobody
wants to be in the vanguard,and it is obvious that a column with
no vanguard cannot move since somebody hasto assume their responsibility. Also, encirclements
can be carried out if these areexpedient or diversionary maneuvers such as flank attacks,

(01:56:46):
or the enemy can simply be detainedfrontally. In every case, places
which are susceptible of being utilized bythe enemy for flank attacks should be fortified.
We are now assuming that more menand arms are available than in the
combats described hitherto. It is evidentthat the blockade of all possible roads converging
into a zone which may be verynumerous, requires a large personnel. The

(01:57:12):
various kinds of traps and attacks againstarmoured vehicles will be increased here in order
to give the greatest security p.Zero five cyble to the systems of fixed
trenches which can be located by theenemy. In general, in this type
of fight, The order is todefend the positions unto death if necessary,
and it is essential to assure themaximum possibilities of survival to every defender.

(01:57:35):
The more a trench is hidden fromdistant view, the better. Above all,
it is important to give it acover so that mortar fire will be
ineffective. Mortars of sixty point oneor eighty five millimeters the usual campaign calibers
cannot penetrate a good roof made withsimple materials from the region. This may
be made from a base of wood, earth and rocks covered with some camouflage

(01:57:59):
material. An exit for escape inan extremity must always be constructed so that
the defender may get away with lessdanger. The sketch above sea Picture two
to four edition shows the form inwhich these defenses were constructed in the Sierra
Maestra. They were sufficient to protectus from mortar fire. This outline clearly

(01:58:20):
indicates that fixed lines of fire donot exist. The lines of fire are
something more or less theoretical. Theyare established at certain critical moments, but
they are extremely elastic and permeable onboth sides. What does exist is a
wide no man's land, but thecharacteristics of no man's land in guerrilla warfare

(01:58:42):
are that it is inhabited by acivil population, and that this civil population
collaborates in a certain measure with eitherof the two sides, even though in
an overwhelming majority with the insurrectionary band. These people cannot be removed en mass
from the zone on account of theirnumbers and because this would create problems of
supply for either one of the contenderswho try to provide food for so many

(01:59:03):
people. This no man's land ispenetrated by periodic incursions, generally during the
daytime by the repressive forces and atnight by the guerrilla forces. The guerrilla
forces find their a maintenance base ofgreat importance for their troops. This should
be cared for in a political way, always establishing the best possible relations with

(01:59:24):
the peasants and merchants. In thistype of warfare, the tasks of those
who do not carry arms, ofthose who are not direct combat ants are
extremely important. We have already indicatedsome of the characteristics of liaison in places
of combat, but liaison is aninstitution throughout the whole gorilla organization. Liaison

(01:59:45):
out to the most distant command orout to the most distant group of guerrilla
fighters ought to be linked in sucha way that messages will travel from one
place to another via the most rapidsystem available in the region. This holds
for regions of easy defense, thatis to say, in favorable ground,
as well as in unfavorable ground.A guerrilla band operating in unfavorable ground will

(02:00:08):
not be able to use modern systemsof communication such as telegraph, roads,
et cetera, except some radios locatedin military garrisons capable of being defended.
If these fall into the hands ofthe enemy force, it is necessary to
change codes and frequencies, a taskthat is rather troublesome. In all these

(02:00:28):
matters we are speaking from memory ofthings that occurred in our war of liberation.
The daily and accurate report on allactivities of the enemy is complemented with
liaison. The system of espionage shouldbe carefully studied, well worked out,
and personnel chosen with maximum care.The harm that a counter spy can do
is enormous. But even without suchan extreme case, the harm that can

(02:00:51):
result from exaggerated information which misjudges thedanger is very great. It is not
probable that danger will be underrated.The tendency of people in the country is
to overrate and exaggerate it. Thesame magic mentality that makes phanfasms and various
supernatural beings appear also creates monstrous armies. Where there is hardly a platoon or

(02:01:13):
an enemy patrol. The spy oughtto seem as neutral as possible, not
known by the enemy to have anyconnection with the forces of liberation. This
is not as difficult a task asit appears. Many such persons are found
in the course of the war.Business Men, professional men, and even
clergymen can lend their help in thistype of task and give timely information.

(02:01:34):
One of the most important characteristics ofguerrilla warfare is the notable difference between the
information that reaches the rebel forces andthe information possessed by the enemy. While
the latter must operate in regions thatare absolutely hostile, finding sullen silence on
the part of the peasants, therebels have in nearly every house a friend
or even a relative, and newsis passed about constantly through the liaison system

(02:01:59):
until it reaches the central command ofthe gorilla force or of the gorilla group
that is in the zone. Whenan enemy penetration occurs in territory that has
become openly pro gorilla. Where allthe peasants respond to the cause of the
people, a serious problem is created. The majority of peasants try to escape
with the popular army, abandoning theirchildren and their work. Others even carry

(02:02:20):
the whole family some weight upon events. The most serious problem that an enemy
penetration into guerrilla territory can provoke isthat of a group of families finding themselves
in a tight, at times desperatesituation. Maximum help should be given to
them, but they must be warnedof the troubles that can follow upon a
flight into an hospitable zone so farfrom their habitual places of livelihood, exposed

(02:02:45):
to the hardships that usually befall insuch cases, it is not possible to
describe any pattern of repression on thepart of the enemies of the people.
L though the general methods of repressionare always the same, the enemies of
the people at in a more orless intensely criminal fashion, according to the
specific social, historic and economic circumstancesof each place. There are places where

(02:03:09):
the flight of a man into thegorilla zone, leaving his family and his
house, does not provoke any greatreaction. There are others where this is
enough to provoke the burning or seizureof his belongings, and still others where
the flight will bring death to allmembers of his family. Adequate distribution and
organization of the peasants who are goingto be affected by an enemy advance must

(02:03:30):
of course be arranged according to thehabits that prevail in the war zone or
country concerned. Obviously, preparations mustbe made to expel the enemy from such
territory by moving against his supplies,completely cutting his lines of communication, destroying
by means of small gorilla bands,his attempts to supply himself, and in
general forcing him to devote large quantitiesof men to his supply problem. In

(02:03:55):
all these combat situations, a veryimportant factor is the correct utilization of reriis
deserves wherever battle begins. The gorillaarmy, because of its characteristics, can
rarely count on reserves, since italways strikes in such a way that the
efforts of every individual are regulated andemployed at something. Nevertheless, despite these

(02:04:15):
characteristics, it should have at someplace men ready to respond to an unforeseen
development, to detain a counter offensive, or to take care of a situation
at any moment. Within the organizationof the gorilla band. Assuming that the
conditions and possibilities of the moment permit, a utility platoon can be held in
readiness, a platoon that should alwaysgo to the places of greatest danger.

(02:04:38):
It can be christened that suicide platoonor something similar. This title, in
reality indicates its functions. This suicideplatoon should be in every place where a
battle is decided, in the surpriseattacks upon the vanguard, in the defense
of the most vulnerable and dangerous places, in a word, wherever the enemy
threatens to break the stability of lineof fire. It ought to be made

(02:05:01):
up strictly of volunteers. Entrance intothis platoon should be regarded almost as a
prize for merit. In time,it becomes the favorite group of any gorilla
column, and the gorilla fighter whowears its insignia enjoys the admiration and respect
of all guerrilla warfare nineteen sixty onefive Beginning, Development and end of a

(02:05:24):
gorilla war. We have now abundantlydefined the nature of goerrilla warfare. Let
us next describe the ideal development ofsuch a war from its beginning as a
rising by a single nucleus on favorableground. In other words, we are
going to theorize once more on thebasis of the Cuban experience. At the

(02:05:44):
outset, there is a more orless homogeneous group with some arms, that
devotes itself almost exclusively to hiding inthe wildest and most inaccessible places, making
little contact with the peasants. Itstrikes a fortunate blow and its fame grows.
A few peasants dispossessed of their landor engaged in a struggle to conserve
it, and young idealists of otherclasses join the nucleus. It acquires greater

(02:06:09):
audacity and starts to operate in inhabitedplaces, making more contact with the people
of the zone. It repeats attacks, always fleeing after making them. Suddenly
it engages in combat with some columnor other and destroys its vanguard. Men
continue to join it. It hasincreased in number, but its organization remains
exactly the same. Its caution diminishes, and it ventures into more populous zones.

(02:06:33):
Later, it sets up temporary campsfor several days. It abandons these
upon receiving news of the approach ofthe enemy army, or upon suffering bombardments,
or simply upon becoming suspicious that suchrisks have arisen. The numbers in
the guerrilla band increase as work amongthe masses operates to make of each peasant
and enthusiast for the war of liberation. Finally, an inaccessible place is chosen,

(02:06:58):
a settled life is initiated, andthe first small industries begin to be
established. A shoe factory, acigar and cigarette factory, a clothing factory,
an arms factory, a bakery,hospitals, possibly a radio transmitter,
a printing press, et cetera.The gorilla Band now has an organization,
a new structure. It is thehead of a large movement with all the

(02:07:20):
characteristics of a small government. Acourt is established for the administration of justice.
Possibly laws are promulgated, and thework of indoctrination of the peasant masses
continues, extended also to workers,if there are any near to draw them
to the cause. An enemy actionis launched and defeated. The number of

(02:07:42):
rifles increases. With these the numberof men fighting with the gorilla Band increases.
A moment arrives when its radius ofaction will not have increased in the
same proportion as its personnel. Atthat moment, a force of appropriate size
is separated a column or a platoonperhaps, and this goes to another place
of combat. The work of thissecond group will begin with somewhat different characteristics

(02:08:05):
because of the experience that it bringsand because of the influence of the troops
of liberation on the war zone.The original nucleus also continues to grow.
It has now received substantial support infood, sometimes in guns from various places.
Men continue to arrive. The administrationof government with the promulgation of laws
continues. Schools are established, permittingthe indoctrination and training of recruits. The

(02:08:31):
leaders learn steadily as the war developsand their capacity of command grows under the
added responsibilities of the qualitative and quantitativeincreases in their forces. If there are
distant territories, a group departs forthem at a certain moment in order to
confirm the advances that have been madeand to continue the cycle. But there
will also exist an enemy territory unfavorablefor guerrilla warfare. Their small groups begin

(02:08:58):
to penetrate, assaulting the rodads,destroying bridges, planting mines, sowing disquiet.
With the ups and downs characteristic ofwarfare, The movement continues to grow.
By this time The extensive work amongthe masses makes easy movement of the
forces possible in unfavorable territory, andso opens the final stage, which is
suburban guerrilla warfare. Sabotage increases considerablyin the whole zone. Life is paralyzed.

(02:09:26):
The zone is conquered. The gorillasthen go into other zones where they
fight with the enemy army along definedfronts. By now heavy arms have been
captured, perhaps even some tanks.The fight is more equal. The enemy
falls when the process of partial victoriesbecomes transformed into final victories, that is
to say, when the enemy isbrought to accept battle in conditions imposed by

(02:09:48):
the gorilla band, where he isannihilated and his surrender compelled. This is
a sketch that describes what occurred inthe different stages of the Cuban War of
Liberation, but it has a contentapproximating the universal. Nevertheless, it will
not always be possible to count onthe degree of intimacy with the people,
the conditions and the leadership that existedin our war. It is unnecessary to

(02:10:13):
say that Fidel Castro possesses the highqualities of a fighter and statesman. Our
path, our struggle, and ourtriumph. We owed to his vision.
We cannot say that without him thevictory of the people would not have been
achieved, but that victory would certainlyhave cost must more and would have been
less. Guerrilla Warfare, nineteen sixtyone, Chapter three, Organization of the

(02:10:35):
Gorilla Front. One. Supply.A good supply system is of basic importance
to the gorilla hand. A groupof men in contact with the soil must
live from the products of this soil, and at the same time must see
that the livelihood continues of those whoprovide the supplies the peasants. Since in
the hard gorilla struggle, it isnot possible, above all, at the

(02:10:58):
beginning for the group to dedicate itits own energies to producing supplies, not
to mention that these supplies would beeasily discovered and destroyed by enemy forces in
a territory likely to be completely penetratedby the action of repressive columns. Supply
in the first stages is always internal. As the gorilla struggle develops, it

(02:11:18):
will be necessary to arrange supply fromoutside the limits or territory of the combat.
At the beginning, the band livessolely on what the peasants have.
It may be possible to reach astore occasionally to buy something, but never
possible to have lines of supply,since there is no territory in which to
establish them. The line of supplyand the store of food are conditioned by

(02:11:41):
the development of the gorilla struggle.The first task is to gain the absolute
confidence of the inhabitants of the zone, and this confidence is won by a
positive attitude toward their problems, byhelp and a constant program of orientation,
by the defense of their interests,and the punishment of all who attempt to
take advantage of the chaotic moment inwhich they live in order to use pressure,
dispossess the peasants, seize their harvests, et cetera. The line should

(02:12:07):
be soft and hard at the sametime, soft and with a spontaneous co
operation for all those who honestly sympathizewith the revolutionary movement, hard upon those
who are attacking it outright, fomentingdissensions or simply communicating important information to the
enemy army. Little by little,the territory will be cleared, and there
will then be a greater ease ofaction. The fundamental principle that ought to

(02:12:31):
prevail is that of paying always forall merchandise taken from a friend. This
merchandise can consist of crops or ofarticles from commercial establishments. Many times they
will be donated, but at othertimes the economic conditions of the peasantry prevent
such donations. There are cases inwhich the necessities of warfare force the band
to take needed food from stores withoutpaying for it, simply because there is

(02:12:54):
no money. In such cases,the merchant ought always to be given a
bond, a promissory note, somethingthat certifies to the debt the bonds of
hope already described. Ft is betterto use this method only with people who
are outside the limits of the liberatedterritory, and in such cases to pay
as soon as possible all, orat least a part of the debt.

(02:13:16):
When conditions have improved sufficiently to maintaina territory permanently free from the dominion of
the opposing army, it is possibleto set up collective plantings, where the
peasants work the land for the benefitof the gorilla army. In this way,
an adequate food supply of a permanentcharacter is guaranteed. If the number
of volunteers for the gorilla army ismuch greater than the number of arms,

(02:13:39):
and political circumstances prevent these men fromentering zones dominated by the enemy. The
rebel army can put them to workdirectly on the land, harvesting crops.
This guarantee supply and adds something totheir record of service looking toward future promotion
to the status of combatants. However, it is more advisable that the peasant

(02:14:00):
themselves so their own crops. Thisresults in work performed more effectively, with
more enthusiasm and skill. When conditionshave ripened even more, it is possible,
depending on the crops involved, toarrange purchases of entire harvests in such
a way that they can remain inthe field or in warehouses for the use
of the army. When agencies alsocharged with the duty of supplying the peasant

(02:14:22):
population have been established, all foodsupplies will be concentrated in these agencies in
order to facilitate a system of barteramong the peasants, with the Gorilla Army
serving as intermediary. If conditions continueto improve, taxes can be established.
These should be as light as possible. Above all, for the small producer,

(02:14:43):
it is important to pay attention toevery detail of relations between the peasant
class and the gorilla army, whichis an emanation of that class. Taxes
may be collected in money in somecases, or in the form of a
part of the harvest, which willserve to increase the food supply. Meat
is one of the articles of primarynecessity. Its production and conservation must be

(02:15:05):
assured. Farms should be established underpeasants having no apparent connection with the army.
If the zone is not secure,they will devote themselves to the production
of chickens, eggs, goats andpigs, starting with stock that has been
bought or confiscated from the large landowners. In the zones of big estates there

(02:15:26):
are usually large quantities of cattle.These can be killed and salted, and
the meat maintained in condition for consumptionfor a long period of time. This
will also produce hides. A leatherindustry, more or less primitive, can
be developed to provide leather for shoes, one of the fundamental accessories in the
struggle. In general, necessary foodsare the following. Depending on the zone,

(02:15:50):
meat, salt, vegetables, starchesor grains. The basic food is
always produced by the peasants. Itmay be to Malanga, as in the
mountainous regions of Orient Province in Cuba. It may be corn as in the
mountainous regions of Mexico, Central Americaand Peru, potatoes also in Peru.
In other zones such as Argentina,cattle, wheat in others. But always

(02:16:15):
it is necessary to assure a supplyof the fundamental food for the troop,
as well as some kinds of fatwhich permit better food preparation. These may
be animal or vegetable fats. Saltis one of the essential supplies. When
the force is near the sea andin contact with it, small dryers should
be established immediately. These will assuresome production in order always to have a

(02:16:37):
reserved stock and the ability to supplythe troops. Remember that in wild places
such as these, where only someof the foods are produced, it is
easy for the enemy to establish anencirclement that can greatly hurt the flow of
supplies to the zone. It iswell to provide against such eventualities through peasant
organization and civil organizations. In general, the inhabitants of the zone should have

(02:17:01):
on hand a minimum food supply thatwill permit them at least to survive even
though poorly. During the hardest phasesof the struggle, an attempt should be
made to collect rapidly a good provisionof foods that do not decompose. Such
grains, for example, as corn, wheat, rice, et cetera,
which will last quite a long time. Also flour, salt, sugar,

(02:17:22):
and canned goods of all types.Further, the necessary seeds should be sown.
A moment will arrive when all thefood problems of the troops in the
zone are solved, but large quantitiesof other products will be needed. Leather
for shoes if it has not beenpossible to create an industry for supplying the
zone, cloth and all the accessoryitems necessary for clothing, paper, a

(02:17:45):
press or miniograph machine for newspapers,ink, and various other implements. In
other words, the need for articlesfrom the outside world will increase in the
measure that the gorilla bands become organizedand the organization becomes more complex. In
order for this need to be metadequately, it is necessary that the organized
lines of supply function perfectly. Theseorganizations are composed basically of friendly peasants.

(02:18:11):
They should have two poles, onein the gorilla zone and one in a
city departing and radiating from the gorillazones. Lines of supply will penetrate the
whole territory, permitting the passage ofmaterials little by little the peasants accustomed themselves
to the danger. In small groups, they can work marvels and come to
place the material that is needed inthe indicated spot without running extreme risks.

(02:18:35):
These movements can be carried out atnight with mules or other similar transport animals
or with trucks, depending on thezone. Thus a very good supply may
be achieved. This type of lineof supply is for areas near places of
operation. It is also necessary toorganize a line of supply from distant areas.

(02:18:56):
These organizations should produce the money inthe need needed for making purchases and
also the implements that cannot be producedin small towns or provincial cities. The
organization will be nourished with direct donationsfrom sector sympathetic to the struggle, exchanged
for secret bonds, which should bedelivered. A strict control over the personnel

(02:19:16):
charged with the management of this operationshould always be maintained. Serious consequences should
follow any neglect of the indispensable moralrequisites. Involved in this responsibility. Purchases
can be made with cash and alsowith bonds of hope when the Gorilla Army,
having departed from its base of operations, menaces a new zone. In

(02:19:39):
these cases, there is no wayto avoid taking the merchandise from any merchant.
He must rely on the good faithand capabilities of the Gorilla armies to
make good on his account. Forall lines of supply that pass through the
country, it is necessary to havea series of houses, terminals or waste
stations where supplies may be hidden duringthe day while waiting to be moved by

(02:20:00):
night. Only those directly in chargeof the food supplies should know these houses.
The least possible number of inhabitants shouldknow about this transport operation, and
these should be persons in whom theorganization has the greatest confidence. The mule
is one of the most useful animalsfor these tasks, With an incredible resistance

(02:20:20):
to fatigue and a capacity to walkin the hilliest zones. The mule can
carry more than one hundred kilograms onits back for many days. The simplicity
of its food needs also makes itan ideal means of transport. The mule
train should be well supplied with shoes. The muleteers should understand their animals and
take the best possible care of them. In this way, it is possible

(02:20:43):
to have regular four footed armies withan unbelievable utility. But frequently, despite
the strength of the animal and itscapacity to bear up through the hardest days,
difficulty of passage will make it necessaryto leave the cargo in fixed sights.
In order order to avoid this necessity, there should be a team charged
with making trails for this class ofanimals. If all these conditions are met,

(02:21:07):
if an adequate organization is created,and if the rebel army maintains excellent
relations as needed with the peasants,an effective and lasting supply for the whole
driar is Garry Guerrilla Warfare, nineteensixty one two. Civil organization. The
civil organization of the insurrectional movement isvery important on both fronts, the external

(02:21:28):
and the internal. Naturally, thesetwo have characteristics that are as different as
their functions, though they both performtasks that fall under the same name.
The collections that can be carried outon the external front, for example,
are not the same as those whichcan take place on the internal front.
Neither are the propaganda and the supply. Let us describe first the tasks on

(02:21:52):
the internal front. Here we aredealing with a place dominated, relatively speaking,
by the forces of liberation. Also, it is to be supposed that
the zone is adapted to guerrilla warfare, because when these conditions do not exist,
when the gorilla fighting is taking placein poorly adapted terrain, the gorilla
organization increases in extension, but notin depth. It embraces new places,

(02:22:16):
but it cannot arrive at an internalorganization since the whole zone is penetrated by
the enemy. On the internal front, we can have a series of organizations
which perform specific functions for more efficiencyin administration. In general, propaganda belongs
directly to the army, but italso can be separated from the army if

(02:22:37):
kept under its control. This pointis so important that we will treat it
separately. Collections are a function ofthe civil organization, as are the general
tasks of organizing the peasants and workers. If these are present, one council
should govern both of these classes.Raising supplies, as we explained in a
previous chapter, can be carried outin various ways, through direct or indirect

(02:23:01):
taxes, through direct or indirect donations, and through confiscations. All this goes
to make up the large chapter onsupplies for the Gorilla Army. Keep in
mind that the zone ought by nomeans to be impoverished by the direct action
of the rebel army, even thoughthe latter will be responsible indirectly for the
impoverishment that results from enemy encirclement,a fact that the adversary's propaganda will repeatedly

(02:23:26):
point out. Precisely for this reason, conflicts ought not to be created by
direct causes. There ought not,be, for example, any regulations that
prevent the farmers of a zone inliberated territory from selling their products outside that
territory, save in extreme and transitorycircumstances, and with a full explanation of
these interruptions to the peasantry. Everyact of the Gorilla Army ought always to

(02:23:50):
be accompanied by the propaganda necessary toexplain the reasons for it. These reasons
will generally be well understood by apeasantry that has sons, fathers, brothers,
or relations within this army, whichis therefore something of their own.
In view of the importance of relationswith the peasants, it is necessary to
create organizations that make regulations for them, organizations that exist not only within the

(02:24:16):
liberated area, but also have connectionsin the adjacent areas. Precisely through these
connections it is possible to penetrate azone for a future enlargement of the guerrilla
front. The peasants will sow theseed with oral and written propaganda, with
accounts of life in the other zone, of the laws that have already been
issued for the protection of the smallpeasant, of the spirit of sacrifice of

(02:24:37):
the rebel army. In a word, they are creating the necessary atmosphere for
helping the rebel troops. The peasantorganizations should also have connections of some type
that will permit the channeling and saleof crops by the rebel army agencies in
enemy territory through intermediaries more or lessbenevolent, more or less friendly to the
peasant class. Joined with the devotionto the cause which brings the merchant to

(02:25:01):
defy dangers, in such cases,there also exists the devotion to money that
leads him to take advantage of theopportunity to gain profits. We have already
spoken in connection with supply problems ofthe importance of the department of road construction.
When the guerrilla band has achieved acertain level of development, it no
longer wanders about through diverse regions withoutan encampment. It has centers that are

(02:25:26):
more or less fixed. Routes shouldbe established, varying from small paths permitting
the passage of a mule to goodroads for trucks. In all this,
the capacity of the organization of therebel army must be kept in mind,
as well as the offensive capacity ofthe enemy, who may destroy these constructions
and even make use of roads builtby his opponent to reach the encampments more

(02:25:48):
easily. The fundamental rules should bethat roads are for assisting supply in places
where any other solution would be impossible. They should not be constructed except in
circumstances where there is virtual certainty thatthe position can be maintained against an attack
by the adversary. Another exception wouldbe roads built without great risk to facilitate

(02:26:09):
communication between points that are not ofvital importance. Furthermore, other means of
communication may be established. One ofthese that is extremely important is the telephone.
This can be strung in the forestwith the convenience that arises from using
trees for posts, there is theadvantage that they are not visible to the

(02:26:30):
enemy from above. The telephone alsopresupposes a zone that the enemy cannot penetrate.
The Council or central Department of Justicerevolutionary laws and administration is one of
the vital features of a guerrilla armyfully constituted and with territory of its own.
The council should be under the chargeof an individual who knows the laws

(02:26:50):
of the country. If he understandsthe necessities of the zone from a juridical
point of view, this is better. Yet, he can proceed to prepare
a series of decay crees and regulationsthat help the peasant to normalize and institutionalize
his life within the rebel zone.For example, during our experience in the
Cuban War, we issued a penalcode, a civil code, rules for

(02:27:11):
supplying the peasantry in Rules of theAgrarian Reform. Subsequently, the laws fixing
qualifications of candidates in the elections thatwere to be held later throughout the country
were established. Also the Agrarian ReformLaw of the Sierra Maestra. The Council
is likewise in charge of accounting operationsfor the guerrilla column or columns. It

(02:27:33):
is responsible for handling money problems andat times intervenes directly in supply. All
these recommendations are flexible. They arebased upon an experience in a certain place
and are conditioned by its geography andhistory. They will be modified in different
geographical, historical and social situations.In addition to the council, it is

(02:27:54):
necessary to keep the general health ofthe zone in mind. This can be
done by means of central military hospitalsthat should give the most complete assistance possible
to the whole peasantry. Whether adequatemedical treatment can be given will depend upon
the stage reached by the revolution.Civil hospitals and civil health administration are united
directly with the Gorilla army, andtheir functions are performed by officers and men

(02:28:18):
of the army who have the dualfunction of caring for the people and orienting
them toward better health. The bighealth problems among people in these conditions are
rooted in their total ignorance of elementaryprinciples of hygiene. This aggravates their already
precarious situation. The collection of taxes, as I have already said, is

(02:28:39):
also a function of the general council. Warehouses are very important as soon as
a place is taken that is toserve as a base for the gorilla band.
Warehouses should be established in the mostorderly fashion possible. These will serve
to assure a minimum care of merchandiseand most important, will provide the control
needs for equalizing distribution and keeping itequitable at later times. Functions are different

(02:29:05):
on the external front, both inquantity and in quality. For example,
propaganda should be of a national orientingtype, explaining the victories obtained by the
guerrilla band, calling workers and peasantsto effective mass fights, and giving news
if there is any of victories obtainedon this front itself. Solicitation of funds

(02:29:26):
is completely secret. It ought tobe carried out with the greatest care possible,
isolating small collectors in a chain completelyfrom the treasurer of the organization.
This organization should be distributed in zonesthat complement each other in order to form
a totality. Zones that may beprovinces, states, cities, and villages
depending on the magnitude of the movementin each of them. There must be

(02:29:50):
a finance commission that takes charge ofthe disposal of funds collected. It is
possible to collect money by selling bondsor through direct donations. When the development
of the struggle is more advanced,taxes may be collected. When industries come
to recognize the great force that theinsurrectional army possesses, they will consent to
pay supply. Procurement should be fittedto the necessities of the guerrilla bands.

(02:30:15):
It will be organized in the formof a chain of merchandise in such a
way that the more common articles areprocured in nearby places, and the things
that are really scarce or impossible toprocure locally in larger centers. The effort
always is to keep the chain aslimited as possible, known to the smallest
number of men. It can thusperform its mission for a longer time.

(02:30:37):
Sabotage should be directed by the civilorganization in the external sector, in coordination
with the central command. In specialcircumstances, after careful analysis, assaults on
persons will be used. In general, we consider that this is not desirable
except for the purpose of eliminating somefigure who is notorious for his villainies against
the people and the virulence of hisrepression. Our experience in the Cuban struggle

(02:31:01):
shows that it would have been possibleto save the lives of numerous fine comrades
who were sacrificed in the performance ofmissions of small value. Several times these
ended with enemy bullets of reprisal oncombatants whose loss could not be compared with
the results obtained. Assaults and terrorismin indiscriminate form should not be employed.

(02:31:22):
More preferable is effort directed at largeconcentrations of people in whom the revolutionary idea
can be planted and nurtured, sothat at a critical moment, they can
be mobilized and, with the helpof the armed forces, contribute to a
favorable balance on the side of therevolution. For this, it is necessary
also to make use of popular organizationsof workers, professional people, and peasants

(02:31:45):
who work at sowing the seed ofthe revolution among their respective masses, explaining,
providing revolutionary publications for reading, teachingthe truth. One of the characteristics
of revolutionary propaganda must be truth,little by little. In this way,
the masses will be won over.Those among them who do the best work

(02:32:05):
may be chosen for incorporation into therebel army or assignment to other tasks of
great responsibility. This is the outlineof civil organization within an outside guerrilla territory
at a time of popular struggle.There are possibilities of perfecting all these features
to a high degree. I repeatonce more, it is our Cuban experience

(02:32:26):
which speaks through me. New experiencescan vary and improve these concepts. We
offer an outlabar, not a guerrillawarfare nineteen sixty one Free. The role
of the woman, The part thatthe woman can play in the development of
a revolutionary process is of extraordinary importance. It is well to emphasize this since

(02:32:48):
in all our countries, with theircolonial mentality, there is a certain underestimation
of the woman, which becomes areal discrimination against her. The woman is
capable of performing the most difficult tasksof fighting beside the men, and despite
current belief, she does not createconflicts of a sexual type in the troops.
In the rigorous combatant life, thewoman is a companion who brings the

(02:33:11):
qualities appropriate to her sex. Butshe can work the same as a man,
and she can fight. She isweaker, but no less resistant than
he. She can perform every classof combat task that a man can at
a given moment, and on certainoccasions in the Cuban struggle, she performed
a relief role. Naturally, thecombatant women are a minority. When the

(02:33:33):
internal front is being consolidated, andit is desirable to remove as many combatants
as possible who do not possess indispensablephysical characteristics. The women can be assigned
a considerable number of specific occupations,of which one of the most important,
perhaps the most important, is communicationbetween different combatant forces, above all between
those that are in enemy territory.The transport of objects, messages, or

(02:33:58):
money of sar small size and greatimportance should be confided to women, in
whom the Gorilla army has absolute confidence, women can transport them using a thousand
tricks. It is a fact that, however brutal the repression, however thorough
the searching, the woman receives aless harsh treatment than the man, and
can carry her message or other objectof an important or confidential character to its

(02:34:20):
destination. As a simple messenger,either by word of mouth or of writing.
The woman can always perform her taskwith more freedom than the man,
attracting less attention and at the sametime inspiring less fear of danger in the
enemy soldier. He who commits brutalities, acts frequently under the impulse of fear
or apprehension that he himself will beattacked, since this is one form of

(02:34:43):
action in guerrilla warfare, contacts betweenseparated forces, messages to the exterior of
the lines, even to the exteriorof the country. Also, objects of
considerable size, such as bullets,are transported by women in special belts worn
beneath their skirts. But also inthis stage a woman can perform her habitual

(02:35:03):
tasks of peace time. It isvery pleasing to a soldier, subjected to
the extremely hard conditions of this life, to be able to look forward to
a seasoned meal which tastes like something. One of the great tortures of the
war was eating a cold, sticky, tasteless mess The woman as cook can
greatly improve the diet, and furthermore, it is easier to keep her in

(02:35:24):
these domestic tasks. One of theproblems in guerrilla bands is that all works
of a civilian character are scorned bythose who perform them. They are constantly
trying to get out of these tasksin order to enter into forces that are
actively in combat. A task ofgreat importance for women is to teach beginning
reading including revolutionary theory, primarily tothe peasants of the zone, but also

(02:35:46):
to the revolutionary soldiers. The organizationof schools, which is a part of
the civil organization, should be doneprincipally through women, who arouse more enthusiasm
among children and enjoy more affection forthe school community. Likewise, when the
fronts have been consolidated and a rearexists, the functions of the social worker

(02:36:07):
also fall to women, who investigatethe various economic and social evils of the
zone, with a view to changingthem as far as possible. The woman
plays an important part in medical mattersas nurse and even as doctor, with
a gentleness infinitely superior to that ofher rude companion in arms, a gentleness
that is so much appreciated at momentswhen a man is helpless without comforts,

(02:36:30):
perhaps suffering severe pain, and exposedto the many dangers of all classes that
are a part of this type ofwar. Once the stage of creating small
war industries has begun, the womancan also contribute here, especially in the
manufacture of uniforms, a traditional employmentof women in Latin American countries. With
a simple sewing machine and a fewpatterns, she can perform marvels. Women

(02:36:54):
can take part in all lines ofcivil organization. They can replace men perfectly
well, and ought to do soeven where persons are needed for carrying weapons,
though this is a rare accident.In gorilla life. It is important
to give adequate indoctrination to men andwomen in order to avoid all kinds of
misbehavior that can operate to hurt themorale of the troops. But persons who

(02:37:16):
are otherwise free and who love eachother should be permitted to marry in the
sierra and live as man and wifeafter complying with the simple requirements of the
gorilla guerrilla warfare nineteen sixty one fourMedical problems. One of the grave problems
that confronts the gorilla fighter is exposureto the accidents of his life, especially

(02:37:37):
to wounds and sicknesses, which arevery frequent in guerrilla warfare. The doctor
performs a function of extraordinary importance inthe gorilla band, not only in saving
lives, in which many times hisscientific intervention does not count because of the
limited resources available to him, butalso in the task of reinforcing the patient
morally and making him feel that thereis a person near him who is dead

(02:38:00):
with all his force to minimizing hispains. He gives the wounded or sick
the security of knowing that a personwill remain at his side until he is
cured or has past danger. Theorganization of hospitals depends largely upon the stage
of development of the gorilla band.Three fundamental types of hospital organization, corresponding

(02:38:20):
to various stages, can be mentioned. In this development, we have a
first nomadic phase. In it thedoctor, if there is one, travels
constantly with his companions, is justanother man. He will probably have to
perform all the other functions of thegorilla fighter, including that of fighting,
and will suffer at times the depressingand desperate task of treating cases in which

(02:38:43):
the means of saving life are notavailable. This is the stage in which
the doctor has the most influence overthe troops the greatest importance for their morale.
During this period in the development ofthe gorilla band, the doctor achieves
to the full his character of atrue priest who seems to carry an a
scantily equipped knapsack needed consolation for themen. The value of a simple aspirin

(02:39:05):
to one who is suffering is beyondcalculation. When it is given by the
friendly hand of one who sympathetically makesthe suffering his own. Therefore, the
doctor in the first stage should bea man who is totally identified with the
ideals of the revolution, because hiswords will affect the troops much more deeply
than those spoken by any other member. In the normal course of events.

(02:39:26):
In guerrilla warfare, another stage isreached that could be called semi nomadic.
In it, there are encampments moreor less frequented by the guerrilla troops,
friendly houses of complete confidence, whereit is possible to store objects and even
leave the wounded, and a growingtendency for the troop to become settled.
At this stage, the task ofthe doctor is less trying. He may

(02:39:48):
have emergency surgical equipment in his knapsackand another more complete outfit for less urgent
operations. In a friendly house,it is possible to leave the sick and
wounded in a care of peasants whowill give them help with great devotion.
He can also count on a largernumber of medicines kept in convenient places.
These should be completely cataloged as wellas possible, considering the circumstances in which

(02:40:11):
he lives. In this same seminomadic state. If the band operates in
places that are absolutely inaccessible, hospitalscan be established to which the sick and
wounded will go for recovery. Inthe third stage, when there are zones
invulnerable to the enemy, a truehospital organization is constructed. In its most

(02:40:31):
developed form, it can consist ofthree centers of different types. In the
combat category, there ought to bea doctor the combatant, the most loved
by the troop, the man ofbattle, whose knowledge does not have to
be too deep. I say thisbecause his task is principally one of giving
relief and of preparing the sick orwounded, while the real medical work is

(02:40:52):
performed in hospitals more securely situated.A surgeon of quality ought not to be
sacrificed in the line of fire.When a man falls in the front line,
stretcher bearers, if these are available, given the organization of the gorilla
band, will carry him to thefirst post. If they are not available,
his companions themselves will perform this duty. Transport of the wounded and rough

(02:41:15):
zones is one of the most delicateof all tasks and one of the most
painful experiences. In a soldier's life. Perhaps the transport of a wounded man
is harder on all concerned because ofhis sufferings and of the spirit of sacrifice
in the troop, than the factitself of being wounded. However grave it
may be. The transport can becarried out in different ways according to the

(02:41:37):
characteristics of the ground. In roughand wooded places, which are typical in
guerrilla warfare, it is necessary towalk single file. Here, the best
system is to use a long polewith the patient carried in a hammock that
hangs from it. The men taketurns carrying the weight, one before and
one behind. They should yield placeto two other companies onions frequently, since

(02:42:01):
the shoulders suffer severely in the individualgradually wears himself out carrying this delicate and
heavy burden. When the wounded soldierhas passed through this first hospital, he
then goes with the information as towhat has been done for him, to
a second center, where there aresurgeons and specialists, depending upon the possibilities
of the troop. Here, themore serious operations needed for saving life or

(02:42:22):
relieving individuals from danger are performed afterwardsat a third level hospitals, with the
greatest comforts possible are established for directinvestigation in the zones effected of the causes
and effects of illnesses that afflict theinhabitants of the area. These hospitals of
the third group, which correspond toa sedentary life, are not only centers

(02:42:43):
of convalescence and of operations of lessurgency, but also establishments serving the civil
population where the hygienists perform their orientingfunction. Dispensaries that will permit an adequate
individual surveillance should also be established.The hospitals of this third group can have,
if the supply capability of the civilorganization permits, a series of facilities

(02:43:07):
that provide diagnosis, even with laboratoryin X ray facilities. Other useful individuals
are the assistants to the doctor.They are generally youths with something of a
vocation in some knowledge, with fairlystrong physiques. They do not bear arms,
sometimes because their vocation is medicine,but usually because there are insufficient arms

(02:43:28):
for all who want them. Theseassistants will be in charge of carrying most
of the medicines an extra stretcher orhammock. If circumstances make this possible,
they must take charge of the wounded. In any battle that is fought,
the necessary medicines should be obtained throughcontacts with health organizations that exist in territory

(02:43:48):
of the enemy. Sometimes they canbe obtained from such organizations as the International
Red Cross, but this possibility shouldnot be counted upon, especially in the
first moments of the struggle. Itis necessary to organize an apparatus that will
permit rapid transport of needed medicines incase of danger, and that will gradually
supply all the hospitals with the suppliesneeded for their work, military as well

(02:44:11):
as civil. Also, contacts shouldbe made in the surrounding areas with doctors
who will be capable of helping thewounded whose cases are beyond the capacities or
the facilities of the gorilla band.Doctors needed for this type of warfare are
of different characteristics. The combatant doctorthe companion of men, is the type
for the first stage. His functionsdevelop as the action of the gorilla band

(02:44:35):
becomes more complicated and a series ofconnected organisms are constructed. General surgeons are
the best acquisition for an army ofthis type. If an anesthetist is available,
so much the better. Though almostall operations are performed not with gas
anesthesia, but using largactil and sodiumpentathol, which are much easier to administer

(02:44:56):
and easier to procure and conserve.Besides general surgeons, bone specialists are very
useful because fractures occur frequently from accidentsin the zone. Bullets producing this type
of wound in limbs also frequently causethem. The clinic serves the peasant mass,
mainly since in general sicknesses in theguerrilla armies are so easy of diagnosis

(02:45:18):
as to be within the reach ofanybody. The most difficult task is the
cure of those produced by nutritional deficiencies. In a more advanced stage. There
may even be laboratory technicians if thereare good hospitals. In order to have
a complete outfit, calls should bemade to all sectors of the profession whose
services are needed. It is quitelikely that many will respond to this call

(02:45:41):
and come to lend their help.Professionals of all classes are needed. Surgeons
are very useful dentists as well.Dentists should be advised to come with a
simple campaign apparatus and a campaign typedrill. Working with this, they can
do practically everything ness guerrilla Warfare nineteensixty one five sabotage. Sabotage is one

(02:46:05):
of the invaluable arms of a peoplethat fights in gorilla form. Its organization
falls under the civil or clandestine branch, since sabotage should be carried out,
of course, only outside the territoriesdominated by the revolutionary army. But this
organization should be directly commanded and orientedby the general staff of the guerrillas,
which will be responsible for deciding theindustries, communications, or other objectives that

(02:46:30):
are to be attacked. Sabotage hasnothing to do with terrorism. Terrorism and
personal assaults are entirely different tactics.We sincerely believe that terrorism is of negative
value, that it by no meansproduces the desired effects, that it can
turn a people against a revolutionary movement, and that it can bring a loss
of lives to its agents out ofproportion to what it produces. On the

(02:46:54):
other hand, attempts to take thelives of particular persons are to be made,
though only in very very special circumstances. This tactic should be used where
it will eliminate a leader of theoppression. What ought never to be done
is to employ specially trained heroic selfsacrificing human beings in eliminating a little assassin
whose death can provoke the destruction inreprisal of all the revolutionaries employed in even

(02:47:18):
more. Sabotage should be of twotypes, sabotage on a national scale against
determined objectives and local sabotage against linesof combat. Sabotage on a national scale
should be aimed principally at destroying communications. Each type of communication can be destroyed
in a different way. All ofthem are vulnerable. For example, telegraph

(02:47:41):
and telephone poles are easily destroyed bysawing them almost all the way through,
so that at night they appear tobe in normal condition. A sudden kick
causes one pole to fall, andthis drags along with it all those that
are weak, producing a blackout ofconsiderable extent. Bridges can be attacked with
dynam If there is no dynamite,those made of steel can be made to

(02:48:03):
fall very easily with an oxyacettle andblowtorch. A steel truss bridge should be
cut in its main beam and inthe upper beam from which the bridge hangs.
When these two beams have been cutat one end with the torch,
they are then cut at the oppositeend, the bridge will fall completely on
one side and will be twisted anddestroyed. This is the most effective way

(02:48:26):
to knock out a steel bridge withoutdynamite. Railroads should also be destroyed,
as should roads and culverts. Attimes, trains should be blown up if
the power of the gorilla band makesthis possible. Utilizing the necessary equipment will
also destroy the vital industries of eachregion at certain moments. In these cases,
it is necessary to have an overallview of the problem and to be

(02:48:50):
sure that a center of work isnot destroyed unless the moment is decisive.
Since this brings with it, asa consequence, massive unemployment of workers in
hunger, the enterprises belonging to thepotentates of the regime should be eliminated,
and attempts made to convince the workersof the need for doing so, unless
this will bring very grave social consequences. We reiterate the importance of sabotage against

(02:49:13):
communications. The great strength of theenemy army against the rebels in the flatter
zones is rapid communication. We mustthen constantly undermine that strength by knocking out
railroad bridges, culverts, electric lights, telephones. Also aqueducts, and in
general, everything that is necessary fora normal and modern life around the combat

(02:49:35):
line. Sabotage should be performed inthe same way, but with much more
audacity, with much more dedication andfrequency. Here it is possible to count
on the invaluable aid of the flyingpatrols of the guerrilla army, which can
descend into these zones and help themembers of the civil organization perform a given
task. Again, sabotage ought tobe aimed principally at communications, but with

(02:49:58):
much more persistence. All factories,all centers of production that are capable of
giving the enemy something needed to maintainhis offensive against the popular forces ought also
to be liquidated. Emphasis should beplaced on seizing merchandise, cutting supplies as
much as possible, if necessary,frightening the large landowners who want to sell
their farm products, burning vehicles thattravel along the roads, and using them

(02:50:22):
to blockade the roads. It isexpedient in every action of sabotage that frequent
contact be made with the enemy armyat points not far away, always following
the system of hit and run.It is not necessary to put up a
serious resistance, but simply to showthe adversary that in the area where the
sabotage has been carried out there areguerrilla forces disposed to fight. This forces

(02:50:46):
him to take a large number oftroops to go with care or not to
go at all. Thus, littleby little, all the cities in the
zone surrounding guerrilla operations will be periled. Guerrilla warfare nineteen sixty one six.
War industry. Industries of war withinthe sector of the gorilla army must be
the product of a rather long evolution. They also depend upon control of territory

(02:51:11):
in a geographic situation favorable for thegorilla. At a time when there are
liberated zones and when the enemy establishesstrict blockades, over all supplies, different
departments will be organized as necessary inthe manner already described. There are two
fundamental industries, of which one isthe manufacture of shoes and leather goods.

(02:51:33):
It is not possible for a troopto walk without shoes in wooded zones hilly
with many rocks and thorns. Itis very difficult to march without shoes in
such conditions. Only the natives,and not all of them, can do
it. The rest must have shoes. The industry is divided into two parts,
one for putting on half saws andrepairing damaged shoes. The other will

(02:51:56):
be devoted to the manufacture of roughshoes. There should be a small but
complete apparatus for making shoes. Sincethis is a simple industry practiced by many
people in such regions, it isvery easy to procure. Connected with the
shoe repair works, there ought alwaysto be a shop making all classes of
canvas and leather goods for use bythe troop, such as cartridge belts and

(02:52:18):
knapsacks. Although these articles are notvital, they contribute to comfort and give
a feeling of autonomy, of adequatesupply, and of self reliance to the
troop. An armory is the otherfundamental industry for the small internal organization of
the guerrilla band. This also hasdifferent functions, that of simple repair of

(02:52:39):
damaged weapons of rifles and other availablearms, the function of manufacturing certain types
of combat arms that the inventiveness ofthe people will create, and the preparation
of minds with various mechanisms. Whenconditions permit, equipment for the manufacture of
powder may be added. If itis possible to manufacture the explosive as well

(02:53:00):
as the percussion mechanisms in free territory. Brilliant achievements can be scored in this
category, which is a very importantone because communications by road can be completely
paralyzed by the adequate employment of mines. Another group of industries that has its
importance will make iron and tin.Products. In the iron works will be
centered all labor connected with the equippingof the mules, such as making their

(02:53:24):
shoes. In the tin works,the fabrication of plates and especially of canteens
is important. A foundry can bejoined with the tin works. By melting
soft metals. It is possible tomake grenades, which, with a special
type of charge, will contribute inan important way to the armament of the
troop. There ought to be atechnical team for general repair and construction work

(02:53:46):
of varied types, the service battery, as it is called in regular armies.
With the guerrillas, it would operateas such, taking care of all
necessities, but without any vestige ofthe bureaucratic spirit. Some one must be
in charge of communications. He willhave as his responsibility not only propaganda communications

(02:54:07):
such as radio directed toward the outside, but also telephones and roads of all
types. We will use the civilorganization as necessary in order to perform his
duties effectively. Remember that we arein a period of war, subject to
attack by the military, and thatoften many lives depend upon timely communication.
For accommodating the troop, it iswell to have cigarette and cigar factories.

(02:54:31):
The leaf can be bought in selectedplaces and carried to free territory, where
the articles for consumption by the soldierscan be manufactured. An industry for preparing
leather from hides is also of greatimportance. All these are simple enterprises that
can operate quite well anywhere and areeasy to establish in the guerrilla situation.

(02:54:52):
The industry for making leather requires somesmall construction with cement. Also, it
uses large amounts of salt, butit will be an enormous advantage to the
shoe industry to have its own supplyof raw material. Salt should be made
in revolutionary territory and accumulated in largequantities. It is made by evaporating water

(02:55:13):
of a high saline concentration. Thesea is the best source, though there
may be others. It is notnecessary to purify it of other ingredients for
purposes of consumption, though these giveit a flavor that is disagreeable at first.
Meat should be conserved in the formof jerked beef, which is easy
to prepare. This can save manylives among the troops in extreme situations.

(02:55:37):
It can be conserved with salt inlarge barrels for a fairly long time,
and it can then be eaten inany circumstance. Guerrilla Warfare nineteen sixty one
seven. Propaganda the revolutionary idea shouldbe diffused by means of appropriate media to
the greatest depth possible. This requirescomplete equipment and an organization. This organization

(02:56:01):
should be of two types, whichcomplement each other in covering the whole national
area for propaganda originating outside free territorythat is from the national civil organization,
and propaganda originating within that is,from the base of the Gorilla army.
In order to co ordinate these twopropagandas the functions of which are strictly related,

(02:56:22):
there should be a single director forthe whole effort. Propaganda of the
national type from civil organizations outside freeterritory should be distributed in newspapers, bulletins
and proclamations. The most important newspaperswill be devoted to general matters in the
country and will inform the public exactlyof the state of the gorilla forces,

(02:56:43):
observing always the fundamental principle that truth, in the long run is the best
policy. Besides these publications of generalinterests, there must be others, more
specialized for different sectors of the population. A publication for the countryside should bring
to the peasant class a message fromtheir companions in all the free zones,
who have already felt the beneficial effectsof the revolution. This strengthens the aspirations

(02:57:07):
of the peasantry. A worker's newspaperwill have similar characteristics, with the sole
difference that it cannot always offer amessage from the combatant part of that class.
Since it is likely that workers organizationswill not operate within the framework of
guerrilla warfare until the last stages,the great watchwords of the revolutionary movement,
the watchword of a general strike atan opportune moment, of help to the

(02:57:31):
rebel forces of unity, et cetera, should be explained. Other periodicals can
be published, for example, oneexplaining the tasks of those elements in the
whole island which are not combatants,but which nevertheless carry out diverse acts of
sabotage, of attempts, et cetera. Within the organization there can be periodicals
aimed at the enemy's soldiers. Thesewill explain facts of which they are otherwise

(02:57:54):
kept ignorant. News bulletins and proclamationsabout the movement are very useful. The
most effective propaganda is that which isprepared within the gorilla zone. Priority will
be given to the diffusion of ideasamong natives of the zone, offering explanations
of the theoretical significance of the insurrectionalready known to them as a fact.

(02:58:16):
In this zone there will also bepeasant periodicals the general organ of all the
gorilla forces, and bulletins and proclamations. There will also be the radio.
All problems should be discussed by radio, for example, the way to defend
oneself from air attacks and location ofthe enemy forces, citing familiar names among

(02:58:37):
them. Propaganda for the whole nationwill use newspapers of the same type as
those prepared outside Free territory, butit can produce fresher in more exact news
reporting facts and battles that are extremelyinteresting to the reader. Information on international
affairs will be confined almost exclusively tocommentary on facts that are directly related to

(02:58:58):
the struggle of liberation. The propagandathat will be the most effective, in
spite of everything, that which willspread most freely over the whole national area
to reach the reason and the sentimentsof the people, is words over the
radio. The radio is a factorof extraordinary importance at moments when war fever
is more or less palpitating in everyone in a region or a country.

(02:59:20):
The inspiring burning word increases this feverand communicates it to every one of the
future combatants. It explains, teachesfires, and fixes the future positions of
both friends and enemies. However,the radio should be ruled by the fundamental
principle of popular propaganda, which istruth. It is preferable to tell the

(02:59:41):
truth small in its dimensions than alarge light artfully embellished on the radio.
News should be given, especially ofbattles, of encounters of all types,
and assassinations committed by the repression,Also doctrinal orientations and practical lessons to the
civil population, and from time totime speeches by the chiefs of the revolution.

(03:00:03):
We consider it useful that the principalnewspaper of the movement bear a name
that recalls something great and unifying,perhaps a national hero or something similar.
Also, it should explain in articlesof depth where the armed movement is going.
It ought to create a consciousness ofthe great national problems, besides offering

(03:00:24):
sections of more lively interest for therilla warfare nineteen sixty one eight intelligence Know
yourself and your adversary, and youwill be able to fight a hundred battles
without a single disaster. This Chineseaphorism is as valuable for guerrilla warfare as
a biblical psalm. Nothing gives morehelp to combatant forces than correct information.

(03:00:46):
This arrives spontaneously from the local inhabitants, who will come to tell its friendly
army, its allies what is happeningin various places. But in addition it
should be completely systematized. As wesaw, there should be a postal organization
with necessary contacts both within and outsidegorilla zones for carrying messages and merchandise.

(03:01:09):
An intelligence service also should be indirect contact with enemy fronts. Men and
women, especially women, should infiltrate. They should be in permanent contact with
soldiers and gradually discover what there isto be discovered. The system must be
coordinated in such a way that crossingthe enemy lines into the gorilla camp can
be carried out without mishap. Ifthis is well done with competent agents,

(03:01:33):
the insurgent camp will be able tosleep more quietly. This intelligence will be
concerned principally, as I have alreadysaid, with the front line of fire
or the forward enemy encampments that arein contact with no man's land. But
it ought also to develop in thesame measure as the gorilla band develops,
increasing its depth of operation and itspotential to foresee larger troop movements in the

(03:01:54):
enemy rear. Though all inhabitants areintelligence agents for the gorilla Band, and
in the places where it is dominantor makes incursions, it is wise to
have persons especially assigned to this duty. The peasants, not accustomed to precise
battle language, have a strong tendencyto exaggerate, so their reports must be
checked. As the spontaneous forms ofpopular collaboration are molded and organized, it

(03:02:20):
is possible to use the intelligence apparatusnot only as an extremely important auxiliary,
but also as a weapon of attack. By using its personnel, for example,
as sours of fear, pretending tobe on the side of the enemy
soldiers, they sow fear an instabilityby spreading discouraging information. By knowing exactly
the places where the enemy troop isgoing to attack, it is easy to

(03:02:43):
avoid him, or, when thetime is ripe, to attack him at
places where it is least expected mobility. The basic tactic can be developed to
the mac Guerrilla Warfare nineteen sixty onenine. Training and indoctrination. The fundamental
training of the soldier of liberation isthe life itself with the gorilla band,

(03:03:03):
and no one can be a chiefwho has not learned his difficult office in
daily armed exercises. Life with somecompanions will teach something about the handling of
arms, about principles of orientation,about the manner of treating the civil population,
about fighting, et cetera. Butthe precious time of the gorilla band
is not to be consumed in methodicalteaching. This begins only when there is

(03:03:28):
a large liberated area and a largenumber of persons are needed for carrying out
a combat function. Schools for recruitswill then be established. These schools then
perform a very important function. Theyare to form new soldiers from persons who
have not passed through that excellent sieveof formidable privations, gorilla combatant life,

(03:03:48):
other privations must be suffered at theoutset to convert them into the truly chosen.
After having passed through very difficult tests, they will arrive at incorporating themselves
into the kingdom of an army thatlives from day to day and leaves no
traces of its path anywhere. Theyought to perform physical exercises mainly of two
types, an agile gymnastic with trainingfor war of a commando type which demands

(03:04:13):
agility in attack and withdrawal, andhikes that are hard and exhausting that will
serve to toughen the recruit for thiskind of existence. Above all, they
should live in the open air.They should suffer all the inclemencies of the
weather, in close contact with nature, as the gorilla band does. The
school for recruits must have workers whowill take care of its supply needs.

(03:04:35):
For this, there should be cattlesheds, grain sheds, gardens, dairy
everything necessary so that the school willnot constitute a charge on the general budget
of the Gorilla Army. The studentscan serve in rotation in the work of
supply, either as punishment for badconduct or simply as volunteers. This will

(03:04:56):
depend upon characteristics proper to the zonewhere the school is being held. We
believe that a good principle is toassign volunteers and to cover the remaining work
quotas with those who have the poorestconduct and show the poorest disposition for learning
warfare. The school should have itssmall medical organization with a doctor or nurse
according to the p zero five stabilities. This will provide the recruits with the

(03:05:20):
best possible attention. Shooting is thebasic apprenticeship see picture three to one.
The guerrilla fighter should be carefully trainedin this respect so that he will try
to expend the least possible amount ofammunition. He begins by practicing what is
called dry shooting. It consists ofseating the rifle firmly on any kind of

(03:05:41):
wooden apparatus as shown in the picture, without moving or firing the rifle.
The recruits direct the movement of atarget until they think they have a hole
at the center exactly in the lineof sight. A mark is made on
a backboard that remains stationary. Ifthe mark for three tries gives a single
point, this is excellent when circumstancespermit practice with twenty two caliber rifles will

(03:06:05):
begin. This is very useful ifthere is an excess of ammunition or a
great need for preparing soldiers, opportunitywill be given to fire with bullets.
One of the most important courses inthe school for recruits, one which we
hold to be basic and which canbe given in any place in the world,
is in meeting attack from the ere. Our school had been positively identified

(03:06:26):
from the air and received attacks onceor twice daily. The form in which
the students resisted the impact of thesecontinuous bombardments on their regular places of instruction
virtually showed which of the young menhad possibilities for becoming useful soldiers in battle.
The important thing that which must neverbe neglected in a school for recruits

(03:06:48):
is indoctrination. This is important becausethe men arrive without a clear conception as
to why they come, with nothingmore than very diffuse concepts about liberty,
freedom of the press, et cetera, without any c foundation whatever. Therefore,
the indoctrination should be carried out withmaximum dedication and for the maximum amount
of time possible. These courses shouldoffer elementary notions about the history of the

(03:07:13):
country, explained with a clear senseof the economic facts that motivate each of
the historic acts, accounts of thenational heroes and their manner of reacting when
confronted with certain injustices, and afterwardsan analysis of the national situation or of
the situation in the zone. Ashort primer should be well studied by all
members of the rebel army, sothat it can serve as a skeleton of

(03:07:35):
that which will come later. Thereshould also be a school for training teachers,
where agreement can be reached on thechoice of texts to be used,
taking as a basis the contribution thateach book can make to the educational process.
Reading should be encouraged at all times, with an effort to promote books
that are worth while and that enlargethe recruit's facility to encounter the world of

(03:07:56):
letters and great national problems. Furtherreading will follow as a vocation. The
surrounding circumstances will awaken new desires forunderstanding in the soldiers. This result will
be produced when, little by littlethe recruits observed in their routine tasks the
enormous advantages of men who have passedthrough the school over the remainder of the
troop, their capacity for analyzing problemstheir superior discipline, which is another of

(03:08:22):
the fundamental things that the school shouldteach. This discipline should be internal,
not mechanical, but justified by reasonsand designed to produce formidable benefits. Enharments
of Corilla Warfare nineteen sixty one ten. The organizational structure of the army of
a revolutionary movement, as we haveseen, a revolutionary army of a guerrilla

(03:08:43):
type, whatever its zone of operations, should also have a non combatant organization
for the performance of a series ofextremely important auxiliary missions. We shall see
later that this whole organization converges tolend the army maximum help, since obviously
the armed fight is the crucial factorin the triumph. The military organization is

(03:09:05):
headed by a commander in chief,in the case of the Cuban experience,
by a commandant who names the commandersof the different regions or zones. These
latter have authority to govern their respectiveterritories of action, to name column commanders,
that is to say, the chiefsof each column and the other lower
officers. Under the commander in chief. There will be the zone commanders.

(03:09:26):
Under them, several columns of varyingsize each with a column commander. Under
the column commanders, there will becaptains and lieutenants, which in our guerrilla
organization were the lowest grade. Inother words, the first rank above the
soldiers was the lieutenant. This isnot a model, but a description of
one reality of how the organization workedin one country, where it proved possible

(03:09:50):
to achieve triumph over an army thatwas fairly well organized and armed, even
less here than in other respects.Is our experience a pattern. It simply
shows how, as events develop,it is possible to organize an armed force.
The ranks certainly have no importance,but it is important that no rank
should be conferred that does not correspondto the effective battle force. Commanded ranks

(03:10:13):
should not be given to persons whohave not passed through the sieve of sacrifice
and struggle, for that would conflictwith morality injustice. The description given above
refers to a well developed army alreadycapable of waging a serious combat. In
the first stage of the gorilla band. The chief can take the rank he
likes, but he will still commandonly a small group of men. One

(03:10:35):
of the most important features of militaryorganization is disciplinary punishment. Discipline must be
one of the bases of action ofthe guerrilla forces. This must be repeated
again and again. As we havealready said, it should spring from a
carefully reasoned internal conviction. This producesan individual with inner discipline. When this

(03:10:56):
discipline is violated, it is necessaryalways to punish the offender, whatever his
rank, and to punish him drasticallyin a way that hurts. This is
important because pain is not felt bya guerrilla soldier in the same way as
by a soldier of the regular army. The punishment of putting a soldier in
jail for ten days constitutes for theguerrilla fighter a magnificent period of rest,

(03:11:20):
ten days with nothing to do buteat, no marching, no work,
no standing, the customary guards sleepingat will, resting, reading, et
cetera. From this, it canbe deduced that deprivation of liberty ought not
to be the only punishment available inthe gorilla situation. When the combat morale
of the individual is very high andself respect strong, deprivation of his right

(03:11:43):
to be armed can constitute a truepunishment for the individual and provoke a positive
reaction. In such cases, thisis an expedient punishment. The following painful
incident is an example. During thebattle for one of the cities of lasts
Villa's province in the final days ofthe war, we found an individual asleep
in a chair while others were attackingpositions in the middle of the town.

(03:12:09):
When questioned, the man responded thathe was sleeping because he had been deprived
of his weapon for firing accidentally.He was told that this was not the
way to react to punishment, andthat he should regain his weapon, not
in this way, but in thefirst line of combat. A few days
passed, and as the final assaulton the city of Santa Clara began,
we visited the first aid hospital.A dying man there extended his hand.

(03:12:33):
Recalling the episode one have narrated,affirmed that he had been capable of recovering
his weapon and had earned the rightto carry it. Shortly afterwards, he
died. This was the grade ofrevolutionary morale that our troop achieved through the
continual exercise of armed struggle. Itis not possible to achieve it at the
outset, when there are still manywho are frightened, and subjective currents served

(03:12:56):
to put a brake on the influenceof the revolution. But Finally, it
is reached through work and through theforce of continual example, long night watches
and forced marches can also serve aspunishments, but the marches are not really
practical, since they consume the individualto no purpose other than that of punishment,
and they require guards who also wearthemselves out. The guards suffer the

(03:13:18):
further inconvenience of having to keep awatch on the persons being punished, who
are soldiers of scant revolutionary mentality inthe forces directly under my command. I
impose the punishment of arrest with privationof suites and cigarettes for light offenses,
and a total deprivation of food forworse offenses. The result was magnificent,

(03:13:39):
even though the punishment was terrible.It is advisable only in very special circumstance.
Guerrilla Warfare nineteen sixty one, Appendicesone organization in secret of the first
Gorilla Band. Guerrilla warfare obeys laws, some derived from the general Laws of
war and others owing to its ownspecial character. If there is a real

(03:14:01):
intention to begin the struggle from someforeign coup nine try, or from distant
and remote regions within the same country, it is obvious that it must begin
in small conspiratorial movements of secret membersacting without mass support or knowledge. If
the gorilla movement is borne spontaneously outof the reaction of a group of individuals
to some form of coercion, itis possible that the later organization of this

(03:14:24):
gorilla nucleus to prevent its annihilation willbe sufficient for a beginning. But generally
gorilla warfare starts from a well consideredact of will. Some chief with prestige
starts in uprising for the salvation ofhis people, beginning his work in difficult
conditions in a foreign country. Almostall the popular movements undertaken against dictators in

(03:14:46):
recent times have suffered from the samefundamental fault of inadequate preparation. The rules
of conspiracy, which demand extreme secrecyand caution, have not generally been observed.
The governmental power of the country frequentlyknows in advance about the intentions of
the group or groups, either throughits secret service or from imprudent revelations,
or in some cases, from outrightdeclarations, as occurred, for example,

(03:15:11):
in our case, in which theinvasion was announced and summed up in the
phrase of Fidel Castro in the yearfifty six. We will be free or
we will be martyrs. Absolute secrecy, a total absence of information in the
enemy's hands, should be the primarybase of the movement. Secondly, and
also very important, is selection ofthe human material. At times, this

(03:15:33):
selection can be carried out easily,but at others it will be extremely difficult,
since it is necessary to rely onthose elements that are available. Long
time exiles or persons who present themselveswhen the call goes out simply because they
understand that it is their duty toenroll in the battle to liberate their country,
et cetera. There may not bethe necessary facilities for making a complete

(03:15:56):
investigation of these individuals. Nevertheless,even though elements of the enemy regime introduce
themselves, it is unpardonable that theyshould later be able to pass information,
because in the period just prior toan action, all those who are going
to participate should be concentrated in secretplaces known only to one or two persons.
They should be under the strict vigilanceof their chiefs, and without the

(03:16:18):
slightest contact with the outside world.Whenever there are concentrations, whether as a
preparation for departure or in order tocarry out preliminary training, or simply to
hide from the police. It isnecessary always to keep all new personnel about
whom there is no clear knowledge availableaway from the key places. In underground
conditions, no one, absolutely noone should know anything more than the strictly

(03:16:41):
indispensable, and there ought not tobe talked in front of anyone. When
certain types of concentration have been carriedout, it is necessary even to control
letters that leave and arrive in orderto have a total knowledge of the contacts
that the individuals maintain. No oneshould be permitted to live alone, nor
to go out alone personal contacts ofthe future member of the liberating army.

(03:17:03):
Contacts of any type should be preventedby every means. However positive the role
of women in the struggle, itmust be emphasized that they can also play
a destructive part. The weakness forwomen that young men have when living apart
from their habitual medium of life inspecial even psychic conditions is well known.
As dictators are well aware of thisweakness. They try to use it for

(03:17:26):
infiltrating their spies. At times,the relationship of these women with their superiors
is clear and even notorious. Atother times it is extremely difficult to discover
even the slightest evidence of contact.Therefore, it is necessary also to prohibit
relations with women. The revolutionary ina clandestine situation preparing for war should be

(03:17:48):
a complete ascetic. This also servesto test one of the qualities that later
will be the basis of his authoritydiscipline. If an individual repeatedly disobeys orders
of his superiors and makes contacts withwomen, contracts, friendships that are not
permitted, et cetera, he shouldbe separated immediately, not merely because of
the potential dangers in the contacts,but simply because of the violation of revolutionary

(03:18:11):
discipline. Unconditional help should not beexpected from a government, whether friendly or
simply negligent, that allows its territoryto be used as a base of operations.
One should regard the situation as ifhe were in a completely hostile camp.
The few exceptions that, of coursecan occur, are really confirmations of

(03:18:31):
the general rule. We shall notspeak here of the number of persons that
should be readied. This depends uponso many in such varied conditions that it
is practically impossible to specify. Butthe minimum number with which it is possible
to initiate a guerrilla war can bementioned. In my opinion, considering the
normal desertions and weaknesses, in spiteof the rigorous process of selection, there

(03:18:54):
should be a nucleus of thirty tofifty men. This figure is sufficient to
an initiate an armed fight in anycountry of the Americas, with their conditions
of favorable territory for operations, hungerfor land, repeated attacks upon justice,
et cetera. Weapons, as hasalready been said, should be of the
same type as those used by theenemy. Considering always that every government is

(03:19:18):
in principle hostile to a guerrilla actionbeing undertaken from its territory, the bands
that prepare themselves should not be greaterthan approximately fifty to one hundred men per
unit. In other words, thoughthere is no objection to five hundred men
initiating a war, all five hundredshould not be concentrated in one place.
They are so numerous as to attractattention, and in case of any betrayal

(03:19:41):
of confidence or of any raid,the whole group falls. On the other
hand, it is more difficult toraid various places simultaneously. The central headquarters
for meetings can be more or lessknown and the exiled persons will go there
to hold meetings of all types,but the leaders ought not to be present
and accept very sporadically, and thereshould be no compromising documents. The leaders

(03:20:05):
should use as many different houses aspossible those least likely to be under surveillance.
Arms deposits should be distributed in severalplaces. If possible, These should
be an absolute secret, known toonly one or two people. Weapons should
be delivered into the hands of thosewho are going to use them only when
the war is about to be initiated. Thus, a punitive action against persons

(03:20:28):
who are training, while leading totheir imprisonment, will not produce a loss
of arms that are very difficult toprocure. Popular forces are not in any
condition to suffer such a loss.Another important factor to which due attention must
be given is preparation of the forcesfor the extremely hard fight that is going
to follow. These forces should havea strict discipline, a high morale,

(03:20:52):
and a clear comprehension of the taskto be performed, without conceit, without
illusions, without false hopes of aneasy triumph. The struggle will be bitter
and long reverses will be suffered.They can be at the brink of annihilation.
Only high morale, discipline, faithin final victory, and exceptional leadership
can save them. This was ourCuban experience. At one time, twelve

(03:21:16):
men were able to form the nucleusof the future army because all these conditions
were met, and because the onewho led us was named Fidel Castro.
Besides ideological and moral preparations, carefulphysical training is necessary. The Gorilla's will,
of course, select a mountainous orvery wild zone for their operations at

(03:21:37):
any rate, in whatever situation theyfind themselves. The basic tactic of the
Gorilla army is the march, andneither slow men nor tired men can be
tolerated. Adequate training therefore includes exhaustinghikes day and night, day after day,
increasing gradually always continue to the brinkof exhaustion, with emulation used to
increase speed. Resistance and spid willbe fundamental qualities of the first Gorilla nucleus.

(03:22:03):
Also, a series of theoretical principlescan be taught, for example,
direction finding, reading, and formsof sabotage. If possible, there should
be training with military rifles, frequentfiring, above all at distant targets,
and much instruction about the way toeconomize bullets to the gorilla fighter. Economy

(03:22:24):
and utilization of ammunition down to thelast bullet should be out most like religious
tenets. If all these admonitions arefollowed, the gorilla forces may well reach
their guerrilla warfare nineteen sixty one two. Defense of power that has been won
Naturally, victory cannot be considered asfinally won until the army that sustained the

(03:22:46):
former regime has been systematically and totallysmashed. Further, all the institutions that
sheltered the former regime should be wipedout. But since this is a manual
for gorilla bands, we will confineourselves to analyzing the problem of national defense
in case of war or aggression againstthe new power. The first development we

(03:23:07):
meet is that world public opinion,the respectable press, that truthful news agencies
of the United States and of theother countries belonging to the monopolies will begin
an attack on the liberated country,an attack as aggressive and systematic as the
laws of popular reform. For thisreason, not even a skeleton of personnel
from the for former army can beretained. Militarism, mechanical obedience, traditional

(03:23:31):
concepts of military duty, discipline,and morale cannot be eradicated with one blow.
Nor can the victors, who aregood fighters, decent and kind hearted,
but at the same time generally lackingeducation, be allowed to remain in
contact with the vanquished. Who areproud of their specialized military knowledge in some
combat arm in mathematics, fortifications,logistics, et cetera, and who hate

(03:23:56):
the uncultured guerrilla fighters with all theirmight, are of course individual cases of
military men who break with the pastand enter into the new organization with a
spirit of complete co operation. Thesepersons are doubly useful because they unite with
their love of the peoples cause theknowledge necessary for carrying forward the creation of

(03:24:16):
the new popular Army. As secondstep will be consequent upon the first.
As the old army is smashed anddismembered as an institution and its former posts
occupied by the new army, itwill be necessary to reorganize the new force.
Its former gorilla character operating under independentchiefs without planning can be changed,
but it is very important to emphasizethat operational concepts of the gorilla band should

(03:24:41):
still serve as the guide to structure. These concepts will determine the organic formation
and the equipment of the Popular Army. Cares should be taken to avoid the
error that we fell into during thefirst months of trying to put the new
popular Army into the old bottles ofmilitary discipline and ancient organization. This error
can cause serious maladjustments and can leadto a complete lack of organization. Preparation

(03:25:07):
should begin immediately for the new defensivewar that will have to be fought by
the People's Army accustomed to independence ofcommand within the common struggle and dynamism in
the management of each armed group.This army will have two immediate problems.
One will be the incorporation of thousandsof last hour revolutionaries, good and bad,
whom it is necessary to train forthe rigors of guerrilla life and to

(03:25:31):
give revolutionary indoctrination in accelerated and intensivecourses. Revolutionary indoctrination that gives the necessary
ideological unity to the Army of thePeople is the basis of national security,
both in the long and short runs. The other problem is the difficulty of
adaptation to the new organizational structure acorps to take charge of sowing the new

(03:25:52):
truths of the revolution among all theunits of the army should immediately be created.
It should explain to the soul,peasants and workers who have come out
of the mass of the people,the justice and the truth of each revolutionary
act, the aspirations of the revolution, Why there is a fight, why
so many companions have died without seeingthe victory. United to this intensive indoctrination,

(03:26:16):
accelerated courses of primary instruction that willbegin to overcome a literacy should also
be given in order to improve therebel army gradually until it has become an
instrument of high technical qualifications, solidideological structure, and magnificent combat power.
Time will create these three qualities.The military apparatus can continue to be perfected

(03:26:37):
as time goes on. The formercombatants can be given special courses to prepare
them to serve as professional military men, who will then give annual courses of
instruction to the people joining voluntarily orby conscription. This will depend on national
characteristics and rules cannot be stated.From this point forward. We are expressing

(03:26:58):
the opinion of the command of theRebel Army with respect to the policy to
be followed in the concrete Cuban situation. Given the menace of foreign invasion,
the conditions of the modern world atthe end of nineteen fifty nine or the
beginning of nineteen sixty with the enemyin sight, analyzed, evaluated, and
awaited without fear. In other words, we are no longer theorizing for the

(03:27:18):
instruction of others about what has alreadybeen done. Rather, we theorize about
what has been done by others inorder to apply it ourselves in our own
national defense. As our problem isto theorize about the Cuban case and locate
and test our hypothesis on the mapof American realities, we present as an
epilogue the following analysis of the Cubansituation Presera and its Guerrilla Warfare nineteen sixty

(03:27:43):
one. Epilogue Analysis of the Cubansituation, its present, and its future.
A year has now passed since theflight of the dictator, the culmination
of a long armed civil struggle bythe Cuban people. The achievements of the
government in the social, economic andpolitical fields are enormous. Nevertheless, it

(03:28:05):
is necessary to analyze them, toevaluate each act, and to show precisely
the dimensions of our Cuban revolution.This national revolution fundamentally agrarian, having the
enthusiastic support of workers, of peoplefrom the middle class, and today even
of owners of industry, has acquireda continental and worldwide importance, enhanced by
its peculiar characteristics and by the inflexiblewill of the people. It will not

(03:28:30):
be possible to present a synthesis,however, brief of all the laws passed,
all of them undoubtedly of popular benefit. It will be enough to select
a few for special emphasis, andto show at the same time the logical
chain that carries us forward, stepby step in a progressive and necessary order
of concern for the problems of theCuban people. The first alarm for the

(03:28:52):
parasitic classes of the country is soundedin the rent law, the reduction of
electric rates and government intervention in atelephone company, followed by a reduction in
rates, all decreed in rapid succession. Those who had thought Fidel Castro and
the men who made this revolution tobe nothing more than politicians of the old
style, manageable simpletons with beards theironly distinction, now began to suspect that

(03:29:15):
something deeper was emerging from the bosomof the Cuban people, and that their
privileges were in danger. The wordcommunism began to envelop the figures of the
leaders and of the triumphant guerrilla fighters. Consequently, the word anti communism,
as the position dialectically opposed, beganto serve as a nucleus for all those
who resented the loss of their unjustprivileges. The law on vacant lots and

(03:29:39):
the law on installment sales aggravated thissensation of malaise among the usurious capitalists.
But these were minor skirmishes with thereactionaries. Everything was still all right and
possible. This crazy fellow, FidelCastro, could be counseled and guided to
good paths, to good democratic paths, by a dubois or a poor It

(03:30:01):
was necessary to place hope in thefuture. The agrarian reform law was a
tremendous jolt. Most of those whohad been hurt now saw clearly. One
of the first was gast In Bcuro, the voice of reaction. He had
accurately interpreted what was going to happenand had retired to quieter scenes under the
Spanish dictatorship. There were still somewho thought that the law is the law

(03:30:24):
that other governments had already promulgated suchlaws theoretically designed to help the people carrying
out these laws was another thing.That brash and complex child that had the
initials Inra for its familiar name,was treated at the beginning with peevish and
touching paternalism within the ivory towers oflearning pervaded with social doctrines and respectable theories

(03:30:46):
of public finance, to which theuncultivated and absurd mentalities of the guerrilla fighters
could not arrive. But in Raadvanced like a tractor or a war tank,
because it is tractor and tank atthe same time, breaking down the
walls of the great est states asit passed in creating new social relations in
the ownership of land. This Cubanagrarian reform appeared with various characteristics important for

(03:31:11):
America. It was anti feudal inthe sense that it eliminated the Cuban style
lat of fundia andnulled all contracts thatcalled for payment of rent of land and
crops, and liquidated the servile relationsthat existed principally in coffee and tobacco production,
two important branches of our agriculture.But it also was an agrarian reform

(03:31:31):
in a capitalist medium to destroy thepressure of monopoly on human beings isolated or
joined together, to help them worktheir land honorably and to produce without fear
of the creditor or the master.It had the characteristic from the first moment
of assuring to peasants and agricultural workers. Those who give themselves to the soil
needed technical help from competent personnel,machinery, financial help provided through credits from

(03:31:54):
inra or Para state banks, andbig help from their association of People's stores
that has developed on a large scalein orient and is in process of development
in other provinces. The state stores, replacing the old usurers, provide just
financing and pay a just price forthe harvest. Compared with the other three

(03:32:15):
great agrarian reforms in America Mexico,Guatemala and Bolivia, the most important distinctive
characteristic is the decision to carry Cubanreform all the way without concessions or exceptions
of any kind. This total agrarianreform respects no rights that are not rights
of the people, nor singles outany class or nationality for discriminatory treatment.

(03:32:37):
The force of the law falls equallyon the United Fruit Company and on the
king ranch as on the big Cubanlandowners. Under these conditions, land is
being cleared mainly for the production ofcrops which are very important to the country,
rice, oil producing grains, andcotton. These are being intensively developed.
But the nation is not satisfied andis going to recover all its stolen

(03:33:00):
resources. Its rich sub soil,which has been a field of monopolist veracity
and struggle, is virtually recovered bythe petroleum law. This law, like
the agrarian reform and all the otherspromulgated by the revolution, responds to Cuba's
irresistible necessities, to urgent demands ofa people that wishes to be free,
that wishes to be master of itseconomy, that wishes to prosper and to

(03:33:24):
reach ever higher goals of social development. But for this very reason, it
is an example for the continent andfeared by the oil monopolies. It is
not that Cuba directly hurts the petroleummonopoly substantially. There is no reason to
believe the country to be rich inreserves of the prized fuel, even though
there are reasonable hopes of obtaining asupply that will satisfy its internal needs.

(03:33:48):
On the other hand, by itslaw, Cuba gives a palpable example to
the brother peoples of America, manyof them foraged by these monopolies or pushed
into intersigne wars in order to satisfythen miscacs, necessities or appetites of competing
trusts. At the same time,Cuba shows the possibility of acting in America
and the exact hour when action oughtto be considered. The great monopolies also

(03:34:11):
cast their worried look upon Cuba.Not only has someone in the little island
of the Caribbean dared to liquidate theinterests of the omnipotent United Fruit Company legacy
of mister Foster Dulles to his heirs, but also the empires of mister Rockefeller
and the Deutsch Group have suffered underthe lash of intervention by the popular Cuban
Revolution. This law, like themining law, is the response of the

(03:34:33):
people to those who try to checkthem with threats of force, with aerial
incursions, with punishments of whatever type. Some say that the mining law is
as important as the agrarian reform.We do not consider that it has this
importance for the economy of the countryin general, but it introduces another new
feature, a twenty five percent taxon the amount of product exported to be

(03:34:56):
paid by companies that sell our mineralsabroad, leaving now something more than a
whole in our territory. This notonly contributes to our Cuban welfare, it
also increases the relative strength of theCanadian monopolies in their struggle with the present
exploiters of our nickel. Thus,the Cuban Revolution liquidates the latter Fundia,
limits the profits of the foreign monopolies, limits the profits of the foreign intermediaries

(03:35:20):
that dedicate themselves with parasitic capital tothe commerce of importation, launches upon the
world. A new policy in Americadares to break the monopolist status of the
giants of mining and leaves one ofthem in difficulty, to say the least.
This signifies a powerful new message tothe neighbors of the great stronghold of
monopoly and causes repercussions throughout America.The Cuban Revolution breaks all the barriers of

(03:35:45):
the new syndicates and diffuses its truthlike a shower of dust among the American
masses anxious for a better life.Cuba is the symbol of nationality renewed and
Fidel Castro the symbol of liberation.By a simple law of gravity, the
little island of one hundred fourteen thousandsquare kilometers and six and one half million
inhabitants assumes the leadership in the anticolonial struggle in America, in which serious

(03:36:11):
handicaps in other countries permit Cuba totake the heroic, glorious, and dangerous
advanced post. The economically less weaknations of colonial America, the ones in
which national capitalism develops haltingly in acontinuous, relentless and at times violent struggle
against the foreign monopolies, now seedetheir place gradually to this small new champion

(03:36:33):
of liberty, since their governments donot have sufficient force to carry the fight
forward. This is not a simpletask, nor is it free from danger
and difficulties. The backing of awhole people and an enormous charge of idealism
and spirit of sacrifice are needed inthe nearly solitary conditions in which we are
carrying it out in America. Smallcountries have tried to maintain this post.

(03:36:56):
Before Guatemala, the Guatemala of Ketsalthat dies when it is imprisoned in a
cage. The Guatemala of the Indiantecum Yumum fell before the direct aggression of
the colonialists. Bolivia, the countryof Morillo, the protomarter of American independence,
yielded to the terrible hardships of thestruggle. After setting three examples that

(03:37:16):
served as the foundation of the CubanRevolution. The suppression of the army,
bagrarian reform, and nationalization of Mind'smaximum source of riches and at the same
time maximum source of tragedy. Cubaknows about these previous examples, knows the
failures and the difficulties. But itknows also that we are at the dawning
of a new era in the world. The pillars of colonialism have been swept

(03:37:39):
aside by the power of the nationaland popular struggle. In Asia and Africa,
solidarity among peoples does not now comefrom religion, customs, tastes,
racial affinity, or its lack.It arises from a similarity in economic and
social conditions, and from a similarityin desire for progress and recruits. Asia

(03:38:01):
and Africa join hands in Bandum.Asia and Africa come to join hands with
colonial and indigenous America through Cuba.In Havana on the other hand, the
great colonial powers have lost ground beforethe struggle of the peoples. Belgium and
Holland are two caricatures of empires.Germany and Italy lost their colonies. France

(03:38:24):
is bitterly fighting a war that islost. England, diplomatic and skillful,
liquidates political power while maintaining the economicconnections. American capitalism replaced some of the
old colonial capitalisms in the countries thatbegan their independent life. But it knows
that this is transitory, and thatthere is no real security for its financial

(03:38:45):
speculations in these new territories. Theoctopus cannot there apply its suckers firmly.
The claw of the imperial eagle istrimmed. Colonialism is dead or is dying
a natural death in all these places. America is something else. It has
been some time since the English lion, with its voracious appetite, departed from

(03:39:07):
our America, and the young andcharming Yankee capitalists installed the democratic version of
the English Clubs, imposing their sovereigndomination over every one of the twenty republics.
These is the colonial realm of NorthAmerican monopoly, its reason for being
in last hope, the backyard ofits own house. If all the Latin
American peoples should raise the flag ofdignity as Cuba has done, monopoly would

(03:39:33):
tremble. It would have to accommodateto a new political economic situation and to
substantial prunings of prophets. Monopoly doesnot like profits to be pruned. And
the Cuban example, this bad exampleof national and international dignity, is gaining
strength in the countries of America.Each time that an impudent people cries out
for liberation, Cuba is accused.And it is true in a sense that

(03:39:56):
Cuba is guilty because Cuba has shownthe way, the way of the armed
popular fight against armies supposed to beinvincible, the way of struggle in wild
places, to wear down and destroythe enemy far from his bases, in
a word, the way of dignity. This Cuban example is bad, a
very bad example. And monopoly cannotsleep quietly while this bad example remains at

(03:40:20):
its feet, defying danger, advancingtoward the future. It must be destroyed.
Voices declare it is necessary to intervenein this bastion of communism. Cry
the servants of monopoly disguised as representativesin Congress. The Cuban situation is very
disturbing, say the artful defenders ofthe trusts. We all know that their

(03:40:41):
meaning is it must be destroyed verywell. What are the different possibilities of
aggressive action to destroy the bad?Example, one could be called the purely
economic. These begins with a restrictionon credit by North American banks and suppliers
to all business men, men,national banks, and even the National Bank

(03:41:01):
of Cuba. Credit is thus restrictedin North America and through the medium of
associates. An attempt is made tohave the same policy adopted in all the
countries of Western Europe, but thisalone is not sufficient. The denial of
credits strikes a first strong blow atthe economy, but recovery is rapid and
the commercial balance evens out. Sincethe victimized country is accustomed to living as

(03:41:26):
best it can, it is necessaryto apply more pressure. The sugar quota
is brought into the picture. Yes, no, no, yes. Hurriedly,
the calculating machines of the agents ofmonopoly total up all sorts of accounts
and arrive at the final conclusion.It is very dangerous to reduce the Cuban
quota and impossible to cancel it whyvery dangerous because, besides being bad politics,

(03:41:52):
it would awaken the appetite of tenor fifteen other supplier countries, causing
them tremendous discomfort because they would allcons they had a right to something more.
It is impossible to cancel the quotabecause Cuba is the largest, most
efficient, and cheapest provider of sugarto the United States, and because sixty
percent of the interests that profit directlyfrom the production and commerce in sugar are

(03:42:16):
United States interests. Besides, thecommercial balance is favorable to the United States.
Whoever does not sell cannot buy,and it would set a bad example
to break a treaty. Further,the supposed North American gift of paying nearly
three cents above the market price isonly the result of North American incapacity to
produce sugar cheaply. The high wagesand the low productivity of the soil prevent

(03:42:41):
the Great Power from producing sugar atCuban prices, and by paying this higher
price for a product, they areable to impose burdensome treaties on all beneficiaries,
not only Cuba. Impossible to liquidatethe Cuban quota. We do not
consider likely the possibility that monopolists areemploying a very of the economic approach in

(03:43:01):
bombarding and burning sugar cane fields,hoping to cause a scarcity of the product.
Rather, this appears to be ameasure calculated to weaken confidence in the
power of the revolutionary government. Thecorpse of the North American Mercenary stains more
than a Cuban house with blood.It also stains a policy and what is
to be said of the gigantic explosionof arms destined for the rebel army.

(03:43:24):
Another vulnerable place where the Cuban economycan be squeezed is the supply of raw
materials such as cotton. However,it is well known that there is an
overproduction of cotton in the world,and any difficulty of this type would be
transitory fuel. This is worth someattention. It is possible to paralyze a

(03:43:45):
country by depriving it of fuel,and Cuba produces very little petroleum. It
has some heavy fuel that can beused to operate as steam driven machinery,
and some alcohol that can be usedin vehicles. Also, there are large
amounts of petroleum in the world.Egypt can sell it, the Soviet Union
can sell it. Perhaps Iraq willbe able to sell it shortly. It

(03:44:07):
is not possible to develop a purelyeconomic strategy as another possibility of aggression.
If to this economic variant were addedan intervention by some puppet power, the
Dominican Republic, for example, itwould be somewhat more of a nuisance,
but the United Nations would doubtless intervenewith nothing concrete having been achieved. Incidentally,

(03:44:30):
the new course taken by the Organizationof American States creates a dangerous precedent
of intervention behind the shield of thetrujell pretext monopoly solaces itself by constructing a
means of aggression. It is sadthat the Venezuelan democracy has put us in
a difficult position of having to opposean intervention against Truheo. What a good

(03:44:50):
turn it has done the pirates ofthe continent. Among the new possibilities of
aggression is physical elimination by means ofan assault on the bold fellow Fidel Castro,
who has become by now the focusof the monopolies wrath. Naturally,
measures must be arranged so that theother two dangerous international agents, Raoul Castro

(03:45:11):
and the author are also eliminated.This solution is appealing. If simultaneous assaults
on all three, or at leaston the directing, had succeeded, it
would be a boon to the reaction. But do not forget the people,
messrs, monopolists and agents, theomnipotent people who, in their fury at
such a crime, would crush anderase all those who had anything to do

(03:45:31):
directly or indirectly. With an assaulton any of the chiefs of the revolution,
it would be impossible to restrain them. Another aspect of the Guatemalan variant
is to put pressure on the suppliersof arms in order to force Cuba to
buy in communist countries, and thenuse this as an occasion to let loose
another shower of insults. This couldgive results. It may be some one

(03:45:54):
in our government has said that theywill attack us as communists, but they
are not going to eliminate us asimbeciles. Thus it begins to appear as
if a direct aggression on the partof the monopolies will be necessary. Various
possible forms are being shuffled and studiedin the IBM machines, with all processes
calculated. It occurs to us atthe moment that the Spanish variant could be

(03:46:18):
used. The Spanish variant would beone in which some initial pretext is seized
upon for an attack by exiles withthe help of volunteers, volunteers who would
be mercenaries, of course, orsimply the troops of a foreign power,
while supported by navy and air.While enough supported, shall we say,
to be successful. It could alsobegin as a direct aggression by some states,

(03:46:39):
such as the Dominican Republic, whichwould send some of its men are
brothers and many mercenaries to die onthese beaches in order to provoke war.
This would prompt the pure intentioned monopoliststo say that they do not wish to
intervene in this disastrous struggle between brothers. They will merely limit and confine and
freeze the war within its presence limitsby maintaining vigilance over the skies and seas

(03:47:03):
of this part of America with cruisers, battleships, destroyers, aircraft carriers,
submarines, minesweepers, torpedo boats,and airplanes. And it could happen that
while these zealous guardians of continental peacewere not allowing a single boat to pass
with things for Cuba, some manyor all of the boats headed for the

(03:47:24):
unhappy country of Trujillo would escape theiron vigilance. Also, they might intervene
through some reputable Interamerican organ to putan end to the foolish war that communism
had unleashed in our island. Orif this mechanism of the reputable American organ
did not serve, they might intervenedirectly, as in Korea, using the
name of the international organ in orderto restore peace and protect the interests of

(03:47:48):
all nations. Perhaps the first stepin the aggression will not be against us,
but against the constitutional government of Venezuela, in order to liquidate our last
point of support on the continent.If this happens, it is possible that
the center of the struggle against colonialismwill move from Cuba to the great country
of Bolivar. The people of Venezuelawill rise to defend their liberties with all

(03:48:11):
the enthusiasm of those who know thatthey are fighting a decisive battle, that
behind defeat lies the darkest tyranny,and behind victory the certain future of America.
A stream of popular struggles can disturbthe peace of the monopolist cemeteries formed
out of our subjugated sister republics.Many reasons argue against the chance of enemy
victory, but there are two fundamentalones. The first is external. This

(03:48:37):
is the year nineteen sixty, theyear that will finally hear the voices of
the millions of beings who do nothave the luck to be governed by the
possessors of the means of death andpayment. Further, and this is an
even more powerful reason, an armyof six million Cubans will grasp weapons as
a single man in order to defendits territory and its revolution. Cuba will
be a battlefield, or the armywill be nothing other than part of the

(03:49:01):
people in arms after destruction. Ina frontal war. Hundreds of gorilla bands,
under a dynamic command and a singlecenter of orientation will fight the battle
all over the country. In cities, the workers will die in their factories
or centers of work. And inthe country the peasants will deal out death
to the invader from behind every palmtree and from every furrow of the new

(03:49:22):
mechanically plowed field that the revolution hasgiven them. And around the world,
international solidarity will create a barrier ofhundreds of millions of people protesting against aggression
monopoly will see how its pillars areundermined, and how the spider web curtain
of its newspaper lies is swept awayby a puff. But let us suppose
that they dare to defy the popularindignation of the world. What will happen

(03:49:46):
here within? The first thing tobe noted, given our position as an
easily vulnerable island without heavy arms,with a very weak air force and navy,
is the necessity of applying the gorillaconcept to the fight for national defense.
Our ground units will fight with thefervor, decision and enthusiasm of which
the sons of the Cuban Revolution arecapable in these glorious years of our history.

(03:50:09):
But if the worst occurs, weare prepared to continue fighting even after
the destruction of our army organization.In a frontal combat, in other words,
confronting large concentrations of enemy forces thatsucceed in destroying ours, we would
change immediately into a guerrilla army witha good sense of mobility, with unlimited
authority in our column commanders, thoughwith a central command located somewhere in the

(03:50:33):
country giving the necessary direction and fixingthe general overall strategy, the mountains would
be the last line of defense ofthe organized armed vanguard of the people,
which is the rebel army. Butin every house of the people, on
every road, in every forest,in every piece of national territory, the
struggle would be fought by the greatarmy of the rear guard, the entire

(03:50:54):
people, trained and armed in themanner now to be described. Since our
infant entry units will not have heavyarms, they will concentrate on anti tank
and anti air defense mines in verylarge numbers. Bazukahs or anti tank grenades,
anti aircraft cannon of great mobility inmortar batteries will be the only arms
of any great power. The veteraninfantry soldier, though equipped with automatic weapons,

(03:51:20):
will know the value of ammunition.He will guard it with loving care.
Special installations for reloading shells will accompanyeach unit of the army maintaining reserves
of ammunition, even though precariously theair force will probably be badly hurt in
the first moments of an invasion ofthis type. We are basing our calculations

(03:51:41):
upon an invasion by a first classforeign power or by a mercenary army of
some other power helped either openly orsurreptitiously by this great power of first magnitude.
The National Air Force, as Isaid, will be destroyed or almost
destroyed. Only reconnaissance or liaison planeswill remain, especially helicopters from minor functions.

(03:52:03):
The Navy will also be organized forthis mobile strategy. Small launches will
give the smallest target to the enemyand maintain maximum mobility. The great desperation
of the enemy army in this case, as before, will be to find
something to receive his blows. Instead, he will find a gelatinous mass in
movement, impenetrable that retreats and neverpresents a solid front, though it inflicts

(03:52:26):
wounds from every side. It isnot easy to overcome an army of the
people that is prepared to continue beingan army in spite of its defeat.
In a frontal battle. Two greatmasses of the people are united around it,
the peasants and the workers. Thepeasants have already given evidence of their
efficiency in detaining the small band thatwas marauding in Pinar del Rio. These

(03:52:50):
peasants will be trained principally in theirown regions, but the platoon commanders and
the superior officers will be trained,as is now already being done in our
military base. From there they willbe distributed throughout the thirty zones of agrarian
development that form the new geographical divisionof the country. This will constitute thirty
more centers of peasant struggle, chargedwith defending to the maximum their lands,

(03:53:15):
their social conquests, their new houses, their canals, their dams, their
flowering harvests, their independence, ina word, their right to live.
At the beginning, they will opposealso a firm resistance to any enemy advance,
but if this proves too strong forthem, they will disperse, each
peasant becoming a peaceful cultivator of hissoil during the day and a fearsome guerrilla

(03:53:37):
fighter at night, scourge of theenemy forces. Something similar will take place
among the workers. The best amongthem will be trained also to serve thereafter
as chiefs of their companions, teachingthem principles of defense. Each social class,
however, will have different tasks.The peasant will fight a battle typical
of the guerrilla fighter. He shouldlearn to be a good shot, to

(03:54:00):
take advantage of all the difficulties ofthe ground, and to disappear without ever
showing his face. The workers,on the other hand, have the advantage
of being within a modern city,which is a large and efficient fortress.
At the same time, their lackof mobility is a drawback. The worker
will learn first to block the streetswith barricades of any available vehicle, furniture

(03:54:20):
or utensil. To use every blockas a fortress, with communications formed by
holes made in interior walls, touse that terrible arm of defense, the
Molotov cocktail, and to coordinate hisfire from the innumerable loopholes provided by the
houses of a modern city, fromthe worker masses, assisted by the national
police and those armed forces charged withthe defense of the city, A powerful

(03:54:43):
block of the army will be formed, but it must expect to suffer great
losses. The struggle in the citiesin these conditions cannot achieve the facility and
flexibility of the struggle in the countryside. Many will fall, including many leaders.
In this popular struggle. The enemywill use tanks that will be destroyed
rapidly as soon as the people learntheir weaknesses and not to fear them.

(03:55:07):
But before that the tanks will leavetheir balance of victims. There will also
be other organizations related to those ofworkers and peasants. First the student militias,
which will contain the flower of thestudent youth, directed and coordinated by
the rebel army, Organizations of youthin general, who will participate in the
same way, and organizations of womenwho will provide an enormous encouragement by their

(03:55:30):
presence, and who will do suchauxiliary tasks for their companions in the struggle
as cooking, taking care of thewounded, giving final comfort to those who
are dying, doing laundry, ina word, showing their companions in arms
that they will never be absent inthe difficult moments of the revolution. All
this is achieved by wide scale organizationof the masses, supplemented with patient and

(03:55:52):
careful education, an education that beginsand is confirmed in knowledge acquired from their
own experience. It should constant tradeon reasoned and true explanations of the facts
of the revolution. The revolutionary lawsshould be discussed, explained studied in every
meeting, in every assembly wherever theleaders of the revolution are present for any

(03:56:13):
purpose. Also, the speeches ofthe leaders, and in our case particularly
of the undisputed leader, should constantlybe read, commented upon, and discussed
people should come together in the countryto listen by radio, and where there
are more advanced facilities, to watchby television. These magnificent popular lessons that
our Prime Minister gives. The participationof the people in politics, that is

(03:56:37):
to say, in the expression oftheir own desires made into laws, decrees
and resolutions should be constant. Vigilanceagainst any manifestations opposed to the revolution should
also be constant, and vigilance overmorale within the revolutionary masses should be stricter,
if this is possible than vigilance againstthe non revolutionary or the disaffect.

(03:57:01):
It can never be permitted lest therevolution take the dangerous path of opportunism that
a revolutionary of any category should beexcused for grave offenses against decorum or morality
simply because he is a revolutionary.The record of his former services may provide
extenuating circumstances, and they can alwaysbe considered in deciding upon the punishment,
but the act itself must always bepunished. Respect for work, above all,

(03:57:26):
for collective work, and work forcollective ends ought to be cultivated.
Volunteer brigades to construct roads, bridges, docks or dams, and school cities
should receive a strong impulse. Theseserve to forge a unity among persons showing
their love for the revolution with works. An army that is linked in such

(03:57:46):
ways with the people, that feelsthis intimacy with the peasants and the workers
from which it emerged, that knowsbesides all the special techniques of its warfare
and is psychologically prepared for the worstcontingencies, is invincible, and it will
be even more invincible as it makesthe just phrase of our immortal Camillo a
part of the flesh of the armyand the citizenry. The army is the

(03:58:07):
people in uniform. Therefore, forall these reasons, despite the necessity that
monopoly suppressed the bad example of Cuba, our future is brighter than ever.
End of guerrilla warfare

All Episodes

Ernesto Che Guevara - Guerrilla Warfare: Revolutionary Guide - HQ Full Book

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Ernesto Che Guevara - Guerrilla Warfare: Revolutionary Guide - HQ Full Book