End of the Revolution?
End of the Revolution?
NET Journal opening credit. Three adult Caucasian males and one Hispanic male sit in a semi-circle around a round coffee table; NET Journal text superimposed on screen. Host Richard McCutchen introduces the program which is focused on Ernesto "Che" Guevara and his recent death, as well as the trial of French journalist, Regis Debray. After the film, there will be a discussion with Juan D'Onis, reporter for the New York Times, and authors, Lee Lockwood and Norman Gall.
End of the Revolution?
British male (o/s) narrates the observance of the Day of the Dead, three weeks after Ernesto "Che" Guevara's death. But there are little tears for Guevara from the people he wanted to free. Group of Bolivian male children perform the Sign of the Cross. Bolivian male hands clasped together in prayer; zoom out the male adults and children gathered together in prayer in front of a wooden crucifix with flowers wrapped around the crux. Adult Bolivian female praying in front a crucifix with flowers wrapped around it. Dog walking and sniffing the ground. Face of elderly adult Bolivian woman looking sad. Couple of lit candles on the ground; "End of a Revolution?" text appears.
End of the Revolution?
British male (o/s) narrates the arrival Bolivia's leader and target of Ernesto "Che" Guevara's revolution, noting Guevara found little support among Bolivians who had enough of revolutions. Bolivian soldiers, in formation outside Palacio Quemado, come to attention with their rifles as Bolivian General and President Rene Barrientos arrives in his car, exits and walks into Palacio Quemado, up stairs, and into an office; followed by Bolivian male soldiers. President Barrientos expresses sympathy for the ideas of Guevara, noting he supported the Cuban Revolution against President Bautista. He adds that revolutionary reforms are being made in Bolivia; agrarian reforms, nationalizing mines, educating "peasants", "Indians", building schools, highways, bridges, and sanitation facilities. President Barrientos compares a revolution of building and creating to Guevara's revolution of fighting, shooting, and killing. Traveling POV of male and females Bolivians of all ages walking around town.
End of the Revolution?
British male (o/s) notes plethora of revolution that have taken places since Bolivia's existence, and fifteen years since the last revolution. Young adult Bolivian women dancing in Cholita fashion while adult Bolivian men play drums, trumpets, and tuba.
End of the Revolution?
British males (o/s) describe the harsh geographical conditions of Bolivia where peasants struggle to make a living and survive, noting that previous wealthy landowners are gone and revolutions have made little difference to people's lives. Potatoes are their staple diet and crop, and more than half of Bolivia's food has to be imported. Wide view of llama herd walking across the plain, being shepherded by an adult Bolivian male; mountain range with snow in BG. Adult Bolivian female dropping hay on dirt ground for cattle to feed. Abandoned home of a hacienda. Bolivian man guiding two cows. Bolivian woman, carrying a toddler on her back, dropping seeds into tilled soil; another woman follows spreading soil over the seeds. Two bulls and man pulling and pushing primitive wooden plow.
End of the Revolution?
Overview of Bolivian men and women working at tin mine; zoom out to see dirt and rocks traveling upwards on conveyor belts into processing facility. President and General Rene Barrientos states that Bolivia has an industrial problem; mining is its only industry and there are very high costs of production. Towers with cable cars carrying material around the mining area and over the mountain as the camera zooms out and shows a walled-off community of homes. Female Bolivian toddler inside a hut. Father picks up his daughter and leaves the hut made of mud walls and straw roof. British male (o/s) notes that twenty-four thousand men and women live in similar conditions, produced half the country's tin. In May 1965, the government slashed miner's wages in half, forcing some to scavenge for tin. Wide view of a mining town; Bolivian children being watching by adult Bolivian women. VS of Bolivian men and women dredging mine waste, picking through and carrying sacks of rocks on their backs.
End of the Revolution?
Editor of Bolivia's leading newspaper, and critic of mining conditions, Alberto Bailey stating that young Bolivian men work in the mines for three to four years, then are discharged, denied the healthcare they had as miners. Many then go around Bolivia looking for work, but finding very little because of the health conditions they suffer from. Miners, numbering around thirty-five thousand, are "explosive", which makes the government use force against them. Adult Bolivian male soldier cleaning a mortar launcher; "Ranger" patch on his sleeve. Adult Bolivian male soldiers inspecting the rifle of another soldier. British male (o/s) provides dates and examples of miners clashing with military forces backed by the government. Pickup truck stopping at a military checkpoint where soldiers climb the side railing of the truck carrying miners. Boom gate is lifted. POV with adult Bolivian male miners on mining going into a mine. Miners in mineshaft. Miners walking toward bright light.
End of the Revolution?
British male (o/s) points out Tio, a doll adult Bolivian miners pay respects to for protection from rock falls; Tio has a cigarette in its mouth. Bolivian miner with a cigarette takes a coca leaf from his pouch to chew. Miners chewing coca leaves. British narrators explain that Bolivian General and President René Barrientos learned the miners and Ernesto "Che" Guevara's guerilla forces were working and training together. VS of miners working drilling into rock wall, using high water pressure. Alberto Bailey (o/s) provides more detail on the partnership between miners and guerilla forces. Miner placing explosives. Miners standing together in dark, light coming from hard hats. Miners walking in shaft as explosions are heard. Miners walking through a shaft; tracks on the ground.
End of the Revolution?
British male (o/s) explains that Ernesto "Che" Guevara's guerilla forces camped out in deep ravines and jagged mountains. Suspicion among locals rose when they saw jeeps driving along jungle tracks, suspecting cocaine smugglers at first, until a hunter spotted a guerilla training camp. Soon a Bolivian Army patrol was wiped out, revealing the existence of the guerilla forces. A month later, three journalists leaving the camp were detained, one being French journalist, Regis Debray. VS of adult Bolivian male soldiers walking through a forested or jungle terrain. Feet of soldiers walking through shallow water. Bolivian soldiers walking with rifles at the ready.
End of the Revolution?
Bolivian soldier standing guard with an Uzi outside an entrance snaps to attention; another soldier walks past, saluting. Bolivian General receives, reads a message, and writes. General addressing a group of adult Caucasian males attempting to gain access to French journalist, Regis Debray, before walking away, granting permission. Approaching a door with an armed guard. VS of Debray's cell; Bolivian soldiers present around Debray and film crew. Debray's notes. Debray talks about his conditions, being able to read and write, having a window and a light bulb. He's been without communication for a couple of months and claims military officials came to his cell to hurt him for a couple of days. He could not defend himself against ten or twelve of them. Bolivian soldier in the cell reminds the crew that only photographs are allowed, later saying that they need to communicate in Spanish. Books and notes on Debray's desk.
End of the Revolution?
British males (o/s) explains Regis Debray's trial took five months to be held in a library where there was tight security. Debray was assigned a defense attorney by the military who held a military tribunal and presented evidence that would not have held up in a British court. Adult Bolivian male soldier checking credentials of an adult Caucasian female, allowing her to pass through crossed rifles with bayonets affixed. Adult Caucasian male has his credentials checked and is patted down before being allowed to pass. Debray escorted to the courthouse, passing by several Bolivian soldiers holding rifles with affixed bayonets. Debray entering courtroom with other adult males being tried with him on counts of murder, robbery, and rebellion. Bolivian military officers points out an adult Caucasian male journalist working for Reuters and has him removed. Members of the Bolivian Army taking part in the military tribunal. "Bolivia" bunting. Spinning ceiling fan in courthouse.
End of the Revolution?
Ceiling fan spinning in courtroom. Adult Bolivian woman fanning herself. Adult Bolivian woman pinning her hair back with a clip. British male (o/s) noting the women were recruited by the military to support their case. Adult Caucasian male journalist has notepad on his lap, pencil in hand, with his arm slung over the back of the chair in front of him. Overview of an adult Caucasian male heckler being escorted out of the courtroom as Debray was allowed to testify. Panning view of the adult Bolivian male military judges listening as Debray testifies to his involvement with Ernesto "Che" Guevara's guerilla forces. Adult Bolivian male soldier watching and listening to the testimony from just outside the courtroom window. Debray testifying. President of the military tribunal bangs gavel, abruptly ending the hearing, as an adult male is led out of the courtroom. Bolivian soldiers enter and clear the court, slowly and peacefully, of the men and women in attendance.
End of the Revolution?
Platoon or squad of Bolivian Army soldiers marching away with their rifles and affixed bayonets. French journalist, Regis Debray, is escorted by soldiers out of the courthouse; Bolivian soldiers standing guard in a line in the FG. British male (o/s) notes that Debray was never allowed to publicly answer for the charges against him, only to give private evidence. Debray being interviewed by an adult Caucasian male through his cell (screen door), being asked if the trial was fair. It was not according to Debray. The witnesses were not credible. Evidence was specifically chosen, or fabricated, or taken out of context when using his diary. Debray wishes to speak about the conditions in Bolivia, the guerilla warfare, CIA involvement. Man asks him to talk about "Yankee" involvement. Debray believes there is heavy American involvement in Bolivian affairs and claims that "agents" of the CIA had interrogated him, though they were not American, but Cubans and Puerto Ricans.
End of the Revolution?
U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia, Douglas Henderson, playing croquet with a teenage Caucasian female; small white dog on the lawn. British male (o/s) states that, in the eyes of Bolivians, justice had been done. Ambassador Henderson speaks to the American role in crushing the Communist guerilla threat, which included, the organization and training of the Bolivian Army. There has been a program of anti-guerilla military training and assistance, which has produced Bolivia's 2nd Rangers. The training time has been accelerated due to the guerilla threat, and there is also the training of a rifle company. VS of Bolivian soldiers in, camouflage gear, training, using tree lines and bushes to conceal and move in the countryside; adult male military observers walking on dirt road, watching the exercise. U.S. Army soldier pours out water into a tin, gives it to a Bolivian soldier to drink. Male narrator notes that while controversial, the American training program was effective.
End of the Revolution?
U.S. Army Master Sergeant, training the Bolivian Army in anti-guerilla tactics, is asked by a British male (o/s) how long he had been searching for Ernesto "Che" Guevara and in which countries. He says there were people looking for him in different areas of the world, such as Latin America, Southeast Asia. Guevara had stayed ahead of them until now. "Them little Injuns just ate him up. Thank God." He expresses no regret, but calls Guevara a professional soldier and a good man. However, many countries aren't buying Communism. It won't be moving into the U.S. or any country that wants its freedom; not if he can help it. "He believed in his way and we believed in our way." Sergeant Major walks into a building with a cigarette in his mouth. He greet a fellow adult Caucasian male soldier lying on his bed as he goes to his bed to take off his beret and bandolier. Master Sergeant unwraps a pack of cigarettes and takes one, lights it; photographs of dead Che Guevara on the wall.
End of the Revolution?
Big group of adult Bolivian male soldiers responding to adult male (o/s) speaking Spanish with chants and emphatic "thumbs down"; U.S. Army Caucasian male soldiers mixed in, include a Master Sergeant. British male (o/s) notes that the U.S. has long seen Latin American as "their own back door". The Master Sergeant believes a guerilla war is hard to "terminate" because you can destroy a large number of their force and leaders, but the guerilla group will just go underground, bide their time, and come back again. If it comes to that, then specialists are brought in for assistance.
End of the Revolution?
Regiment of the Bolivian Army marching in formation down city street; zoom out to show trees in blossom and adult, predominantly male, Bolivians watching the procession. Bolivian General and President Rene Barrientos discusses the country's future after the death of Ernesto "Che" Guevara. He believes that if there is a just system of government which also tackles poverty, there will be no more "Guevaras". French journalist, Regis Debray talks about continuing the fight for revolution in Latin America, though hard to do from a prison cell.
End of the Revolution?
Adult Bolivian female and Bolivian male children with their hands in prayer, joined with other Bolivian males and females at a funeral for Federico Escobar, a communist and miners' hero; woman yelling, another crying, then yelling. British male (o/s) notes that his death provides an opportunity for revolution because, unlike Guevara, Escobar was Bolivian and is still mourned. VS of silent and angry mourning with yelling and crying. Mourners dispersing.
End of the Revolution?
Host Richard McCutchen sits with Juan D'Onis, reporter for the New York Times, and authors, Lee Lockwood and Norman Gall. The first question centers around the accuracy of the documentary, and asks D'Onis for his thoughts. D'Onis believes the depictions of the Regis Debray trial are accurate given the time constraints. There is only so much you can show for a trial that lasted nearly a year. McCutchen questions the documentary's claim that forty miners joined Ernesto "Che" Guevara's guerilla forces when his diary made no mention of forty Bolivian miners. D'Onis agrees and that number was closer to ten or fifteen and not many of them were competent enough to be combatants. McCutchen asks Gall for his reaction. Gall believes it gives a graphic picture of what Bolivia is, but it doesn't adequately show the "madness" of Bolivian politics, citing a TIME magazine article that didn't think of Bolivia a country in a cohesive sense.
End of the Revolution?
Host Richard McCutchen turns to author Lee Lockwood for his thoughts on the film. Never having been to Bolivia, Lockwood calls the film a graphic representation of the events surrounding Ernesto "Che" Guevara death and Regis Debray's trial, but it doesn't answer the question that made up the title of the film: "End of the Revolution?"
End of the Revolution?
Host Richard McCutchen wants to open up the discussion to a more free flowing exchange, starting with the question: "Is this in fact the end of a revolution? Starting with Guevara's death." Juan D'Onis, reporter for the New York Times, clarifies whether this pertains to Latin America or Bolivia specifically, stating that the revolution in Bolivia never got started. D'Onis defers to Norman Gall on whether it is the end of a Castro-style revolution. Gall (o/s) thinks it's just the end of one guerilla insurgency. Lee Lockwood agrees with D'Onis, though he believes Ernesto "Che" Guevara was working with Castro on an international-type of revolution, with Bolivia being a base.
End of the Revolution?
Host Richard McCutchen sits with Juan D'Onis, reporter for the New York Times, and authors, Lee Lockwood and Norman Gall, asking them whether the choice of Bolivia for the international revolution's base of operations a miscalculation. McCutchen notes that in Ernesto "Che" Guevara's diary, he expressed his frustrations that the peasants were not joining his efforts, so why, if Bolivia was a fractured country, as Gall stated, would he have chosen that country? D'Onis agrees that it was a serious miscalculation and agrees with Gall that Bolivia is a country where almost nothing works, even an attempt organize a guerilla operation. The theory that the chaos that is Bolivia would serve well for a guerilla movement clashed with reality.
End of the Revolution?
Lee Lockwood adds that Cuban President Fidel Castro and Ernesto "Che" Guevara, stated that revolution cannot be exported, yet Guevara and Castro tried it anyway. Lockwood, as an aside, hopes the argument of any discontent between Castro and Guevara can be put to rest. They worked together in harmony. Lockwood believes Bolivia was the last in a series of attempts to apply Cuban revolutionary practices outside of Cuba. Lockwood goes on to compare the Cuban revolution with what Guevara attempted to re-create in Bolivia, pointing out the clear differences that allowed the Cuban revolution to succeed and the Bolivian attempt to fail.
End of the Revolution?
Lee Lockwood believes that the Bolivian Indian peasants tend to be xenophobic, chauvinistic, and difficult to approach if you don't speak their language. Ernesto "Che" Guevara made an error in trying to take the lessons of the Cuban revolution, wholesale, and try to super-impose it on the Bolivians.
End of the Revolution?
Host Richard McCutchen sits with Juan D'Onis, reporter for the New York Times, and authors, Lee Lockwood and Norman Gall, who asks whether there is any indication that the next attempt at a revolution in Bolivia will correct the previous mistakes. Lockwood, who was in Havana recently, notes that there is some "re-thinking going on". Gall asks Lockwood whether the Cubans have a good grasp of the current situation. Lockwood says it's hard to say, and it comes down to whether Cuban President Fidel Castro understands the reality of the situation in Bolivia. It is true the Cubans have quieted their rhetoric while the tactics, not the premise, is being re-evaluated, such the approach to urban areas.
End of the Revolution?
Host Richard McCutchen sits with Juan D'Onis, reporter for the New York Times, and authors, Lee Lockwood and Norman Gall. D'Onis adds that he was in Havana when the impact of Ernesto "Che" Guevara's death was keenly felt and agrees with Lockwood's report. He explains that Cuban assessment is still that Latin America is ripe for revolution, but the approach to bring out revolutions in different countries needs to be revised after the failed attempts, not only in Bolivia, but Argentina, and Peru. Venezuela is the only attempt that seems to have had some success. The belief that experienced leadership, coming from Cuba, could produce similar results in Bolivia has failed.
End of the Revolution?
Host Richard McCutchen sits with Juan D'Onis, reporter for the New York Times, and authors, Lee Lockwood and Norman Gall, and asks whether it is possible that Ernesto "Che" Guevara will be more potent dead than alive; seen as martyr. Lockwood believes the Cuban government will certainly try to make that happen. Gall thinks the discovery of Guevara's diary was tremendous for the Cubans and calls their President, Fidel Castro, a "genius at publicity". McCutchen asks Gall to explain further considering that the diary is a document of failure. Gall, who has written about Guevara, has read the diary and calls it a "most impressive document" written with "great objectivity". Gall continues complimenting the Guevara's writing style, saying the tone of it stays consistent from day one until the last day. D'Onis agrees, stating that never once does Guevara's show any sign of wavering in commitment to the revolutionary cause, exemplifying a true revolutionary, even if the tactics failed.
End of the Revolution?
Host Richard McCutchen sits with Juan D'Onis, reporter for the New York Times, and authors, Lee Lockwood and Norman Gall. Gall explains that a year and a half ago he lived with a guerilla group in Guatemala, and Ernesto "Che" Guevara's diary corroborates the early setbacks and difficulties every guerilla groups suffers through. Gall believes that there are spontaneous forces that occur outside of a guerilla group that leads peasants to follow them instead of the regular Army, citing examples in Colombia, Guatemala, China, Vietnam where "the enemy is just killing everyone in sight in the countryside" forcing peasants to join the guerilla forces. McCutchen asks why those "spontaneous forces" were absent in Bolivia. Gall's best guess is that the Bolivian government was careful not to commit "indiscriminate brutality". Lockwood adds that the Bolivian Army treated the peasants well, to Guevara's frustration.
End of the Revolution?
Host Richard McCutchen sits with Juan D'Onis, reporter for the New York Times, and authors, Lee Lockwood and Norman Gall, and recites a passage from a piece that Gall wrote where he calls out a flaw in Cuban President Fidel Castro's view of the peasantry, noting that the belief likely lies in radical student politics found in Latin American universities. He asks Gall whether this flaw is was present in the attempted revolution in Bolivia. Gall thinks so, citing examples of successful revolutions, and makes a key distinction where something is actually taken away from the peasantry. That actually forced the peasantry to find or create leaders. Castro and Ernesto "Che" Guevara erred in thinking they could simply find a remote spot in the countryside, set a base of operations, and mobilize the population, politically. Lockwood adds that the Cubans felt their analysis of the situation in Bolivia was correct, believing they could build off the revolution by the tin miners. They were wrong.
End of the Revolution?
Author Lee Lockwood poses a question to Juan D'Onis and Norman Gall; can you have a successful revolution without an extraordinary leader? D'Onis doesn't think you can make any person fit a mold. Cuban President Fidel Castro is unique. D'Onis thinks that the Cubans haven't even read their own revolutionary experience correctly. Their success doesn't take into account the importance of support within urban centers. There was a total lack of urban support in Bolivia. Ernesto "Che" Guevara's guerilla force chose an isolated area in Bolivia, but they remained isolated in many other ways, lacking support from populated areas. Guerilla forces cannot achieve success independently. They need urban support to achieve victories in the countryside.
End of the Revolution?
Host Richard McCutchen sits with Juan D'Onis, reporter for the New York Times, and authors, Lee Lockwood and Norman Gall, changes the direction of the conversation. He notes that much emphasis in the film is placed on American involvement in Bolivia, with French journalist Regis Debray saying he was interrogated by Central Intelligence Agency agents. How reasonable is it to speculate that the U.S. was involved in the defeat of Ernesto "Che" Guevara? Lockwood thinks it is irrelevant whether they had a direct hand in killing Guevara or not. Clearly, they we were interested in finding him and bringing him down as seen in the film. Noteworthy is Guevara's mention in his diary of him being in the Congo; he truly did go around the world.
End of the Revolution?
Juan D'Onis, reporter for the New York Times, believes it is significant the Central Intelligence Agency was involved because they were able to provide assistance on how to manage on a counter-insurgency. The CIA is a strong obstacle for an insurgency to overcome in Latin and South America. Host Richard McCutchen sits with D'Onis, and authors, Lee Lockwood and Norman Gall. Gall calls many of the Latin American armies "local constabularies of the American Army". If no political solutions are found, the Rangers officers the in Bolivian Army would then be involved in a move against the established order. He cites examples of two Communist guerilla leaders in Guatemala who were originally trained by the U.S.; one in Panama and one in Fort Benning.
End of the Revolution?
Host Richard McCutchen sits with Juan D'Onis, reporter for the New York Times, and authors, Lee Lockwood and Norman Gall, who asks what this incident should say to the American people? What can or should be learned? Gall states that revolutions should not be romanticized, and that there are very serious problems in South America with very "pernicious social and economic issues at work" that will create an infinite amount of problems if not resolved. "The fundamental problem in Latin American is not revolution, but chronic disorder." D'Onis states the "complexities of the Latin American situation are immense in any direction you go, whether it's the guerilla forces, the reformers, or those who want the status quo. The road to stability is a long one. Lockwood states that, from the point of view of a revolutionary, there is no one "recipe" or preconceived notion that can be applied to every country. McCutchen thanks his guests and signs off.
End of the Revolution?
Credits roll, superimposed over host Richard McCutchen sitting with Juan D'Onis, reporter for the New York Times, and authors, Lee Lockwood and Norman Gall. NET logo.