Sacrificio: Who Betrayed Che Guevara? (review)

This documentary explores the reasons for Che Guevara's defeat in Bolivia. A number of myths about Guevara's demise survive, including the favorite of the conspiracy theorists, who claim that the Central Intelligence Agency used top-secret surveillance techniques to hunt him down. Then there are the critics of Fidel Castro, who charge that he betrayed his former comrade to appease the Soviet Union. Some well-informed Che admirers still believe that Ciro Roberto Bustos, an Argentine painter who was captured after leaving Che's column, surrendered vital information under interrogation, leading the Bolivian army and CIA to Guevara.

Starting from the questionable assumption that somebody betrayed Che, the filmmakers investigate the allegation that Bustos betrayed Che. Bustos has lived a quiet exile in Sweden since he was released from prison, reluctant to appear as the Judas who betrayed the secular saint of revolution. Apparently, recent works about Che did not exonerate Bustos to the satisfaction of these filmmakers. They seek the truth from Bustos first and, naturally, he denies that he gave up any useful information to his interrogators. The sketches of the guerrillas and the maps of their camps and trails were evidently no help to them at all. Gandini and Saleh then seek corroboration from Felix Rodríguez, the Cuban-born CIA agent assigned to track down Guevara, and Gary Prado, the Bolivian commander of the platoon that captured Guevara. They also interview biographer Pierre Kaflon, who repeats the charges against Bustos, and biographer Jon Lee Anderson, who urges caution. They even attempt to interview Régis Debray, the radical French intellectual who was captured with Bustos and interrogated by the Bolivians and the CIA. Debray refuses to talk to the filmmakers about a past he chooses to forget. His reluctance to talk evidently serves as sufficient evidence to acquit Bustos and convict Debray as the traitor.

The documentary is attractive, with great images over English subtitles and a catchy sound track, but it reflects poor scholarship. Recent studies of Che have established that Bustos and Debray did in fact contribute valuable information to the pursuit of Che. However, a number of factors led to Guevara's defeat. Without the guidance of a specialist to place this documentary in its proper context, it is doubtful that viewers can learn much about the reasons for Guevara's failure in Bolivia. The filmmakers ignored the warning issued to them by Anderson that no one person, other than Che himself, can be held responsible for Che's defeat. Che's devoted followers are still seeking for the Judas who sold out the revolutionary to the imperialists. If this documentary has its desired affect, Che's fans will now blame Debray, and Bustos can live peacefully in Sweden. Although the bold efforts by Gandini and Saleh to make history accessible to a younger audience are laudable, this documentary starts from a faulty premise and ends with a conclusion as flawed as the myth they originally sought to dispel.