Bolivia

CP calls guerrillas
a factor in united struggle

Following is the text of an interview of Jorge Kolle, member
of the secretariat of the Bolivian Communist Party, by Eduardo
Labarca, editor of the Chilean Communist newspaper, El Siglo.
It has been translated from the French Communist Party news-

paper Humanite.

The Bolivian Communist Party is illegal, having been out-
lawed by decree on April 11 last, three weeks after the first
guerrilla engagement in Bolivia.

At the present time Guido Peredo Leigue, known as “Inti,”
a member of the Central Committee of the Bolivian Communist
Party, is leading the few survivors of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara’s

guerrilla band. -

Also killed in action were Bolivian Communists like ‘‘Coco”
Peredo, Guido Peredo’s brother, Antico Reynaga, Antonio Jime-
nez. Jorge Vasquez Vianna was wounded in the stomach, and
after being operated on at Camiri, was “shot while attempting
to escape” by a Bolivian army officer.

Loyola Guzman and Paquita Leyton, now held in the wom-
en’s prison in La Paz are members of the Communist Youth.

_Also in prison are Fernando Martinez, editor of the Com-
munist Journal Unidad, Moises Arenas, Pedro Aliaga, Clara
Torrico, Olivares Gabriel Porcel, all of them Communists.

What has been the attitude of
the Bolivian Communist Party to
the guerrilla movement which
developed in the country, and
how did it participate in it?

Guerrilla action, as one of the
forms of armed struggle within
the framework of “methods. of
struggle” for the taking of pow-
er by the revolutionary forces,
has been and remains, in the
view of the Bolivian Communist
Party, one method, one tactical
category. :

But not a strategy whose im-
plementation would be deter-
mined by the concrete historic
reality of the economic, social
and political phenomena of the
country.

What characterizes Bolivia to-
day is the counter-revolutionary
offensive of the military govern-
ment against the people, the
working class, their organiza-
tions and their leaders; the dis-
persion of the national, demo-
cratic, popular and revolutionary
forces; the control of the trade
unions, the repression and im-
prisonment of the patriots, de-
mocrats and revolutionaries.

The Bolivian Communist Par-
ty considers that a period for
the reorganization and accumu-
lation of forces must be serious-
ly considered. ’

It is.a question of making pos-

sible the formation of a popular
and anti-imperialist front on the
basis of the unity of the work-
ing class and important sections
of the peasantry, as a result of
which it would be a possible to
deal with the tasks of taking
power.
_ This is without underestimat-
ing any form or any method of
struggle, using all of them in
inass action, in each specific case
4nd adapting them to the situa-
tion.

This means, of course, that in
present conditions in Bolivia, it
is evident that greater attention
must be given to the armed ways
to revolution.

The guerrillas began without
an adequate -evaluation having
been given to ‘political and social
factors indispensable for their
development, and they came into
existence prematurely.

Nevertheless, the Bolivian
Communist Party backed them
on principle, declared its soli-

- darity with them and supported

them to the full extent of its
means, without participating in
an organized manner.

It was a nucleus of our mili-
tants which participated in the

tr rd

armed actions, outside the orga-
nization of the party.
e

What do you think of the pos-
sible consequences of the death
of Ernesto Guevara?

In the first place we wish to
express our admiration and sor-
row: admiration for a revolu-
tionary who did not grudge his
life for the cause; sorrow which
is all the greater because he was
the victim of an assassination
carried. out in cold blood, far
from the field of battle, by agents
of the CIA with the complicity
of certain Bolivian military men.

The death of Comrade Che
Guevara and the result of the
guerrilla action, do not mean in
our opinion that the concept of
guerrilla action has been ren-
dered invalid. Perhaps one should
speak of a collapse rather than
invalidation.

The consequences are a heavy
loss—too heavy—for the revo-
lution. They create in Bolivia
conditions for a further aggrava-
tion of the crisis of the revolu-
tionary movement, encouraging
the offensive of the enemy, who
is today able to exploit his “suc-
cess,” although in the last ana-
lysis a positive lesson can be
drawn from it for the revolu-
tionary Cause.

Our_ people were and remain
on the: sidé of the guerrillas.
What is regrettable is that, as
we foresaw, it was not possible
to translate this-moral support
in a concrete, active manner.

It can be anticipated that on
the continental scale, two ten-
dencies will manifest themselves,
parallel to the action of the Com-
munist movement or*against it.

On the one hand the develop-
ment of armed movements of
the guerrilla type; on the other
and without any doubt the reac-
tionary action ordered by the
CIA attempting to stage provo-
cations and to “establish” re-
sponsibility in order to behead
the revolutionary movement.

These attempts are directed
against Cuba and against the
most developed Communist Par-
ties, for example that of Chile.

e

What are the present perspec-
tives of the Bolivian democratic
and popular movement?

In the long run we would say
that the popular and democratic
movement is bound to win.

It is undeniable that in the
heart of the present crisis the
forces are maturing, and also

eN

JANUARY. 12, 1968; PACIFIC TRIBUNE Page 8

R200

agg itd acr Xa

the organization, which will open
the way for the struggle and its
victorious result.

At the moment we are going
through a crisis.

The enemy has the initiative,
although his internal contradic-
tions reduce his room for man-
euver, and if-these contradic-
tions develop, they may and
should create a situation favor-
able to the people.

It is also a question of a period
for the reorganization and accu-
mulation of forces.

@

What do you think of the
statements according to which
the diary of the guerrilla called
“The Doctor” talked of the pres-
ence of the First Secretary of
the Bolivian Communist Party in
the guerrilla zone and of certain
conditions he was said to have
put (to Che Guevara)?

It is widely known that the
policy of the Bolivian Commu-
nist Party consists in uniting the
revolutionary forces, so as: to
oppose a Single bloc to the con-
tinental and world action of im-
perialism. :

Nothing will be done by our
Party to divide these forces. This
is also the policy of all the Com-
munist Parties of the continent
(of Latin America).

We believe also that revolu--

tion can only be essentially na-
tional phenomenon, that is our
principled position, which is not
a secret.

I imagine that this was a new
machination against our Party;
our position being known, no
leader and no organization was
authorized to “negotiate” and
could not have done so.

The “diaries” of the guerrillas
presented by the Press and the
High Command (of the Bolivian
Army?) have been so spread
around that, whatever their
origin, these texts have lost any
documentary or historic value.

- Ordinary common sense makes
one doubt whether a guerrilla
movement: could have a terrible
quantity of “historians.”

@

What are the lessons for the
revolutionary movement of Latin
America of the negative result
of guerrilla action?

We refuse to make any gen-
eralization of the lessons of the
Bolivian experience for the rest
of the continent.

We are certain, however, that,
in one way or another, the Boli-
vian case constitutes an experi-
ence for the world and continen-
tal revolutionary movement.

But it is for the Latin Ameri-
can revolutionaries, in the coun-
tries where they are working,
according to the situation in
which they find themselves, ac-
cording to their own experience
and development, to draw the
lessons of that experience.

Nobody is more qualified or
more authorized to do this, in
each case, than the Communist
Parties and their leaders.

For us Bolivians, we have to
make this experience known as
circumstances permit. I repeat,
this refers to our experience and
its- result.

It is not a question of “local-
ism” or of abandoning interna-
tionalist principles, but only of
respect for each of our brother
parties and the responsibility
which they have to their own
people.

(Os Ba 2S IN DS OG

Visas ss

Marches

for open

N December 15, 1967, about
200 open housing advo-
cates marched on Wiscon-

sin Avenue in Milwaukee in the
110th consecutive day of such
demonstrations. This ‘“Anabasis”’
(as Xenophon termed the march
of Greek soldiers to the sea over
two thousand years ago) led by
the NAACP Youth Council Com-
mandos and their adviser, Father
Groppi, is pledged to continue
despite the weather until genu-
ine open housing is won and
perhaps beyond.

Many people, not only racists,
but also some who profess op-
position to racism, ask: “What
good is being gained by this
continual marching?” :

The list is to long to be given
here completely, but a few im-
portant gains can ge registered:

e The whole political situa-
tion in Milwaukee has changed
for the better. Last August,
Mayor Maier was widely con-
sidered a “hero” after his iron-
handed suppression of the Negro
community. Now he is in low
repute. Many opposing candi-
dates have announced they will
run next spring. Some of his
aides have resigned and former
ones turned against him.

Last August the needs and de-
mands of the Negro community
were ignored by the power struc-
ture and its political henchmen
in the City Hall, School Board,
County Board, police, and else-
where. The white community
was not aware of the complete
situation in the core, or ignor-
-ed it.

Now almost everyone is aware
and conscious that these prob-
lems must be met and solved
meaningfully by achieving full
equality of all people in our
area.

The. chief demand of the
marchers has been open housing.
Some advances have been regis-
tered. While the Common Coun-
cil has finally adopted an open
housing ordinance, it is a mean-
ingless gesture, since it only
duplicates the existing state law.

- @ The marches have involved
both Black and white people in
large numbers under the leader-
ship of militant Black youth in
the Youth Council. A greater
degree of unity between Black
and white people has been
achieved throughout the city,
extending into the rest of the
state. The marches have involv-
ed people from all over the na-
tion and inspired Black and
white unity in other places. The
marchers have won freedom of —

vege

Anti-government Bolivian miners guard pass in the Andes. te
use crude home-made dynamite hand-bombs against La Paz folf

eee

continue
housing

the streets and defeated Mal
attempts to nullify the
Amendment. They have exp?
police brutality and bias aga!
Negroes and other minorities
The picture is not all ?
‘The Birch Society, Ku
Klan, Minutemen, and assoli
fascist groupings among né
nality groups have intens!
their efforts to pit one patt
the community against anol
to help the power structu
divide and rule. They have :
some headway by getting
referendum on the ballot. V
courts must still rule on)
legality). and they are push!
Citizen’s Council leader
Carroll for the Schoo! Board.)
‘they have failed to rally
vast majority of white citiz
behind them, and their m
vociferous trouble-makers '
being isolated. :
e Leaders of the organ!
labor movement have spoken)
in support of the marchers #
the open housing issue.
labor leadership would not #
this position without substam!
support among the members!
This position of labor’s lea®
ship opens up possibilities
‘pressing for hiring of Né&
youth as apprentices in ?
building trades and other uni
which still are largely lily-wh!
and for upgrading Negro wo!
ers in the factories to more si
ed and better paying jobs. ’

[
i

creasing numbers of wi! {4
unionists are beginning to ® So
that it is in their own inter® on
to support their Negro broth® tr
and sisters in their battle ! fo;

equality. With automatl
threatening jobs, a shorter wl
week is the only way for *
workers to have jobs. This @
other labor gains can col
only through united action
Black and white workers.
e The actions led by #
NAACP Youth Council are gel
rating greater unity in the Bla
community itself. Other orga!
zations with different objectiv
than open housing, though !
lated to it, have been stimula¥
in their activities. A gro
consciousness of the need
united action behind politi
candidates who will promote¥ §&
fight for common needs has b@ §&
one fruit of the marches. Sut
unity in action for common 4
mands of the Black commun
will make possible  effectt
coalition with other elements”
the whole community, especia?
the labor movement, for progré
of the entire population. —

PPOL EP PEE OLE LI LE EL Sf ik