The CIA creates an army of about, on average, one thousand mercenaries, half from South Africa or Asia, the other half from Europe.

 

And the Cubans felt that they should go and support the forces who were fighting the United States-backed groups. 

 

The impression Che Guevara got was a very thought that he was still very strong and with very committed leaders.

 

With the Congo in mind as a place ripe for revolution, Che heads to New York and the country he has for so long despised.

 

He came to the United States in December of 1964 and addressed the United Nations.

 

We are in the green fatigues of the revolution. He criticizes the US involvement in Vietnam and the conflict in the Congo.

 

Next in appearance on Face the Nation, Che continues to the North African city of Algiers where he makes a speech openly criticizing the Soviet Union.

 

Che in essence broke his word with the Soviets. When he returns to Havana, Che and Fidel Castro have a close-door meeting. Having blasted the Soviets who were after all, the hand that fed Cuba having bitten them in the hand, Fidel had to say, Che, I think it's time you go.  And I think Che said, I think it's time too. Che hopes he can win back favor by leading a successful campaign in the Congo. The mission is to help support and train rebels in guerrilla warfare. Che had Fidel's blessing and he essentially disappeared from the domestic political map of Cuba.

 

Che and his men arrived on the Congolese shore of Lake Tongnika on April 24th 1965.  First of all in the Congo, nothing was prepared. There was no chief. There were no men ready to fight.  In the case of the Congolese rebel leader, Larron Kabila he actually visited the front himself only once. Kabila arrived in a speedboat with a couple of prostitutes and several bottles of whisky. Che's and Cubans almost mutinied on him. Once they saw the kind of man they were fighting alongside.

 

The few men that were there, when we gave them the weapons they didn't know what they were receiving. They had no knowledge of weapons or ideology. They didn't know anything.

 

Che hopes he can get the rebels into shape and stages a few successful raids, but loses 6 of his own men in the process. Che had not been seen in almost a year. CIA believed that he had died or might have even been killed when he left Cuba. October 3rd 1965, responding to speculation that he had ordered Che's death, Fidel Castro reads a letter Che has written to him.

 

I feel that I had fulfilled the part of my duty that tied me to the Cuban revolution and its territory. And I say goodbye to you, to the comrades, to your people who are not mine. I formally resign my positions in the leadership of the party, my post as minister, my rank of commander and my Cuban citizenship. Nothing legal binds me to Cuba.

 

Che had not expected the letter to be read publicly. The day that Fidel read that letter is when we found out about it.  It was a very difficult moment. He was neither the Cuban nor African leader.

 

Che himself was going through a very dark period while there he received the news that his mother had died. He was very close to his mother and that was really hard on him.  He had turned into a withdrawn man. He didn't talk. He was always alone, sitting on a tree trunk. He was in a bad mood and he spoke very little with us.

 

By mid-October government forces and mercenaries advanced. His camp was nearly overrun. Rebel resistance collapsed. And at the same time what you had is the decision of the government of Tanzania that they are no longer going to support his war.