[Brad from Tennessee]

Once Che and his ragtag expedition got to Bolivia--where he was supposed to foment a continent-wide revolution--Moscow told Castro and the Bolivian communist party to end any support to Che; to let him die on the vine. This was a quid pro quo from the Soviets for the U.S. staying out of the communist sphere of influence. I can't remember exactly. Castro, who resented Che anyway and didn't want to share any power with him, was happy to oblige. Che was tracked down by the Bolivian Army, the U.S. Special Forces and the CIA. An Air Force veteran told me several years ago that he was on the plane that flew to Bolivia and retrieved Che's hands, which were cut from his body, packed on ice and flown to Washington. This was to identify him and ascertain he was dead. I read a few years ago when Che's bones were dug up near the airstrip in Bolivia to be returned to Cuba, his remains were described as "mutilated."

[Ciexyz]

Che was worth more to Castro dead than alive. Dead, he could be exploited as the rebel with charisma and sex appeal, and his personal popularity could no longer threaten Fidel's power base.

I remember seeing a film called "Che" circa 1968 starring Omar Sharif as Che and Jack Palance as Fidel. It's an interesting bit of Hollywood fluff, if you can get your hands on it.