“SUBJECT: oS < Statement by Benton H. Mizones concerning ne ean te et ae oe ae nnee ptetate tig | RRO ae Fon Sw re RBEENREEEI At at One sam ite nests cenneee MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Inspector General his assignment Bolivia in 1967 and-his role _ in the capture of Ernesto "Che" GUEVARA, de ‘la Serna ; . 4 ‘REFERENCE: Meno dated 29 May 1975 l. The undersigned met with Benton H. Mizones, contract employee, on 2 and 3 June to obtain his story about his assignment to Bolivia in 1967. This query is. based upon ref ° . interview, during which Mizornes mentioned that he’ had re- : transmitted an order from Colonel Joaquin Zenteno Anaya, ‘Commander of the 8th Division of the Bolivian Army, to a. Bolivian sergeant, which resulted-in the execution of Ernesto '"Che' GUEVARA de la Serna, Cuban leader of the. , guerrillas then ‘operating . in Bolivia. . _ 2. Mizones said that his assignment came about after ‘an interview held in Miami in June or July of 1967, at which time he was a case officer working for the Miami office. He had - been selected for the job interview because of his para- military training and experience. He was asked if he would agree to serve vith a fellow Cuban... He - He was to that he was to go to Bolivia ‘with : .. accepted here they would be engaged in training intelligence ; the 2nd Ranger Battalion of the Eighth Division of the. Bolivian Army. He was also told that he an would be assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion as advisors . and would be based in the town of Esperanza. While in Miami, he and [were given briefings about the political and _ guerri ion in Bolivia, and he was given a refresher course in communications. Mizones ana[ were told that there were strong indications that was leading the guerrillas. Among the instructions given them was a clear one that in the event that the Bolivian Army captured Guevara, they should do everything possible "to keep him alive. " -3. They were introduced to their future case officer. in Washington, who was to be in liaison with the Bolivian ' forces in Santa Cruz. | nue \r
1 e : Pee om vg ge 3 ae a) so 2 eee we = Qa 4. Prior to their departure, both Mizones and | were issued false U.S. re-entry permits in the names oF Hea oS and | respectively. These were received in New City Just prior to their departure on 30 July for La Paz on a Braniff Airline flight. Their case officer had preceded them.and met them on 31 July at 7 a.m. ‘at. the La Paz airport. Mizones believes that Bolivian visas | Were stamped in their re-entry permits. -. 8. The case of Fi nd another American took them to | mee to whom they were introduced as ‘ expe .guerrilia warfare. He issued each a personal card ‘in. which were handwritten his instructions to all civilian. and military officials that they be given full support. At ten that morning, they met General Ovando, Commander-in-Chief of the Bolivian Armed Fo _(It wasn't until about a month later that Mizones met in Santa Cruz.) While in no new instructions were issued to them about their mission. After about a week there,,. they were flown to Santa “Cruz de la Sierra for a.few days and. introduced to Colonel Joaquin Zenteno Anaya, Commander of the. Eighth Division. Zenteno arranged for Captain "Poppie" Shelton, the American . officer in charge of the military mission training the 2nd Ranger Battalion, to come to Santa Cruz to meet Mizones and - Creel They were also introduced to Major Arnaldo Saucedo, =Z 6 <£ the Eighth Division. After 3 or 4 days in.Santa Cruz, Nizones. and "went to La Esperanza, where they were @ quartered att olivian officers' compound. In La Esperanza. they met Major Ayiroa, the Commander of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, and Captain Gari Prado. 6. | Prior to their departure from La Paz, Mizones and . | ere issued Bolivian uniforms and credentials as Captains in the Bolivian Army. Nevertheless, they did not "receive Bolivian Army insignia. Later, Mizones was given by & Major Saucedo a Bolivian tri-color cap-~insignia which he wore ‘to (escarapela). Mizones and [were issued Smith ahd Wesson double~actioh automatic pistols. During their activities as in- Structors and adviso assumed the role of Bolivian officers, although they were known as foreign advisors to a number of Bolivian. officers... (Mizones said that he learned later that the American Ambassador had prohibited anyone other than he and] ____|#t0m becoming involved in the anti-guerrilla activi @ field.) - oo _. 7. Despite their apparent status as Bolivian officers, Mizones said that they never were given orders by higher- ranking Bolivian officers (One exception to this rule was the | ‘ “wth anton oo enmntntemeneotey 4 ERD ORD Em, ene ween: Bem Soe at watutiy treteetnore ot caine 10 m7 ++ meets nee oe stmt oe ad order which Colonel Zenteno issued to Mizones on the day of Guevara's execution, if Mizones story is to be believed.) oe had . o