Alberto Bayo

[guerilla guide, Spanish Civil War, Cuba] 150 Preguntas a Un Camarada [cover title]

[Havana]: np, [ca. 1960]. Saddle-stapled in wraps. 86 pp. 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 in. Loss and a small closed tear at top edge of spine; otherwise, tight and clean. Very good. Item #10515

Didactic material for guerilla fighters from the Cuban general who fought against fascism in the Spanish Civil War, trained and mentored Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, and joined the Cuban Revolution.

Born in Cuba, and educated in the United States and Spain, Bayo was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Republican army during Spanish Civil War. Following the fascist victory, Bayo was exiled to Mexico and worked as a military instructor. A writer and poet, as well as a strategist, during his time in Mexico, Bayo befriended and mentored a significant number of Latin American revolutionaries, including Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. He joined the guerrillas as an advisor and participated in the Cuban Revolution. He died in 1967 as a General of the Cuban Armed Forces.

In this text, Bayo provides answers to such tactical questions as the most efficient size of a guerrilla unit, how to train new volunteers, and what to do during a surprise attack. The book was published without copyright and reprinted and republished throughout Latin America for decades, making questions of edition very difficult. Despite these reprintings, original Spanish-language examples remain exceedingly difficult to locate. In this printing, the interior bears the title “Ciento cincuenta preguntas a un guerrillero.”

“Al pueblo que conoce el arte de defenderse contra un tirano, es dificil someterle a la condicion de esclavo.” [“A people who know the art of defending themselves against a tyrant are difficult to subject to the condition of slaves.”]

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