On October 9, 1967, 50 years ago today, Ernesto “Che” Guevara died in Bolivian captivity. However, a report located in the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) declassified archives by Emma Best shows that it wasn’t until four years later that the Pentagon finally got what was allegedly a first-hand account of what happened, and even then the details were sketchy.

The report details a conversation between a member of the Defense Intelligence Agency and Colonel Federico Bravo of the Bolivian military, who claimed to be the head of the group that captured Guevara.

Bravo’s account has Guevara wounded in an ambush, summarily shot in the back, and then cremated.

The latter claim is especially interesting, as it renews the ongoing debate as to whose body is actually buried in Guevara’s tomb.

However, the report itself cautions that Bravo might not be a reliable narrator, painting him as a bitter opportunist who incidentally, was apparently ugly enough to warrant it being mentioned in his bio.

Read the full report embedded below.

Image via Wikimedia Commons