Félix Ismael Rodríguez Mendigutia (born 31 May 1941) is a former
Central Intelligence Agency officer, known for his involvement in the
Bay of Pigs Invasion, in the execution of Leftist revolutionary
Che Guevara and his ties to
George H. W. Bush during the
Iran–Contra affair. He is
Cuban American.
In September, 1960 he joined a group of Cuban exiles in
Guatemala, supported by the
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), to receive military training. They were called
Brigade 2506.
In 1967, the CIA recruited Rodríguez to train and head a team to hunt down
Marxist guerrilla fighter
Che Guevara, who was attempting to overthrow the US-backed government in
Bolivia.
He claims that he and Guevara spoke civilly regarding the failing
economy of Cuba and Guevara's tactics in starting a revolution in
Bolivia. Rodríguez stated that he wanted to keep Guevara alive for
further interrogation, but was thwarted by the order of the Bolivian
president that Guevara be
summarily executed.
Rodríguez, whose cover was that of a Bolivian army major, repeated
those orders, later stating that it was a Bolivian decision, and Guevara
was killed. Rodríguez has in his possession Guevara's
Rolex wristwatch.
The last photograph of Guevara alive includes Rodriguez standing by his side. CIA authenticated the picture of Che Guevara and Félix Rodríguez and recognizes it as original.
