 A declassified memorandum dated October 11 , 1967 to United States President Lyndon B. Johnson from his National Security Advisor Walt Whitman Rostow , called the decision to kill Guevara " stupid " but " understandable from a Bolivian standpoint " . After the execution Rodríguez took several of Guevara 's personal items — including a Rolex GMT Master wristwatch that he continued to wear many years later — often showing them to reporters during the ensuing years . After a military doctor amputated his hands , Bolivian army officers transferred Guevara 's body to an undisclosed location and refused to reveal whether his remains had been buried or cremated . The hands were preserved in formaldehyde to be sent to Buenos Aires for fingerprint identification . ( His fingerprints were on file with the Argentine police . ) They were later sent to Cuba . 
