There were also more macabre items: photographs of the dead Che, laid out on a table for the world’s press to see; the tobacco from Che’s final pipe; a photo of Che’s severed hands, which were cut from his body and put in formaldehyde to preserve his fingerprints, in case Fidel Castro tried to claim that the corpse was not Che’s.

Felix Rodriguez received the order from the Bolivian military high command. There was a simple code: 500 meant Che Guevara, 600 dead, 700 alive.

500 - 600 was the command.

Mr Rodriguez wanted confirmation on the crackly radio line. It was repeated: 500 - 600.

Mr Rodriguez broke the news to Che that there was to be no trial.

“Che turned white… before saying: ‘It’s better this way, I should have died in combat.’”