The decision approved that day by the full Council of Ministers and based on the Fundamental Law, then in force, was informed to Che the next morning 8th of February, after deliberations and conclusions initiated by the new government the day before. The results were dated and reached the press on the 9th, published on the 10th by the newspaper Revolucion and on the 11th in the Official Gazette of the Republic.

Such news grabbed headlines in the press world wide but did not surprise his new compatriots, who had more than enough reasons to consider him as such, given his relevant participation in the liberation campaign and his demonstrated commitment to Cuba.

This legal provision specifies in paragraph 12 that “Cubans by birth are foreigners who have served in the struggle against the tyranny overthrown on December 31, 1958, in the ranks of the Rebel Army for two years or more and have held the rank of commander for at least one year.

A little more than a month after the publication of the regulation in the Official Gazette, Cuba adopted Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, Che, as he was called by his fellow fighters and the population, due to his Argentinean origin, as a native of Cuba.

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