-DATE-
19591023
-YEAR-
1959
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
APPEARANCE
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
FORUM AND HALF HOUR TV APPEARANCE
-PLACE-
HAVANA
-SOURCE-
INCOMING TELEGRAM
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19591023
-TEXT-
FROM:  HABANA

TO:    Secretary of State

NO:    906, OCTOBER 23

IN FOUR AND HALF HOUR TV APPEARANCE NIGHT OCT 22, FIDEL CASTOR MADE VIOLENT
CHARGES AGAINST US FOR AERIAL ATTACKS ON CUBA, AND EFFORTS TO KEEP NATION
DEFENSELESS AND IN STATE ECONOMIC VASSALAGE. HE ALSO ATTEMPTED FURTHER
DENIGRATE HUBER MATOS AND COERCE NEWSPAPERS DIARIO DE LA MARINA AND AVANCE.

CASTRO CLAIMED EVENTS OF OCT 21 -- HUBER MATOS INCIDENT, OVERFLIGHT OF
PLANES, TERRORISM -- WERE PARTS OF COORDINATED COUNTERREVOLUTIONARY PLANS,
IN WHICH DIARIO DE LA MARINA AND AVANCE CONTRIBUTED THEIR SHARE.  SAID
RECENT AERIAL ATTACKS ON CUBA BEGAN OCT 9 WITH GASOLINE ATTACK ON CENTRAL
NIAGARA, FOLLOWED BY BOMBING OF CENTRAL PUNTA ALEGRE OCT 19 AND BOMBING
ON OCT 21 "OF DEFENSELESS NATION WHICH IS NOT AT WAR, MACHINEGUNNING
INNOCENT PEOPLE ON STREETS WITH 47 CASUALTIES."  CASTRO CALLED THIS "ATTACK
FROM ABROAD ON NATION AT PEACE WITHOUT PRECEDENT IN HISTORY," AND COMPARED
IT WITH PEARL HARBOR.

HE SWITCHED TO HUBER MATOS, SAYING HE AMBITIOUS, TRAITOROUS, VAIN, TOOL OF
COUNTER REVOLUTIONARIES, FAIR WEATHER SOLDIER, INSUBORDINATE, CONSPIRATOR,
RIGHTIST, PEDAGOGUE, AND CRIMINAL.  SAID MATOS WELL REGARDED BY COUNTER
REVOLUTIONARIES, AND HAD DELIBERATELY SLOWED DOWN AGRARIAN REFORM IN
CAMAGUEY PROVINCE.  DURING THIS CHARACTER ASSASSINATION CASTRO REPEATEDLY
DEFERRED TO AND READ FROM EXTENSIVE FILE ON MATOS DATING TO MID-1958.  SAID
MATOS HAD BEEN SUSPECT AND HAD ENGAGED IN SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES SEVERAL
TIMES IN PAST, INCLUDING VISITING DIAZ LANZ AFTER LATTER RESIGNED.  CASTRO
SAID HE HAD REPEATEDLY REFRAINED FROM PUNITIVE ACTION, HOPING MATOS WOULD
REFORM, BUT NOW COMPELLED TO REVEAL "TRAITOR" IN TRUE COLORS.

ATTACK ON UNITED STATES RAN THRU DENUNCIATION MATOS AND CULMINATED IN PLANE
OVERFLIGHTS, BRITISH JET DEAL AND SUGAR QUOTA.  HE SAID THESIS OF MATOS WAS
ANTI-COMMUNISM, WHICH ALSO THESIS OF MILITARY DICTATORS, TRUJILLO, WHITE
ROSE ORGANIZATION, AND US INTERESTS INCLUDING MAGAZINES TIME AND LIFE AND
JULE DUBOIS.  HE SAID "I DECLARE THAT ALL THAT IS SAID IN THE US THROUGH
THAT PRESS CONCERNING COMMUNISM IS A LIE."  NEWSPAPER REVOLUCION, OFFICIAL
ORGAN 26 JULY MOVEMENT, QUOTES HIM AS SAYING "WHAT BETTER WAY IS THERE TO
ARREST THE REVOLUTION THAN ACCUSING IT OF COMMUNISM?"  ALSO:  "WHEN WE SEE
THE HORRIFYING THINGS THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT US, IT SEEMS TIME TO MAKE A
COMPLETE REVISION OF EVERYTHING THEY HAVE SAID ABOUT COMMUNISM, BECAUSE I
DON'T BELIEVE IT.  THEY WANT TO CHARGE US WITH EVERYTHING THEY HAVE SAID
ABOUT COMMUNISM, AND I DOUBT ALL THAT HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT COMMUNISM DURING
30 YEARS AFTER SEEING WHAT HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT US."  HE STATED THAT THE
UNITED STATES IS DRIVEN BY UNREASONING FEAR OF COMMUNISM, AND THAT WHILE
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE A FAVORABLE OPINION OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTION, THEY
ARE AFRAID OF DEFENDING IT PUBLICLY FOR FEAR OF BEING BRANDED COMMUNIST.

CASTRO REPEATEDLY SPOKE OF "BOMBINGS" AND "ATTACKS" BY PLANES FROM THE
UNITED STATES AS THOUGHT THIS WERE AN ESTABLISHED FACT.  HE SAID IT OBVIOUS
THAT US HAD BROUGHT PRESSURE ON BRITISH NOT TO SELL PLANES TO CUBA,
ALLEGING TENSION IN THE CARIBBEAN AREA, AS THOUGH US WERE THE "TUTOR" OF
THE AREA.  HE SAID CUBA WAS NO ONE'S VASSAL, AND THAT THEY WOULD GET
PLANES, FOR LEGITIMATE DEFENSE AGAINST BOMBINGS FROM FOREIGN BASES,
SOMEWHERE.  A PANELIST SUGGESTED BORROWING PLANES FROM FRIENDLY COUNTRY
SUCH AS VENEZUELA, AND CASTRO SAID VENEZUELA NEEDED ALL IT HAD TO PROTECT
ITSELF AGAINST TRUJILLO.  CASTRO SAID THAT US WANTED TO KEEP CUBA WEAK AND
DEFENSELESS.  HE FOUND IT EXTRAORDINARY THAT WHILE US HAD GUANTANAMO BASE
ON CUBAN SOIL WITH WHICH TO DEFEND ITSELF, THOSE WHO ARE BOMBING CUBA AND
DROPPING ARMS SHOULD HAVE THEIR BASES ON AMERICAN SOIL.  IN PARTICULARLY
HEATED PASSAGE HE SAID THAT, AS IF ARMAMENTS GIVEN TO BATISTA BY US AND
USED TO ATTACK AND KILL THE CUBAN PEOPLE WERE NOT ENOUGH, US WAS NOT
SUPPLYING ARMAMENTS AND BASES FOR FURTHER ATTACKS.  HE INQUIRED WHAT
REACTION OF US WOULD BE IF CANADIAN BASED PLANES BOMBED WASHINGTON.  HE
REPEATEDLY SAID THAT "US AUTHORITIES WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR "BOMBINGS",
MENTIONING PARTICULARLY SENATE INTERNAL SECURITY SUBCOMMITTEE AND SENATOR
EASTLAND.  HE SAID "IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO KNOW THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THAT COMMITTEE AND THE BOMBINGS."  HE SAID THAT THE US HAD A
DILEMMA:  EITHER AMERICAN AUTHORITIES WERE INVOLVED IN OR TOLERANT OF THE
BOMBINGS, OR IN SPITE OF ITS VAST RADAR NETWORK AND MILITARY INSTALLATIONS
THE US WAS DEFENSELESS AND PLANES COULD COME AND GO AT WILL.

ASKED IF THE STATEMENT OF THE EMBASSY YESTERDAY (EMBTEL 894) WAS
SATISFACTORY, CASTRO SAID "THE STATEMENT YES; THE DEED NO."  HE WANTED
ACTION BY AMERICAN AUTHORITIES TO PREVENT SUCH FLIGHTS AND STOP ACTIVITIES
OF "COUNTER REVOLUTIONARIES AND WAR CRIMINALS."  HE INSISTED THAT THERE
WAS NO JUSTIFICATION UNDER ANY SYSTEM OF LAW FOR US TO GIVE ASYLUM TO SUCH
PEOPLE AS MASFERRER, VENTURA AND THE LIKE, AND TOLERATE THEIR
CONSPIRATORIAL ACTIVITIES.  HE SAID THEY SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO
CUBA, AND OTHER COUNTER REVOLUTIONARIES SHOULD NOT BE ADMITTED.  HE SAID
THAT IT WAS INCORRECT FOR US TO ASK GOC FOR INFORMATION CONCERNING ILLEGAL
FLIGHTS ORIGINATING THERE.  HOW COULD CUBA BE EXPECTED TO KNOW DETAILS?
PROBLEM WAS ONE FOR AMERICAN POLICE.

CASTRO SAID HAT CONFRONTED WITH NECESSITY TO DEFEND ITSELF FACE OF FOREIGN
ATTACKS, CUBA WOULD TURN TO "PEOPLES OF THE AMERICAN CONTINENT; TO ALL
PEOPLES OF WORLD IF NECESSARY."  HE CALLED FOR CONCENTRATION OF MILLION
PEOPLE IN FRONT OF PRESIDENTIAL PALACE MONDAY, OCT 26 AT 4:00PM, TO
"PROTEST AGAINST AERIAL ATTACKS AGAINST NATIONAL TERRITORY".  HE SAID IT IS
NO LONGER A QUESTION OF COLD WAR, BUT A SHOOTING WAR.  EARLIER HE CALLED
THE "BOMBING" OF HAVANA A GRAVER INCIDENT THAN THE SINKING OF THE MAINE.
HE SAID "WE WILL BROADCAST CUBA'S PROTEST THRU OUT THE WORLD, AND APPEAL
FOR SOLIDARITY."  HE SAID THAT THE WORKERS AND PEASANTS WOULD BE GIVEN
MILITARY TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT, AS CUBA'S IMMEDIATE RESPONSE  TO THE
ATTACKS FROM ABROAD.  CLARIFYING, HE SAID THAT MEANT ALL CUBANS.  THIS DREW
LONGEST APPLAUSE OF EVENING FROM HIGHLY SYMPATHETIC AUDIENCE WHICH INCLUDED
PRESIDENT DORTICS, CARLOS PRIO, MIN OF STATE ROA, RAUL CASTRO, CHE GUEVARA,
GUTIERREZ MENOYO, AND OTHERS.

ASKED ABOUT POSSIBILITY US MIGHT REDUCE CUBAN SUGAR QUOTA CASTRO REPLIED
"AFTER SEEING WHAT HAS TAKEN PLACE, THAT CUBA IS BEING BOMBED FROM FLORIDA,
WHY SHOULDN'T WE EXPECT ECONOMIC AGGRESSION."  AS INTRODUCTION TO BIASED
REVIEW OF US -- CUBAN ECONOMIC RELATIONS, HE SAID "SINCE 1903, OUR
RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE "LAW OF FUNNEL",
WITH WIDE END FOR THEM AND NARROW FOR US."  HE CHARGED THAT US HAS
CONSISTENTLY REDUCED CUBAN SUGAR QUOTA, DELIBERATELY MAINTAINING COUNTRY
IN STATE VASSALAGE.  HE PREDICTED THAT AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH AND ALTER
QUOTAS WILL BE DELEGATED BY CONGRESS TO SECRETARY AGRICULTURE, AND THAT
SUCH ACTION WILL CONSTITUTE ECONOMIC AGGRESSION WHICH CUBA WILL PROTEST TO
OAS.  GOC WILL LATER ORGANIZE ANOTHER MASSIVE POPULAR DEMONSTRATION
DEMANDING RIGHTFUL SHARE OF AMERICAN SUGAR MARKET, THOUGH DEMONSTRATION ON
OCT 26 WILL HAVE THAT AS SECONDARY THEME.  HE SAID CUBANS HAVE HERETOFORE
BEEN STUPIDEST PURCHASERS IN WORLD, ALWAYS BUYING ORE FROM US SELLING TO
THEM, WITHOUT IMPOSING PROPER CONDITIONS.  HE SAID THAT US FOREIGN POLICY
DICTATED BY MONOPOLIES AND TRUSTS, AND NOT THAT WHICH AMERICAN PEOPLE WOULD
PREFER.

CRITICIZING LOCAL PRESS, CASTRO ATTACKED NEWSPAPER AVANCE MOST SEVERELY. ON
AVANCE COLUMNIST PEDRO LEYVA, HE SAID IT "DISGRACE THAT JOURNALISM STUDENTS
SHOULD HAVE ELECTED HIM PRESIDENT THEIR ASSOCIATION."  HE WONDERED WHO PAID
HIM MENTIONING JORGE ZAYAS, AVANCE DIRECTOR.  HE SAID ZAYAS HAD TALKED WITH
EMILIO NUNEZ PORTUONDO IN NEW YORK AND ATTENDED" SECRET MEETING" WITH OTHER
EDITORS AT DEPT OF STATE, AND DEPLORED THIS" ANTI-CUBAN TRAITOROUS ACTION."
HE SAID THAT ALL THOSE INVOLVED IN CRIMINAL AND COUNTER REVOLUTIONARY
ACTION FIND COMFORT IN AVANCE AND DIARIO DE LA MARINA.

DURING APPEARANCE, CASTRO REPEATEDLY STATED THAT THERE WERE ONLY TWO
POSITIONS POSSIBLE IN CUBA:  EITHER UNRESERVEDLY WITH THE REVOLUTION OR
ELSE AMONG THE COUNTER REVOLUTIONARIES.
-END-