-DATE-
19600609
-YEAR-
1960
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
SPEECH
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
FAREWELL CEREMONY AT HAVANA DOCKS FOR STEAMSHIP
-PLACE-
HAVANA DOCKS
-SOURCE-
HAVANA PRENSA LATINA
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19600610
-TEXT-
CASTRO CONTINUES DIATRIBES AGAINST U.S.

Havana, PRENSA LATINA, Radioteltype in Spanish to Agency Offices, June 9,
1960, 1327 GMT--E

(Test) Havana--Premier Fidel Castro spoke early this morning at a farewell
ceremony at the Havana docks for the  steamship Habana which will leave
tomorrow with aid for the victims of the Chilean earthquakes.

"I am sure," he said, "that the people of Cuba have moved with the same
enthusiasm and with the same generosity to help the people of Chile as they
would have moved to help a province in our own country."  This, he said,
was not only a contribution by the humble folk, and anonymous contribution
from the people, but it was also a sacrifice, not only with respect to the
50,000 pesos collected from the people but also with respect to what the
government gave," because this million pesos which is given by an honest
government is a sacrifice made by the peoples."  He added:  "Its value lies
not in the quantity, but in the example.  Our country and our government
does not give more because it cannot give more, but if we had more we would
give more to the sister people of Chile."

Castro emphasized in his speech:  "We do not wish to boast of generosity.
We have come here to express the sincere feeling which moved our country
and the truth of our solidarity.  We have not come to express our
satisfaction with what we have given, but to express to the people of Chile
our sorrow and our regret that we could not give more."  The Premier
pointed out that the contribution by the Cuban people to the victims of the
earthquakes in Chile was inspired both by a spirit of generosity and by a
feeling which has a much broader frontier:  That of human solidarity.

He then said:  "Therefore this example is the most fertile seed which can
be sown in America.  This proof of truly unselfish love and brotherhood is
a proof of the mutual understanding among peoples who speak the same
language, have the same culture, and carry in our hearts the same warmth
and in our backs the same dagger."

"Our people," Fidel Castro continued, "stand fully erect before the threats
of the power which wants to dominate it and therefore it needs the
solidarity of all the sister peoples of Latin America.  The growth of
solidarity on this continent is one more guarantee, one more force which
the enemies of Cuba will have to face; because of this each people will be
stronger in facing the interventionists, and those who one day in
Nicaragua, another in Haiti, another in Santo Domingo, have trampled on the
sovereignty of our peoples."

The Cuban Premier said further:  "A continent is awakening; a world is
beginning to stir; an era is beginning in America; a feeling is spreading
among all the colonized peoples of this continent; a hope is being kindled;
a light is burning , and we Cubans can take pride in having awakened this
faith and in having lighted this light which some day will light the way to
freedom for all the sister peoples of this continent."  After expressing
the hope that "our brothers in Chile will find the strength to overcome the
cataclysms provoked by men," Dr. Castro said:  "There the land trembled
with blind fury, and here we hear the roars of those who threaten us, so
that our land can also tremble.  The land will tremble, but not the men nor
women on it, not the patriots of our land."

He added that "although nature has been generous to us, although in most of
Cuba there is no danger of earthquakes, we are exposed to other evils worse
than earthquakes.  These are the great international interests which in
their egotism do not hesitate to sacrifice people, to send millions of men
to their deaths.  These interests in their blindness did not even hesitate
to drop atomic bombs on two Japanese cities murdering--because no other
word will do and as the years pass history will be even more
severe-thousands of women and children."  Stressing the same subject,
Castro said:  "Because it was not necessary because however great the
crimes of the oligarchy which ruled that country, at that time, how were
the children and the women at fault?  Who has said that the peoples are
responsible for the crimes committed by the oligarchies which rule over and
above them?"

Dr. Castro continued:  "These events are an example of what the blind
forces of egotism are capable of.  Because those cities were demolished--we
understand this better today--in order to frighten the world, to terrorize
the world, and to impose respect for the oligarchy which had that weapon."
He concluded:  "It is good that we should know the history of our enemies,
the history of the enemies of our country."

At the ceremony, which was attended by thousands of persons who filled the
little square opposite the docks and was broadcast by radio and television,
the Chilean ambassador to Havana, Emilio Edward Bello expressed thanks for
the contribution to the earthquake victims.  Rogelio Iglesias Patino,
secretary of foreign relations for the Confederation of Workers of Cuba,
Angel Quevedo, of the University Students Federation, and Dr. Tomas
Hernandez, secretary of the Cuban Red Cross and of the national committee
for aid to Chile also spoke at the ceremony.  Vilma Espin, wife of Cuban
armed forces minister Raul Castro, spoke in the name of the congress of
Cuban women for the liberation of Latin America.
-END-