-DATE-
19620626
-YEAR-
1962
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
REPORT
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
CASTRO TOURS SIERRA MAESTRA
-PLACE-
SIERRA MAESTRA MOUNTAINS
-SOURCE-
HAVANA RELOJ NACIONAL
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19620627
-TEXT-
FIDEL CASTRO TOURS SIERRA MAESTRA

Havana Reloj Nacional in Spanish 1520 GMT 26 June 1962--F

(Text) The principal celebration of the 26 July anniversary will take place
in Santiago de Cuba. The observation of the ninth anniversary of the heroic
epic of 26 July will be in Santiago de Cuba, as announced by Prime Minister
and ORI Secretary General Fidel Castro speaking in the Sierra Maestra
mountains, where he has been on an eight-day tour.

Fidel arrived in the Sierra Maestra on 15 June and toured the historic
mountains until 23 June. During this time he visited the Camilo Cienfuegos
school city, El Jibaro, San Lorenzo, Polo Norte, Minas de Frio, La Plata,
and the school. Later he claimed Pico Turquino and Pico Cuba.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by many peasants from the area as well
as by members of his escort and Maj. Rene Vallejo and Doctor Camejo.

The eight-day tour began in the school city of Camilo Cienfuegos. After
inspecting its buildings, Fidel congratulated the members of the army who
work there for their sugar harvest labors. During his tour, Fidel spoke to
local residents and peasants in each area, demonstrated an interest in
their situation, and verified the progress attained by the revolution.
Everywhere he was able to ascertain the great increase in the planting of
lesser crops, such as coffee and so forth.

The Prime Minister continued to La Plata and from there to Pico Turquino
and Pico Cuba, stopping on the way at peasant dwellings where he had spent
the night during the war of liberation.

Fidel and his entourage began the descent from Pico Cuba and stopped at the
Las Cuevas level at which place Maj. Armando Costa, Oriente ORI secretary
and Maj. Calixto Garcia, military commander of Oriente Province were
awaiting him. They then set off on a hike to Santiago de Cuba.

In the capital of Oriente, Fidel expressed his satisfaction at the Sierra
Maestra situation as evidenced by the increase in production, improvement
of living conditions, and revolutionary consciousness. This was evidenced
by the fact that all families were represented in the national
revolutionary militia. After pointing to other achievements of the
revolution in the Sierra Maestra, Fidel Castro flatly proclaimed that the
worker-peasant alliance is functioning thoroughly there.
-END-