-DATE-
19720707
-YEAR-
1972
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
SPEECH
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
RECEPTION HELD BY EDWARD GIEREK PIOTOR JAROSZEWI
-PLACE-
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OFFICE
-SOURCE-
HAVANA DOMESTIC SVC
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19720608
-TEXT-
CASTRO DELEGATION TRAVELS FROM WARSAW TO KATOWICE

Havana Domestic Service in Spanish 1130 GMT 7 Jun 72 C/F

[Text of speech delivered by Communist Party of Cuba First Secretary and
Prime Minister of the Revolutionary Government Maj Fidel Castro, at a
reception held by Edward Gierek Piotor Jaroszewicz in his honor at the
Council of Ministers office on 6 June--reads by announcer]

[Text] Dear Comrade Gierek,

Dear Polish comrades,

Members of the diplomatic corps: It is an honor for us to visit Poland. Our
people have always greatly admired the Polish people, their history, their
struggles for independence which have become an example for the entire
world. Polish fighters fought in the last century at the side of our people
during our struggle for independence.

Our people have also observed with admiration the Polish people's struggle,
their terrible sacrifices under Nazi aggression.

The great crimes committed against the Polish people moved the world; the
millions of men and women who fought and died have aroused the solidarity
of the world.

This morning we had an opportunity to visit the tomb of the Unknown
Soldier. In the tomb are handfulls of soil from the many battlefields where
the Polish people have fought for their liberation. Polish fighters died in
many nations, on several continents, to gain their independence during
World War II and to create proper conditions for the social revolution. All
of these things have always aroused the solidarity and admiration of our
people.

You, Comrade Gierek, are known in our country for your effort to invigorate
the revolutionary process. We know of your worker's background, of the
scores of years you have spent as an honored militant and a loyal member of
the Polish Communist Party. We know of your efforts to overcome the
difficulties still facing Poland of your ties with the people, of your
bonds with the masses.

We are profoundly grateful for the invitation. sit your country; we are
profoundly grateful for your hospitality, your fraternal reception, your
kind words, your statements of friendship and affection for the Cuban
revolution and our delegation.

We have listened to your statements with interest and respect. We are
making great efforts to understand each other. We live in two different
worlds: you in the very heart of Europe and we in the Caribbean Sea, on the
other side of the Atlantic very close to the U.S. shores.

As you are well aware, we have forged ahead with our revolution with the
support of the socialist camp, with the support of the Soviet Union.

We know and fully appreciate the internationalist ideas, but geographic and
historic circumstances determine the various forms in which we have to
apply the Marxist-Leninist ideas to the struggle.

For you in Europe security is an objective and an important step toward the
consolidation of peace. We understand this effort; we support this effort,
We know the history of Europe, the suffering of the peoples of Europe,
especially of the people of Poland, the Soviet peoples and others. We are
happy that your countries today can adopt European security and the
struggle for peace as objectives.

On the other hand, our people hardly have a notion of the meaning of
security. This something which we have virtually never had. Our nation is
not protected by any military alliance. We have become accustomed to living
without the slightest idea of the meaning of security. Our people have no
other security than that which they might provide themselves, with their
readiness to die in defense of their cause.

We have learned what aggression is; we learned it in those difficult
moments in October 1962. We remember that during those days it was not the
concern for security that inspired our actions but the sentiment of
solidarity.

We are fighting against the same enemy. If some day the socialist countries
are attacked by imperialism, we will fight at the side of the socialist
countries because we are linked by a pact which is much stronger than legal
treaties--we are joined to you by the principles of internationalism, by
the principles of Marxism-Leninism.

At this moment the attention and concern of our party, our peoples, and
that of a large segment of world public opinion is focused on the Vietnam
problem. The cruellest of wars ever known is being waged in Vietnam. Twelve
million tons of bombs have been dropped on the Vietnamese people--twice as
many as were dropped during World War II. An average of 4,500 tons of bombs
has been dropped daily on the Vietnamese people. There are 21 million bomb
craters in Vietnamese soil. The most advanced technology, the most
sophisticated weapons, the air force of the most powerful imperialist
country have been fully turned against the Vietnamese people. The U.S.
actions against the Vietnamese people constitute the most unjustifiable
intervention, the most immoral actions ever undertaken by any country.

Vietnam is located 20,000 kms from the United States. Published secret
reports have fully borne out the illegality of the war against Vietnam.
Today it is known with complete certainty that the United States intervened
in Vietnam and replaced the French colonialists to prevent the unification
of Vietnam, to prevent the Vietnamese people from exercising their free
will. Today there is detailed and reliable information proving the falsity
of the arguments used by the U.S. Government. Today there is detailed
information available on the Tonkin Gulf incidents which marked the
beginning of the bombing raids against North Vietnam, incidents with which
the U.S. Government used to try to justify these raids.

These actions are fully documented in current history. Imperialism has
never waged a more unjust or immoral war; consequently, the Vietnamese
people have never waged a more just war. Furthermore, in our opinion
Vietnam has set the finest example of heroism known by the world in these
times. Millions of Vietnamese have died defending their cause. With
incredible devotion and firmness they have resisted the continuous bombing
strikes and have remained firm.

We know these facts and we also know the Vietnamese through the youths who
are studying in the Soviet Union, the socialist countries, Cuba and other
countries. We know that despite the language barrier they are the best
students everywhere and that they are the top students in every class. When
we want to set an example to the Cuban youth we mention the Vietnamese
youth to them.

The Vietnamese People have developed excellent virtues through their long
heroic struggle. The Vietnamese people have been fighting for all peoples.
However, what is happening today? The imperialists have stepped up their
war against Vietnam. At this moment the heaviest bombing strikes are being
made against Vietnam; Vietnamese ports have been mined; and Pentagon
spokesmen are boasting daily that since the ports were mined, supplies have
not arrived in Vietnam and that American bombers using precision bombs
guided by laser rays have succeeded in destroying Vietnamese bridges and
disrupted communications. Power plants and dikes are being attacked; the
villages are being bombed. In a few words, an attempt is being made to
prevent a single drop of fuel, an ounce of food from reaching Vietnam. They
are trying to prevent medicines and weapons from reaching Vietnam while
U.S. convoys are continuously unloading war supplies in Vietnam.

The U.S. imperialist government is trying to make Vietnam capitulate, to
prevent the arrival of supplies, to intimidate the people and to force them
to accept its terms. For this reason they are refusing to resume the Paris
talks.

We know that these are extremely serious actions, extremely regrettable
actions. War crimes are not only those committed in Europe; war crimes are
those being committed against such a country as Vietnam. The German
Fascists were not the only war criminals; the Yankee fascists are also war
criminals.

Nazi officials were seated at the accused bench in the Nuremberg Tribunal
for similar crimes; German Fascists were sentenced to death by hanging for
similar crimes.

We are expressing these thoughts so that the concern of our people may be
understood, the concern of our party, of a large segment of the people of
the world. We express these thoughts so that the position of our people
vis-a-vis Vietnam, our readiness to support Vietnam however it may be
necessary, the readiness of our country to send fighters to Vietnam if
necessary, may be understood.

In our opinion the international revolutionary movement cannot under any
circumstances permit the extermination of the Vietnamese people. The
revolutionary movement cannot under any circumstances permit a similar
genocide against the Vietnamese people.

We are convinced that these feelings, these concerns are shared by the
parties, the peoples and leaders of fraternal socialist countries. For this
reason, we are delighted with the statement made today by Comrade Gierek
that the solution of the Vietnam problem, based on full sovereignty of the
Indochinese people and the reestablishment of full rights of these peoples,
is considered the keystone of peaceful coexistence.

We are delighted with his statement that Poland, like the rest Of the
socialist countries, is providing and will provide complete support to the
Vietnamese people and that Poland, like the other socialist countries, will
fight for peace but will also fight in support of the peoples fighting for
their liberation.

We are delighted and encouraged by these statements because today Vietnam
is the supreme test of proletarian internationalism; today Vietnam is the
supreme test of the principles of Marxism-Leninism.

Comrade Gierek, let us offer a toast to the Polish people, for friendship
between our two parties, for the heroic Vietnamese people, for proletarian
internationalism. [applause]
-END-