On February 6, 196^ in a Press Conference Fidel Castro Made Repeated References to Overflights
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On February 6, 196^ in a press conference Fidel Castro made repeated references to overflights. The most significant of his remarks are: "Ever since the October crisis the Cuban Government has maintained that there are several factors which constitute a threat to the peace of the country. One of these factors is the presence of the G-uantanamo Base, (others — ed.) the violations of Cuban airspace by US planes, pirate attacks, and a whole group of facts which are too well-known. All of these problems constitute a source of danger and conflicts, and the Cuban Government wishes to point out that the responsibility for this situation lies entirely with the US Government. "Hie Government of Cuba has repeatedly warned the United States of the consequences which may result from violations of our air- space. It must not be forgotten that this is an arbitrary ac- tion which may create problems and incidents." In a speech on April 19^ 19&U Castro made the following statements with regard to overflights specifically mentioning surface-to-air mis- siles for the first time. "Who is responsible for those aggressive actions, the provocations, and the violations of our airspace? We have not sanctioned them, and we will not legalize them. We will not legalize those viola- tions against our law and our sovereignty. They are provoking us. These things are simply intolerable. We are going to be calm — we are going to be calm. We are going to proceed with two things: not only with intelligence but also with valor. This is the way we should proceed. We will not act with intelli- gence alone or- valor alone. How should our people act? With both things: with intelligence and with valor. Valor will not lack intelligence and intelligence will not lack valor. "But we serve warning that both these provocations (Guantanamo and overflights) and the other violations of our rights — not econo- mic blockades, but physical aggressions against our territory — we are not disposed to tolerate them, cost what it will and come what may. "Let us prepare ourselves, comrades. Let us prepare our combat units; let us prepare our land, sea, and air forces. Let us pre- pare our surface-to-air missiles. And let the imperialists de- cide. If they want peace with our nation there will be peace, but if they want war we are not afraid of war." On April 20, 196^ at a noon briefing at the State Department, a State Department spokesman in reply to a question, in light of the April 19 statement, whether policy flights over Cuba was being reviewed said: "First, I would recall that the overflights are a substitute for the on-site inspection agreed to by the Soviets in October 19^2, but which Fidel Castro refused to permit. "Second, I would point out that the surveillance flights are thoroughly based on the resolution approved by the OAS on Octo- ber 23, 1962. "Third, I would remind you of the various statements made by the late President Kennedy and by Secretary Rusk during the past 15 months on this subject, making it unmistakably clear that we re- gard the overflights as a necessity to avoid the deception which was practiced against us in 1962. "Fourth, I would recall that Secretary Rusk said, in March a year ago, 'If there were any interruption with our surveillance, then...that could create a highly dangerous situation1. "Our publicly expressed position on this question remains unchanged." In his May Day speech Castro devoted a great deal of attention to the matter of overflights and the "problem of the violations of our airspace." Among relevant remarks are the following: "But the imperialists should know, they should know without any doubt remaining, that those flights must cease, that at the end of this effort, those flights will have to cease. We will resort to international legal means to discuss this problem. We will take it before world opinion. ¥e will take them before whatever organizations it is necessary to take them, but in the end the imperialists must know that those flights have to cease. And why? Because we do not accept them. And if all reasoning, if 2. all reasoning is useless., if arguments, law, right, and ethics are useless, we consider those flights armed aggressions against our sovereignty and as such we will repel those aggressions with arms. "The day we decide to reestablish the sovereign right of Cuba violated "by those planes, we will not do it thinking of world conflagrations or of strategic missiles. We will do it thinking of our own blood. ¥e will do it thinking of our force. In doing so, we assume the responsibility and the risks. "This would not .be a dignified nation if, when it adopted atti- tudes in defense of its security and sovereignty, it did so be- hind the protection of other countries' forces. When it comes to defending our sovereignty and dignity, we do not take into ac- count the strength of the enemy nor do we take our own strength into account. The only thing we take into account is that we have the duty to defend our rights, and that we know how to ful- fill that duty, and that we are ready to fulfill that duty because that is our right and our dignity." UNITED NATIONS Distr. GENERAL E C U R I T Y S/5530 k February COUNCIL ENGLISH ORIGINAL: SPANISH LETTER DATED 3 FEBRUARY ±96k FROM THE CHARGE D'AFFAIRES OF THE PERMANENT MISSIOH OF CUBA ADDRESSED TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL, TRANSMITTING A LETTER FROM THE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF CUBA On the instructions of the Revolutionary Government of Cuba I have the honour to communicate to you the text of a note dated 3 February 196^- from Dr.' Raul Rda, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, addressed to the President of the Security Council: "Sir, "The Revolutionary Government of Cuba hereby denounces an act of intolerable aggression committed on the morning of 2 February by the Government of the United States of America, in that its naval forces boarded and seized four small Cuban fishing-vessels carrying out their - operations peaceably in the fishing ground off the Dry Tortugas, in international waters, in strict compliance with the international regulations on the subject. The United States Government was notified in advance of this fishing operation, in an area which has always been used by Cuban fishermen., through the Swiss Embassy in Havana on 9 December 1963^ in order to avoid any friction with the United States authorities likely to increase tensions in the Caribbean area. On that occasion it was explained that the development of the Cuban fishing fleet called for the presence of our vessels in distant areas not only of the Caribbean, and of the Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas Channel, but at other distant points situated in traditional fishing grounds. So there was no question of an unforeseen act or any departure from previously established custom, much less provocation. "This demonstration of good intentions by our Government, which it was under no obligation to make, we were simply doing what we were entitled to do under international fisheries agreements, was received by the United States Government in a manner inspired by its colonialist pride, which made it seek to restrict the area where Cuba had a right to obtain food from the sea to the waters adjacent to our island, as if international law was not in our favour. The United States Government, in a most irregular communication, stated that it would feel concern at any Cuban fishing operation outside Cuban waters. The despatch of -our vessels to those waters, which are not the exclusive property of anybody, as you will be aware, is not only an act in exercise of our sovereignty in accordance with the juridical principles governing operations of this nature, but is also s/5530 English Page 2 in obedience to the imperative of subsistence, to enable us to provide our people with the food they need and to develop our economy. To this attitude, the United States Government has responded by a typical act of piracy, which is a violation of the Charter of the United Nations, as it helps to aggravate the Caribbean crisis and constitutes a threat to international peace and security. "The United States Government's policy of aggression against Cuba is well-known, and so are its intentions of subduing our people by hunger through the economic and commercial blockade which it has instituted; and this act of aggression which we are now reporting is simply another link in the already long chain with which they are seeking to shackle the Cuban Revolution. "At 11 a.m. on 2 February this act of violence, whose end is not yet known, began. At that time a Coast Guard cutter of the United States Havy to the south east of Dry Tortuga threatened the fishing vessels Lambda 53; Lambda 8, Cardenas 1^- and Cardenas 19 with its guns ordering them to go in closer to the shore and not to move for six hours, when they would receive further instructions. The fishing fleet was outside territorial waters, five miles off the coast of the Dry Tortugas in a fishing-ground always used by Cuban vessels for catching the fish known as sawfish. "At 6 p.m. on the same day another, larger vessel of the United States Navy appeared and lowered a boat containing many sailors and officers, who boarded the Lambda 35j asked for the ship's papers and took the crew list.