THE CARIBBEAN: Rebel's Rousing Return

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Castro calls for peace but lashes U.S.

I have not come here as a prophet of revolution, nor have I come here to ask that the world be violently convulsed . . . I speak on behalf of the children of the world who don't even have a piece of bread."

Thus spoke Fidel Castro. Stabbing at the air, leaning dramatically against the lectern, the bearded Cuban President addressed the United Nations General Assembly for more than two hours. It was his first visit to the U.S. in 19 years, and Castro marked the occasion by larding his speech with anti-American gibes. He began by insisting that he did not intend "to use unnecessary adjectives to wound a powerful neighbor in his own house." But then he went on to accuse the U.S. of "hostile acts, pressures and threats" against Cuba.

He denounced America's "occupation" of Guantanamo and condemned the "unjust blockade with which the United States Government continues its efforts to isolate the Cuban revolution." He called on the U.S. to desist from its "repressive maneuvers" aimed at perpetuating Puerto Rico's "colonial status." Shouts of "Fidel! Fidel!" echoed through the hall when Castro finished his stemwinder, and he reveled in a 1½-min. standing ovation. Among less enthusiastic spectators: U.S. Ambassador Donald McHenry, who listened impassively through the diatribe.

The speech was yet another masterly performance by one of the world's premier political orators, even though it contained little that Castro had not said before. In Washington's view, the speech was primarily intended to enhance Castro's prestige as a senior statesman of the Third World. When he first addressed the U.N., in 1960, the 33-year-old Castro was a fledgling revolutionary, overshadowed by such neutralist giants as Yugoslavia's Josip Broz Tito, then 68, and India's Jawaharlal Nehru, 70. Castro has now survived for 20 years as Cuba's "maximum leader." He is also riding a wave of international prestige as chairman of the nonaligned nations, whose conference he was host for—and dominated—in Havana last month.

Castro's dramatic return to the U.N., moreover, came at a time when Cuba is capturing unusual attention. In addition to its continuing military role as a Soviet proxy in Africa, it has lately become a source of renewed concern for American security in this hemisphere. The controversy over the Soviet brigade stationed on the island is only part of it. Equally perturbing is Cuba's role in the midst of the political unrest now brewing in the Caribbean, which has long ceased to be an "American lake." It is not "Havana's pond," either, but Cuba is clearly seeking to take advantage of targets of opportunity in an area that is of strategic importance to the U.S. (see following story).