Reflections by Comrade Fidel

WE WILL NEVER FORGET

PART III

Matsumi Matsumura.- Comandante, we were with a brigade that was working in Shihan and we had the opportunity to meet the relatives of the Five Anti-terrorist Heroes, and we learned a lot about the issue of the Five Heroes. We have also been learning about this subject on board.

As you just mentioned, September 12 marked the 12^th anniversary of the Cuban Heroes and we, the members of the Peace Boat, also wish for their release, the sooner the better; for our part, we promise to support this campaign from far away, from Japan (Applause).

Comandante, then, what I was saying is that we have been learning already.

Furthermore, you referred to the subject of the education and health systems in Cuba. We are here now, but as you may know, we have many organizations that are waiting for us, and it would be very good if we had more time for a direct meeting between the Japanese and the Cuban people. What do you think?

Cmdte.- This is an important moment. At the United Nations, they are currently discussing—I know you are part of the United Nations as members of the Social Economic Council—the UN goals, they are holding a conference there, before the general debate takes place. Well, the United Nations is the only thing we supposedly have, because at times it seems nonexistent, since they discuss the development problems, the development goals, the education goals, the health goals, and these are increasing unmet; on the contrary, every time there is a crisis a step backwards occurs.

The purchasing power of the Americans themselves has reduced their buying capacity 43.6 percent. You can imagine an economy in which, all of a sudden, much of what is produced by the sectors of services, the industry, etc is no longer purchased, and the unemployment it causes.

Unfortunately, we have had to collect a lot of information about the United States and I can assure you that it is a disaster. It is a “great democracy,” that great that they have 12,000 lobbyists in the US Congress working for the transnational companies, who cost 3,500 million dollars annually. These are measures from past times that have incredibly degenerated. The Result: all the big companies control and manipulate the Congress of the United States, which enjoys the capacity of ratifying accords or approving budgets and legislation. If there is an accord on the reduction of nuclear weapons, aside from its poor scope, it has to be approved by Congress.

You do not even know what the role of a president in the United States is, many times he can do nothing, and this is the man who has a nuclear suitcase, while no one knows what the suitcase is for. We must not forget that when they launched the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they were the only two that existed, while a mediocre and ignorant president decided to launch them. I am sure that Roosevelt would not have launched those bombs, he was different, a capitalist of course, the head of the richest capitalist and imperialist state, but a man with a wide education and with certain political ethics, less identified personally with large fortunes. The one who came after him did not report that they had the bomb, not even to the Soviet Allies. And what was most cruel, there was no need to use the bomb, it has been historically proven, the majority of Japan’s imperial forces, concentrated in Manchuria, were totally defeated; the Japanese militaristic government could no longer stand on its feet. In order to get the victory, already in the hands of the allied armies, they did not have to launch those bombs, and what’s worse, they cannot argue that they tried to save lives; the soviet forces were advancing unstoppably on Manchuria, while the end of the war was just a matter of days away.

If they were looking for a military pretext, why didn’t they launch the two bombs on military facilities or bases? Why did they launch them on the civilian population? Why did they decide to kill over 100,000 people and unleash so much suffering? They did know what the bomb meant. And few days ago, there was this film showing th plane that carried the bomb, they named it after the pilot’s mother. See how much pride! What an honor! How can they give a mother’s name to the plane that launched the bomb and killed over 100,000 people in just few minutes?

It was a cruel action, an indescribable experiment at the expense of the suffering of hundreds of thousands of helpless people who were not responsible at all for the war.

Junko said you had been to Viet Nam to see the effects of Agent Orange. How many children, how many millions Vietnamese died in that war? About 4 or 5 million. How many of them remain invalided as a consequence of those chemical products they used? They used chemical weapons in another war; they gave them to Iraq during the war against Iran. The government of the United States has also used bacteriological weapons; they used them against Cuba; they also use white phosphorus and cluster bombs, napalm and other similar means through their allies.

The President still has the faculty to use the nuclear weapon or initiate a war. After the war breaks out…and this has special significance, because right at this moment there a situation of real danger of war, and of nuclear war. We all know about the situation existing in Iran today. We all know that there are threats pending on Iran due to the controversy about the processing of uranium. They have not been able to prove that the Iranians are making a nuclear weapon or that they are intending to make it. They have research centres, many countries have research centres, and there are about 40 nations who in practice could produce the nuclear weapon, including the enrichment of uranium. The Iranians have research centers; they have power plants that burn nuclear fuel. A power plant using that energy produces the raw material to make plutonium, the nuclear weapon used in Nagasaki. The Russians have signed agreements with Iran: they give the uranium, which is used by the Iranians to produce electricity and they take what is left after electricity is produced.

I warn you that there is a very dangerous situation. They have sent an American-Israeli squadron to the coasts of Iran, the ships are there, and they have had accords adopted at the Security Council based on erroneous calculations, they think they will crush the resistance. My opinion is that they can not crush the Iranian resistance and that they will not get any agreement by force.

The State of Israel has been working on programs, we can say that it has become the world’s fifth nuclear power, and it is determined, it already did it against Iraq with its attack on the nuclear research center; it did it in Syria with its attack on the research center, this happened in 2007; the case of Iraq occurred in the 1980s, and according to articles by well informed journalists and statements by its leaders, it is well known they are determined-- if the Americans do not attack Iran-- to carry out these actions on their own, to destroy the research centers, destroy the plants that are operating or about to operate to produce electricity.

I already wrote about this, particularly, about the dangers of a war in that zone. I have written 26 reflections, including the latest one in which I spoke about the gypsies, one of the groups that were submitted to extermination in Nazi concentration camps; the main victims were the Jews, the Gypsies and the Russians by virtue of Hitler’s cynical doctrine about vital space.

I have my positions with respect to all this, I have never hesitated to condemn the Holocaust, because it was a cruel act; but this is a position and the other is related to interventionism and Israel’s warmongering plans.

All these problems are ongoing. I encourage you to pay attention to all that. I do not know what material we can send them, perhaps the reflections that we have published on the subject.
Well, how many Japanese translators do we have?

Kenia Serrano .- In Cuba, a few, but they can help do it in Japanese.

Cmdr .- We will also send Robock’s lecture and some other material.
So what we can do is humbly cooperate with you in any way we can. Surely you have the film Home, by French filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand, on the environment. It is one of the best things that have been made.
If they attack Iran to destroy the reactors, the war becomes nuclear, quite simply, because the Iranians have developed defensive conventional weapons, developed unmanned aircraft, have hundreds of missile launchers; there would not be a surface vessel left intact, because they can defend themselves against one, or two, but not against many missiles that are launched simultaneously, as far as I know. Can you imagine such a situation? If they underestimate the Iranians and launch an attack on those places, the losses by the attackers will be very high. The attackers know that an unending war would start, who controls such a situation? An order to attack is easy to give, that’s how all wars start. But, in my view, it can also be the last, because, in my opinion, in this case it would inevitably be nuclear. Hopefully it will not happen, but it is one of the short-term dangers that I consider imminent.
We, as I have said, are already working modestly and appreciate all the news you can send us, and if they keep coming and we have time, I say time if we do not have to interrupt other things, we will reconvene. I promise.
Thank you (Applause).

Inoue Nao.- Thank you very much.
We have taken advantage and have learned a lot.
To know the reality of what is happening here in Havana, in fact the participants in the Peace Boat- well we only just got here- only know the cruise terminal. So, after we leave here to know the other activities, the work that the Cubans are doing and also to see directly the activities and policies that you have built.
In truth, many thanks.

Cmdr .- Aren’t you going straight to Nicaragua?

Matsumi Matsumura .- We are passing by Jamaica, then the Panama Canal and then to Corinto, Nicaragua.
Here, Commander, I would like to introduce a very important guest who is here, the Minister of Culture of Nicaragua, Mr. Luis Mora, Minister of Culture (Applause).

Cmdr .- But he came with you or was he waiting for you here?

Luis Mora .- I was here in Cuba, to board the ship.

Cmdr .- But you're going to Jamaica?

Luis Mora .- To Nicaragua, to Corinto.

Cmdr .- And who is the other one?

Luis Mora .- We are very pleased to be here with you. Greetings from Daniel and Rosario, from the people of Nicaragua to the fraternal people of Cuba, who we love and who have helped us so much.

Cmdr .- Thank you.

Luis Mora .- For sure, for sure.

Matsumi Matsumura .- Thank you.

At his side, and also a consultant, from the Caribbean side, Mr. John Hopkison.

Interpreter .- The Caribbean side of Nicaragua.

John Hopkison .- A pleasure, from the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, Bluefields, where you were, Commander, walking the streets of Bluefields, many years ago.

Cmdr .- Yes, yes, I'm very happy (Applause).

Inoue Nao .- This is a bell and I hope in your bedroom a peaceful wind blows and make the bell give a peaceful sound too (He hands over the bell).
I would also like to give as a gift, our boat, the Peace Boat, which is now in the port of Havana, the Oceanic.

Kenia Serrano .- The ship in which they travel is called the SOS Oceanic, it has the Panamanian flag.

Cmdr.- Well, I'll look after it.
Inoue Nao.- In truth, many thanks again for having received us. We are committed to further advancing our activities and, above all, working with ICAP, which is always supporting us by doing programs here and exchanges, led by Kenia and also the vice president Alicia Corredera, who always supports us.

Thank you, Commander (Applause).

(They give him the gifts.)

Cmdr .- I think I stole an extra hour, but I hope that with the others you can make it up. Because of me you are going to leave an hour late (Laughter and applause.)
At this point the meeting ended. The objectivity of what I expressed can be demonstrated.

You can see that when I spoke of Franklin D. Roosevelt, I said that I believe he would not have released those bombs, he was truly anti-fascist and within the economic and political system of the country, he did not reduce, but raised taxes on the millionaires, to the extent that he was hated by the right; which was represented by Harry Truman in the heart of the empire.

The world should know, and think about the fact that Harry S. Truman, in a radio address to the nation on August 9, 1945, said verbatim:
"The world will know that the first atomic bomb dropped on a military base in Hiroshima. This was because we wished in this first attack to avoid, as far as possible, the killing of civilians ... "

There was no military base in Hiroshima. The point selected was a small bridge in the middle of the city.

Disclosing that lie was a disgusting act of cynicism. Truman was aware and fully informed of the destructive power of the weapon.

On August 6, on the 65th anniversary of that monstrous crime, Canadian academic Michel Chossudovsky reported that Harry S. Truman himself wrote in his diary 11 days before the release of the bomb:
"We have discovered the most terrible bomb in the history of the world. It could be the fire destruction that was foretold in the Euphrates valley, after Noah’s Ark .... This weapon will be used against Japan ... [We] will use it for the purpose of military objectives and soldiers and sailors are the target and not women and children. Even if the Japs are savages, ruthless and fanatic, we as leaders of the world for the common welfare can not drop that terrible bomb on the old capital or the new ... The goal will be purely military ...it may be the most terrible thing ever discovered, but may in fact be the most useful. "

It was undoubtedly the greatest and most cynical murder in history.


Fidel Castro Ruz
September 26, 2010
11.45 a.m.