Apr. 20, 1963 - Premier Fidel Castro said today the U.S. had abandoned plans for a second invasion of Cuba in favor of a plot to assassinate Cuban leaders. In a speech commemorating the second anniversary of the failed U.S. invasion at the Bay of Pigs, he said the Soviet missiles placed in Cuba last year were to thwart a second “American invasion.” “We cannot rest on our laurels because the enemy will resort to new measures and new tactics and new plans. They are now making plans to assassinate the leaders of the revolution,” he declared. Castro said if the U.S. adopted a peaceful policy toward Cuba, “we shall follow a policy of peace, but if they continue with a policy of aggression, we shall continue defending ourselves with all our means and all available arms, and we shall continue to inflict defeats upon them.” He said that not even U.S. air cover could have saved the Bay of Pigs invasion force.
