July 16, 1963 - Premier Fidel Castro declared himself a supporter of peaceful coexistence at a French Embassy reception last night. This is the line taken by Premier Khrushchev in his ideological dispute with Red China. The Cuban leader expressed this and other views to a group of diplomats. “I want peace, as everyone does,” Castro said. “I am for peaceful coexistence, and I do not think there is a person in the world who wants to die in a nuclear holocaust.” He then criticized U.S. political parties, saying: “You see the Republicans yelling for an invasion of Cuba and making bellicose statements because they are opposing the Kennedy Government. But I will tell you that if the Republicans win the next Presidential election, they will suddenly assume responsibility and begin to ask for caution. And I am pretty sure the Democrats would then begin to ask for an invasion.” Castro expressed the belief that many Americans “really expect some kind of internal rebellion in Cuba and believe the people are suffering and hating the Government.” “They can wait for that rebellion until the end of their days,” he said. “We are going to stay for a long time.”
