rected against the national liberation movement and which serve the interests of international imperialism.

We are in solidarity with the struggle waged by the peoples of Angola, Mozambique, "Portuguese" Guinea, the Congo, "French" Somalia, Maurillus and "Spanish" Guinea. We support the courageous people of South Africa who are carrying out, in the difficult conditions of repression, an inflexible struggle against racialism and for national freedom and democracy. We support the struggle waged by the peoples of South and South-West Africa, Bechuanaland, Swaziland and Basutoland against racialism and colonialism and the criminal policy of apartheid.

Dear friends, at present, when the old colonial regimes have been liquidated in most countries of Latin America, Asia, and Africa, the colonialists are resorting to new forms of prolonging imperialist oppression and slavery. Neo-colonialism is arriving to replace colonialism. Neo-colonialism is not a myth, it is an active force which has now become the main threat for the liberated countries. Its aim is to keep with new methods and in modified forms-the liberated peoples in economic bondage by pulling new "invisible" chains on them, which are no lighter than were the previous ones.

In order to achieve these aims, the imperialists have created a rich arsenal of most diverse weapons. They are: the military and political groupings connected with NATO, such as SEATO, CENTO and others, which are backed by imperialist powers; the unequal bilateral agreements of military, political and economic character; the setting-up, with the help of military coups, bribery and blackmail, of regimes favorable to the imperialists; and deep economic penetration in various forms with the aim of securing the domination of the foreign monopolies.

The struggle of the developing countries for their economic independence is becoming one of the most important aspects of the national-liberation movement.. The winning of political independence cannot mechanically of itself liquidate the economic positions which imperialism has at its disposal. These positions are characterized by the domination of the monopolies which have usurped the natural resources of the majority of countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, by the backward agrarian structure of the economy of the liberated countries, which they have inherited from the colonial past, by their subjected situation in the world capitalist division of labor, and by their extreme dependence on the export of raw materials, and import of the most important kinds of industrial goods.

By relying on reactionary and pro-imperialist regimes, by subjugating the economy of the former colonies and semi-colonies, the neo-colonialists are striving for all they are worth to channel the socio-economic development of the countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America in a direction which would conform to the interests of the imperialist monopolies and not to the interests of the peoples of those countries.

It is absolutely clear that, in the obtaining situation, the expansion of economic cooperation, mutual assistance, exchange of experience, and coordination of the economic efforts of the countries of the three continents against imperialism, have become urgent problems. The working out and the implementation of a common policy as regards foreign private investment, the conditions for selling of the most important raw materials and foodstuffs, and the problems of customs, currency and financial affairs, enhances the most rapid achievement of economic independence.

Friends, our delegation represents the public and the peoples of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the country of victorious socialism which is now building the material and technical basis of communism. Socialism is winning more and more the minds and the hearts of millions of people. Many nations of Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America are marching under the banner of socialism and are waging a struggle for the implementation of its ideals. We are deeply convinced that socialism is the near future of all the peoples of the world. Following the behests of Lenin, the Soviet Union is consistently working for universal peace and security for all nations. We believe that relations between sovereign states with different social systems must be built on the foundation of peaceful coexistence. At the same time it is clear that there does not and cannot exist any kind of peaceful coexistence between the oppressed peoples and their oppressors-the colonialists and the imperialists-and between the imperialist aggressors and their victims. The struggle for peace is inseparably connected with the struggle against colonialism, against imperialist aggression, and against the encroachments on the freedom of the peoples and the sovereignty of states.

Fidelity to the ideals of freedom and independence, and consistent struggle against all sorts of oppression, enslavement and injustice, form the foundation of the world outlook of the Soviet people and constitute the basis of our state policy. Throughout all its history the Soviet state, following the behests of the great Lenin, has been rendering all-round support to the peoples who are struggling against colonialism and imperialism for their own national and social liberation. The peoples who rise to the great act of combating imperialism, no matter in what corner of the globe this may take place, can be assured that the Soviet people will always be at their side.

By its might the Soviet Union is keeping in check the main forces of the imperialist powers and is thus considerably facilitating the conditions in which the peoples are waging the struggle for freedom, independent development and social progress. In their turn, the Soviet people highly value the revolutionary support which the progressive forces in the other countries of Asia and in the countries of Africa and Latin America have been rendering them for many decades.

At all the international forums, including the United Nations Organization, the Soviet Union has been acting in close concert and complete mutual understanding with the delegates of the peoples of Africa, Asia and Latin America which are waging the struggle against imperialism and has consistently defended the cause of freedom and independence of those peoples.

Cooperation and mutual assistance between the Soviet Union and the other countries of Asia, and the countries of Africa and Latin America, is varied in form. These forms embrace various spheres of life-politics, economics, science and culture. We are happy that the industrial enterprises which were built with the participation of the Soviet Union are becoming front-ranking enterprises in the young national states, that with our cooperation the power of the mighty rivers in Asia and Africa is harnessed to the service of man, and that thousands of highly qualified experts are being trained in our universities who, after their return hometo the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America-will become active participants in national rennaissance in the former colonies and semi-colonies and will become active fighters for social progress.

More than 600 enterprises of national economy and about 100 educational establishments which the U.S.S.R. has already built or is now building in the developing countries, several score of thousands of experts trained in the U.S.S.R., support in military equipment of peoples and countries which are struggling for their independence against the attacks of imperialism-such is the practical contribution made by the Soviet people to the great cause of liberation and national renaissance of the former colonies and semi-colonies.

The imperialists are well aware how great a force is the solidarity and unity of the peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America. That is why they are striving to incite contradictions and arguments, and chuckle with pleasure when these contradictions and arguments become conflicts and when they manage to hinder the settling of these conflicts.

It is necessary to mete out a resolute rebuff to these intrigues of imperialism and neo-colonialism. The consolidation of all the revolutionary forces of our time the peoples of the socialist countries, the peoples which are waging the national-liberation struggle, and the international democratic and labor movement-is of decisive importance in achieving this end. The profound unity of aims and the interest in mutual assistance forms the basis of the consolidation of those three powerful anti-imperialist forces. They are the main forces with which we wish to be in alliance in order to act in complete unity. Our common aim is freedom, independence, peace, democracy and social progress. Our common enemy is world imperialism, and first of all world imperialism led by the imperialism of the U.S.A. We must counterpose the cunning machinations of imperialism directed at splitting our movement with the historically-tested weapon the strengthening of the solidarity, cohesion and fighting capacity of our great movement.

As Comrade Fidel Castro, the leader of revolutionary Cuba, so aptly put it: "Disunity in the face of the enemy has never been a revolutionary or a clever strategy.'

We must make the aspiration for unity the basis of the tri-continent solidarity movement, and must constantly strengthen our unity around the main aim of the movement the struggle against imperialism, colonialism and neocolonialism, for freedom, peace, independence and social progress.

Our conference must unit the two mighty streams of the anti-imperialist forces into one single movement of the people of the three continents which will have

as its banner the militant spirit of Havana. In order to consolidate this unity, the Soviet delegation supports the proposal to set up at this conference an Organization of Tri-Continent Solidarity.

To mark the First Conference of Solidarity of the Peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America, the Soviet delegation also proposes that there be introduced and annually held from January 3 to 10, an international week of solidarity of the three continents in the struggle against colonialism, neo-colonialism and imperialism.

The Soviet delegation earnestly appeals to all the national organizations and their movements represented at this conference to unite in the struggle for this great goal. Let our conference be a new stage on this road. Let it multiply and strengthen the unity of our ranks, and impart new force to the liberation struggle throughout the world.

Thank you.

(The speech of the leader of the Soviet delegation was warmly received by the delegates and was frequently punctuated by tumultuous applause. At the end the audience gave the speaker a standing ovation.)

APPENDIX VII

SPEECH BY FIDEL CASTRO, PRIME MINISTER OF CUBA, DELIVERED AT THE CHAPLIN THEATER ON JANUARY 16, 1966, AT THE CLOSING SESSION OF THE TRICONTINENTAL CONFERENCE

Honored delegates, Cuban comrades: The importance of this event which has come to a climax tonight does not escape us. Contrary to all the auguries of imperialism, contrary to all its forecasts which revealed the great hope that this conference would not result in anything, that this conference involving the problems of the international Communist movement was bound to be divided, that it was bound to be a great failure-what has happened is something that they least or perhaps never expected that the Conference has been a success; that this Conference has created an organ tricontinental in nature; that it has arrived at accords which include the most heartfelt yearnings of the peoples who fight for their liberation; that a committee to aid the liberation movements has been created.

And that's not all. Something which unquestionably hurts the imperialists greatly is that Cuba has been chosen as the headquarters of the executive secretariat of the organization until the next Tricontinental Conference is held. [Applause.]

It is not that we are expressing here a feeling of national pride. Because of the peculiar circumstances surrounding the country, its geographic location, the efforts exerted by the imperialists to isolate it from the world, the measures adopted so that practically no one can visit us makes the fact that this conference has been held with such success in our country and defying all obstacles, defying all difficulties, that it has been considered an adequate location for the temporary operation of the headquarters, is something which doubtless must hurt the Yankee imperialists considerably.

Therefore, this has been a great victory for the revolutionary movement. Never has there been a gathering of such dimensions and of such magnitude, gathering in which the revolutionary representations of 82 peoples have met to discuss problems of common interest. Never has there been such a large meeting, because the peoples of three continents have been here; the revolutionary movements of the peoples of three continents who have a common antiimperialist stance; who represent the struggle of their peoples with differing philosophical ideas or positions, or with differing religious beliefs, who on many occasions represent differing ideologies. But they have something in common. What the peoples have most in common to unite the people of three continents and of all the world today is the struggle against imperialism [applause]; the struggle against colonialism and neocolonialism, the struggle against racism and, in short, all the phenomena which are the contemporary expression we call imperialism, whose center, axis, and principal support is Yankee imperialism.

The meeting, agreements, and conclusions of this Conference were all accomplished because the nations in this era have something in common. This was not an easy task; it may seem easy, but it was not and could not be an easy task. This is only natural, because when representatives from different nations and different movements, with special problems which express almost all current problems of the world, it was not easy ***. (As heard; Castro failed to complete thought-Editor.)

The work on theses, on agreements acceptable to all could not be achieved without hard work. During these past few days we remember how different problems were discussed. When the final statement was being discussed, we remembered how Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels [applause] had worked and written the Communist manifesto for several months, and how afterward they revised, retouched, and perfected it several times before it was finally issued. Naturally, in our conference which took 2 weeks-less than 2 weeks—a few days were needed to work on a document which would cover the different opinions and would be issued in a manner that would fully satisfy every one of the delegations. Despite