189. Editorial Note
In a speech at a May Day rally in Havana on May 1, 1961, Cuban Premier Fidel Castro stated that there had been a socialist revolution in Cuba and that Cuba was a socialist country. (The New York Times, May 2, 1961) On May 2 Department of State press spokesman Lincoln White interpreted Castroʼs speech to mean that Cuba had openly become a member of the “Sino-Soviet bloc.” He noted that Castroʼs use of the term socialist was consistent with usage throughout the Communist bloc, where socialism was viewed as a stage in the evolution toward Communism. In fact, White stated, Castroʼs speech made it appear that “Castro considers Cuba further along the communist road than some other countries in the bloc.” (American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1961, pages 306-307)
Secretary of State Rusk confirmed this interpretation in his replies to questions at a press conference at the Department of State on May 4. Rusk [Page 405] noted that Cuba had become, in Castroʼs own words, “a declared member of the Sino-Soviet bloc.” Rusk described the development as a “setback” for the Western Hemisphere. He stated, “the thing to do now is to draw a deep breath and look over the situation very carefully and consider a wide range of problems involved and possible actions which ought to be taken; and, most of all, to stay on the main road of hemispheric development and hemispheric solidarity.” (Department of State Bulletin, May 22, 1961, page 762)