Yankee imperialism is intensifying its offensive against the Cuban revolution, trying to blockade it economically, and preparing military intervention. Its latest measures have been the refusal by the imperialist oil firms to refine Soviet crude and the stopping of the purchase of Cuban sugar by the United States.
The Cuban government has answered blow for blow, confiscating the imperialist refineries on the island, and selling the sugar to the Soviet Union.
Yankee imperialism fears the advance of the revolution in Cuba and throughout Latin America. It fears lest the Cuban example spread and powerfully influence the Latin American masses. This fear is shared by all the Latin American bourgeoisies and governments, who are backing up the imperialist hostility toward revolutionary Cuba. If these goverments have not gone further, it is because they are prevented by the Latin American masses' ardent and vigilant solidarity with Cuba.
But their support at the meeting of the Organization of American States, that agency at the service of Yankee imperialism, summoned to consider the "Cuban situation," clearly indicates their decision to back up Yankee measures against Cuba.
While it is strengthening its economic blockade, imperialism is preparing military intervention against Cuba. The O A S meeting, aimed at isolating Cuba, is a new step in this direction. Imperialism wants to demonstrate to the peoples of Latin America that anyone who follows the Cuban road will be crushed.
The situation in Cuba is nearing decisive stages. The whole Cuban people is ready, arms in hand, to defend its revolution and the government which in its eyes personifies it. The whole Cuban people is back of the measures confiscating the imperialist firms, agrarian reform, trade which the U S S R and the other workers' states, the diplomatic recognition of the U S S R and the forthcoming recognition of People's China. The whole Cuban people has received with joy the economic and military aid offered by the Soviet Union against imperialist aggression.
International workers' solidarity, the solidarity of the Latin American workers, and their active participation in the struggle, will be decisive in this action.
The Cuban government's attitude in confiscating the oil refineries must be supported by all revolutionaries against the provocation of imperialism and its servitors.
The refineries must now be placed under workers' administration. If necessary, it would be well to utilize the aid of technicians from the Soviet Union and the other workers' states.
It is necessary to defend the Cuban revolution, it is necessary to break imperialism's economic and commercial blockade of Cuba. It is necessary to denounce the aggressive manœuvre against Cuba that is being prepared at O A S meeting.
While imperialism and its bourgeois allies are organizing the attack against the revolutionary island, the Fourth International calls on trade-union organizations, Communist and Socialist Parties, workers' and anti-imperialist parties, in every country, to organize the defense of Cuba in its struggle against imperialism.
The Fourth International calls on the oil-workers' unions in every country, and particularly in Latin America, to force the oil firms to lift their blockade of Cuba, by threatening — as the oil-workers of the Middle East did in 1956 at the time of the aggression against Egypt — to cut off oil to the rest of the world if it is not sent to Cuba. It calls on seamen's unions to back up this action.
The Fourth International calls for the setting up in all countries of committees to aid the Cuban revolution, to organize meetings and mass-meetings and demonstrations, to send delegations of workers, students, and intellectuals to the revolutionary island, to form brigades for the defense of the Cuban revolution.
The Fourth International calls for connecting up the revolutionary struggle in each country with struggle and action in defense of the Cuban revolution, profiting by the increasing weakness of imperialism to inflict new blows upon it and prevent its desperate slash of the paw against Cuba.
For the struggle of revolutionary Cuba against imperialist aggression!
For international workers' solidarity with the Cuban revolution!
THE INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT OF THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL
16 June 1960