CASTRO FIRES BACK AT REAGAN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000505380060-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 12, 2010
• Sequence Number: 60
• Publication Date: July 10, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/12 :CIA-RDP90-005528000505380060-6 STAT
' CHICAGO TR1BL".VE
5~~vc~lo~xl~ July 1985
Castro fires back at Reagan
From Chic~pp Tribwy wkM
HAVANA-Cuban President
Fidel Castro Tuesday called Presi-
dent Reagan "the worst terrorist
in the history of mankind" and
said his ideas were from "the era
of Buffalo Bill."
Replying to Reagan's charge
Monday that Cuba was one of five
countries that aided international
terrorism, Castro told a press con-
ference: "It is Reagan who sup-
ports the ggenocidal army of El
Salvador, [he rapists of American
nuns.
Reagan ordered the mining of
the harbors in Nicaragua. It was
Reagan who sent troops to invade
little Grenada."
He said a speech in which
Reagan charged that Cuba, Nica-
ragua, Libya, Iran and North
Korea made up a confederation of
terrorist nations consisted of lies
comparable to the Nazi propagan-
da of Hitler and Goebbels.
Castro did not reply directly to
the charges. tead he cured
scorn on R a an s mte t ence and
accused him of oraatiizin what e
termed "American terrorism `-
"He is the biggest liar of all the
Americap presidents The
worst terrorist in the history of
mankind," said Castro, who earli-
er labeled Reagan "a madman, an
imbecile and a burn."
"How can you take this man
seriously?" Castro asked report-
ers. "Perhaps even he doesn't
know what he is talking about. His
ideas are from the era of Buffalo
Bill, not the nuclear age."
He also said the United States
wanted to sabotage the efforts of
the Contadora group, consisting of
Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and
Panama, to find a peaceful
settlement for Central America.
Meanwhile, Libya and Nicara-
gua charged that their nations are
victims of U.S. terrorism.
Ageli Raini, spokesman at the
Libyan People's Bureau, or em-
bassy, in Rome, said: "As we have
said before, it is the United States
that is committing terrorism, not
us."
State-controlled Libyan Radio
said the countries Reagan named
were merely trying to oppose his
own terrorist policy.
"In view of the scale on which
these states are confronting the
American strategy aimed at swal-
lowing the world, terrorist Reagan
is trying, without any argument
which even the Americans would
find convincing. to link the attitude
of these states, which is based on
the requirements of sovet+eigaty,
with the hijacknn6 operations car-
ried out by individuals and groups
for quite different purposes, the
broadcast said.
It claimed that moat hijackings
occur within the United States and
were motivated by the hijackers'
disgust at their cbtmtry'a "imperi-
alist" policy.
Thg Nic~,~' embaasv in
Was ' n tsaue a resoanse t
saiaT~a~' sta_ government
' condemns any o
terrorism, at ona o er reasons
the scour a state ter=
rorism, y v ~ v
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/12 :CIA-RDP90-005528000505380060-6