Dear Hugo:

I send you revolutionary congratulations on your speech early today. It was an ‘I came, I saw, I conquered’ of dignity and ethics.

Fidel Castro Ruz
December 3, 2007
10:00 a.m.

Dear Hugo:

I try to be as succinct as possible in my reflections. These are directed at the public. I have to take into account the space that the news agencies and the international press dedicate to events that take place in the world every 24 hours and the maximum time that people give to one idea among thousands. Moreover, their perception is influenced by the speed at which an announcer reads over the radio or following the teleprompter on television.

The culture and educational level of any country, as well as its role in the possible solution of the grave problems overwhelming the world, also have to be considered.

This is to explain why, on many occasions, I write something to inform our people, who are also yours, as they have shown you since your first public contact.

Today, Monday, the Cuban people are anxious for news about the Venezuelan people and their leader, their destiny and their risks. For that reason, it is my duty to recall my reflection "A People Under Fire," which contains arguments and sentences that anticipated the events. I also expressed an opinion that I ratify here: "the assassination of the president or a civil war in Venezuela, with its enormous hydrocarbon reserves, would lead to an explosion of the globalized world economy."

Following your valiant and wise decision, I shall send a copy of this second message to "Roundtable," the Cuban national and international television program.

The ideas of Bolívar and Martí will overcome!

A strong revolutionary embrace,

Fidel Castro Ruz
December 3, 2007
2:37 p.m.

Translated by Granma International •