UNITED NATIONS: CUBAN DELEGATE ACCUSED UNITED STATES OF PLOTTING CHILE COUP BUT CHILE AND THE U.S. DENY CHARGES

Record ID: 338331

  • Title: UNITED NATIONS: CUBAN DELEGATE ACCUSED UNITED STATES OF PLOTTING CHILE COUP BUT CHILE AND THE U.S. DENY CHARGES
  • Date: 18th September 1973
  • Summary: 1. GV Security Council seated 0.08 2. MV Cuban delegate Quesada speak in Spanish 0.24 3. GV & SV disturbance (2 shots) 0.34 4. SV Chilean delegate Raul Bazan speaks in Spanish 1.18 5. MV U.S. Delegate Scali speaks in English 2.06 CUBAN DELEGATE QUESADU: It is realise today that the trail of blood spilled in Chile leads straight to lairs of the CIA and the Pentagon - and that the switch which unleashed the Fascist terror over the Chilean people was activated from Washington. CHILEAN REPRESENTATIVE BUZOR: It was known that they were encouraging to the maximum the radicalisation of the Government; it was known that they were helping to divide Chileans into two groups separated by irreconcilable hatreds; it was known that they were arming para-military groups which were to soon replace the Armed Forces, and necessarily lead to civil war, and suppress with violence the minority of the country. I have proof of what I said - I have some photographic proof of how some diplomatic representatives from Cuba were training the Chilean people in the use of arms. U.S. AMBASSADOR SCALI: "Again he resurrects the gory old accusations that of course the C.I.A., the United states or some secret American mastermind is at the root of all this. It's plainly the same old rhetoric with the same old results. The CIA, the CIA. Next it will be blamed for creating the traffic problem in New York, arranging the results of football games, or even worse for his government, having secretly written the Bible." Initials AE/12.20 THIS FILM INCLUDES SPEECHES BY THE CHILEAN AND CUBAN REPRESENTATIVES IN SPANISH AND BY THE U.S. REPRESENTATIVE IN ENGLISH. ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF THE FIRST TWO AND TRANSCRIPT OF THE THIRD ARE GIVEN BELOW. Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 3rd October 1973 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA6S4BKHKKL1S8ZR6EIHQMQGI00
  • Story Text: At the United Nations in New York on Monday (17 September) Cuba launched an attack on the United States and the new Chile regime at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

    Cuban Ambassador Ricardo Alarcon Quesada alleged that the United States Central Intelligence Agency and Defence Department, whom he termed "The scum of the brothels" were associated with the coup which overthrew the late President Salvador Allende's government in Chile.

    He went on to say that the "fuse that unleashed fascist terror against the Chilean people was lit in Washington" by "North American Imperialists."
    He appealed for a mobilisation of world public opinion to stop what he called the "ferocious oppression" of the Chilean workers and supporters of Dr. Allende the new regime in Chile
    The meeting of the fifteen nation Security Council was called at Cuba's request following charges of an alleged attack on the Cuban Embassy in Santiago and on a Cuban merchant ship, the "Playa Large", in international waters.

    Chile's representative Raul Bazan -- his country's permanent Representative Humberto Diaz Casanueva resigned after the coup -- replied by charging that Cuban diplomats in Chile had been arming pars-military groups. He said that contrary to Cuban assertions, the first shots fired at their Embassy came from the Cubans and the Chilean armed forces had the right to defend themselves.

    He said the Cuban ship had "openly disregarded" the Chilean authorities' call to return to port after steaming out of Valparaiso without giving prior notice, and carrying equipment belonging to Chile which was used for unloading sugar.

    The United States Ambassador, John Scali, launched a blistering sarcastic attack on the Cubans for having turned truth upside down.

    The United States and Chilean attacks on Cuba were not the only ones -- A group of anti-Castro youths were hustled out of the meeting after they'd launched a demonstration accusing Cuba of hypocrisy and saying the Cuban government violated fundamental human rights, practised execution and political imprisonment and maintained Soviet-style concentration camps.

    SYNOPSIS: The United Nations Security Councils emergency meeting on Monday witnessed some of the strangest language it's ever seen. It began when Cuban delegate Ricardo Alarcon Quesada accused the United States Defence Department, Central Intelligence Agency, and United States imperialists of being behind the overthrow of the Allende government in Chile. The meeting had been called at Cuba's request.

    Even before a reply could be given, anti-Castro demonstrators disrupted the meeting accusing the Cuban's of hypocrisy and violation of basic human rights.

    Chilean representative Raul Bazan said that Cuban charges that the Chilean forces had attacked the Cuban Embassy and a Cuban ship in international waters were false. He claimed that the Cubans had fired first at the Embassy and the Chilean Forces had a right of self defence. As far as the ship was concerned it had left Valpairaso without giving prior notice and still carrying some Chilean equipment, then refused to return to port. After he'd spoken, United States Ambassador John Scali launched a blistering attack on the Cubans for turning truth upside down in their allegations of United States organisation of the coup.
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