1964
Guevara in Geneva
The first United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was established in Geneva on 25th March. Acting as the representative of Cuba, Guevara intervened asking for “strict parity, justice and equality”. “The only way to solve the problems now besetting mankind is to eliminate completely the exploitation of dependent countries by developed capitalist countries,” said Che. “Cuba affirms that this conference must produce a definition of international trade as an appropriate tool for the speedier economic development of the underdeveloped peoples and of those subjected to discrimination.”
The complete man
On 9th May, in Havana, Guevara turned to young people.
“The phase of construction of socialism we are living is not simply occurring to make our factories shine. […] It would be unfair if we were just producers of articles and raw materials and if we were not producers of men […]
On 15th August he spoke of A new attitude to work.
For Guevara true slavery was not labor – it was lacking the means to produce.
When new society obtains power, “then working people reacquire their old cheer, the one of doing their duty, of feeling important in the social mechanism […].”
Guevara in Moscow
4 November: Guevara departed for Moscow as the leader of the Cuban delegation for the 47th anniversary of the October Revolution. On 7th November he watched the anniversary parade. On 11th November he spoke to the USSR-Cuba Friendship Society, which had Yuri Gagarin, the first cosmonaut, as president.
Che at the United Nations Assembly
On 9th December, Guevara was in New York, as leader of the Cuban delegation, to participate in the XIX United Nations General Assembly. On 11th November he delivered his public speech, in which he harshly condemned the policy of the United States. “The time will come when this Assembly will […] demand of the US Government guarantees for the life of the blacks and Latin Americans. […] Those who kill their own children and discriminate daily against them because of the color of their skin; those who let the murderers of blacks remain free, protecting them, and furthermore punishing the black population because they demand their legitimate rights as free men — how can those who do this consider themselves guardians of freedom? […]”. 14 December: Guevara spoke at Face the Nation, an evening program of CBS: “We know the power of the US very well. We say that the US government wants us to pay a very high price for this unstable peace we enjoy today. […] If we have to kneel in order to live in peace, they will have to kill us before.”
and then