A Letter from the Past

• Charlotte Alfred, Fidel Castro Writes Letter To Greek PM Tsipras Praising His ‘Brilliant Political Victory’, The Huffington Post, July 7, 2015

Hon. Mr. Alexīs Tsipras Prime Minister of Greece: I warmly congratulate you for your brilliant political victory, details of which I followed closely through the channel TeleSur. Greece is very familiar among Cubans. She taught us Philosophy, Art and Sciences of antiquity when we studied at school and, with them, the most complex of all human activities: the art and science of politics. Your country, especially your courage in the current situation, arouses admiration among the Latin American and Caribbean peoples of this hemisphere on witnessing how Greece, against external aggression, defends its identity and culture. Nor do they forget that a year after Hitler’s attack on Poland, Mussolini ordered his troops to invade Greece, and that brave country repelled the attack and drove back the invaders, forcing the deployment of German armored units towards Greece, diverting them from the initial target. Cuba knows of the bravery and the fighting capacity of the Russian troops, which, together with the forces of their powerful ally the People’s Republic of China, and other nations of the Middle East and Asia, always try to avoid war, but would never allow for any military aggression without an overwhelming and devastating response. In the current political situation of the world, where peace and the survival of our species hangs by a thread, every decision, more than ever, must be carefully thought-out and applied, so that no one may doubt the honesty and seriousness with which many of the most responsible and serious leaders struggle today to confront the calamities that threaten the world. We wish you, esteemed compañero Alexīs Tsipras, the greatest of success. Fraternally, Fidel Castro Ruz 5 July, 2015 8:12 PM

Havana, 1966. Robert James Fischer & Fidel Alejandro Castro enjoy playing chess. Photo: The Kenilworthian.