The Key West Citizen

Castro Says Work Is Foremost Need Of Cuba's People

Free Election Is Hope For Future

WASHINGTON—The Cuban people are more interested in getting back to work than having free elections right away, says Fidel Castro.

But the bearded revolutionary leader adds he wants free elections in Cuba as soon as possible. He's not sure when that might be.

Real democracy is not possible where people are hungry, Castro said in a television interview Sunday.

He had another chance to expound his views today, in a luncheon appearance before the National Press Club.

Castro and Vice President Richard M. Nixon talked for two hours and 20 minutes at the Capitol Sunday night in a conference originally scheduled for 15 minutes. Neither disclosed what they talked about, but Castro described the meeting as very friendly.

"This is a revolution," he told his television audience. "We have to attain many problems. We are working. As many more people help us, the more we will be understood and the faster we can dissolve our problems and the faster will be the election, because we are most interested in them.

"In the past the politician went through the country buying votes, offering money to those who were unemployed, offering a bed in the hospital, offering a place in the schools, offering to buy the vote. There was a lot of corruption.

"Real democracy is not possible over hungry people, because corruption disrupts democracy. Real democracy ought to be established with all over social justice and employment for everybody."

The bearded Cuban prime minister was asked during the interview when he intended to have an election in Cuba.

"What we want," he said, "is to get as soon as possible a condition for a free election. It is not in any condition more than four years, in any condition."

He said later he did not explain his views about Cuban elections "as well as I should have liked."

To clarify his views, he told newsmen his provisional government "does not want to stay in power one minute longer than is necessary before having free elections." He added "if there were elections now there would be a complete victory for the revolutionary party."

As for where his heart lies in the struggle between communism and democracy, he said "really, same as democracy." He added "I am not a communist."

He does not have many Communists in his government, but it is possible "that there be someone."

He is against all kinds of intervention in the internal affairs of other nations.