Background information: This is an excerpt of a speech given by President Kennedy to a group of newspaper editors on April 20, 1
961. The President of a great democracy such as ours, and the editors of great newspapers such as yours, owe a common obligation to the people: an obligation to present the facts, to present them with candor, and to present them in perspective... On that unhappy island, as in so many other areas of the contest for freedom, the news has grown worse instead of better. I have emphasized before that this was a struggle of Cuban patriots against a Cuban dictator [Fidel Castro]. While we could not be expected to lend our sympathies, we made it repeatedly clear that the armed forces of this country would not intervene in any way. It is not the first time that Communist tanks have rolled over gallant men and women fighting to redeem the independence of their homeland. Nor is it by any means the final episode in the eternal struggle of liberty against tyranny, anywhere on the face of the globe, including Cuba itself. —John F Kennedy, 1961 What is Kennedy’s point of view about actions taking place in Cuba? Castro is a dictator who threatens liberty, freedom, and democracy. The United States will take up arms and defend democracy in Cuba. Cuban patriots are going to prevail with the help of the United States. If the United States does not get involved, then communism will continue to dominate.
Answer: Castro is a dictator who threatens liberty, freedom, and democracy.
In this excerpt, President Kennedy makes it clear that he believes Castro to be a dictator, and a threat to freedom in the island. He argues that the struggle is between "Cuban patriots against a Cuban dictator." He also says that, while he sympathizes with the patriots, the United States will not intervene in the struggle.
