Stone Attacks U.S. For Policy on Cuba

I.F. Stone last night condemned the Kennedy Administration's policy toward Cuba, calling instead for a policy which would leave Cuba an alternative to economic dependence on the Soviet bloc.

Speaking at Stebbins Auditorium in Cambridge, Stone attacked the imposition of economic and diplomatic sanctions against Cuba as a violation of the Charter of Bogota, the agreement which organized the OAS. Chapters 15 and 16 of the Charter forbid the use of economic sanctions or other coercive measures by one American state against another for any reason.

Criticizes Rusk

Stone ridiculed Secretary of State Rusk for referring to Latin American objections to U.S. policy at Punta del Este as "legalistic" and presented a strong appeal for "the law of the hemisphere."

Questioned about the application of economic sanctions against the Dominican Republic, Stone admitted that it was a dangerous precedent, but, after his talk, admitted that he "was glad to see it." He also appealed to the State Department to show that "we do not believe that the ends justify the means."

Stone was violently critical of Kennedy's policies toward Castro, stating that during his campaign Kennedy had "talked like a vulgar rich man out of Palm Beach" and accusing Adlal Stevenson, American Ambassador in the U.N., of "making stupid speeches on Communist China and telling lies about Cuba."