Cuba's Voice in Geneva and Petropolis 1954

In November 1954 the Contracting Parties to the GATT met again in Geneva and then in Petropolis (Brazil) to discuss developments since it's creation in 1947. G.G. had been Technical Director of the Cuban Delegation in 1947. Now in 1954 he served as head of the Cuban Delegation while Minister of Finance. He addressed the  general assembly in both countries. Below are some of the declarations he made.

In Geneva: (English translation)

 " My country, for instance, is faced with an uneasy economic situation as a result of international action for which the GATT seems to offer no remedy. With it's national economy depending fundamentally on the production of sugar, Cuba is forced to expand it's production in times of national emergency in order to supply the world with it's energy producing product at controlled prices, without compensation in normal times when prices drop, markets are closed by the existence of excessive internal taxes or import permits and the international monetary funds fail to solve the problem of lack of exchange for it's purchase. But in the meantime, our population continues to increase and with it unemployment..."

"We need to defend our sugar production but at the same time take it out of it's role of principal supplier of national economy by diversifying our agricultural production and seeking a reasonable industrialization of our country for the purpose of providing work for Cuba's labor force and increasing it's citizen's purchasing power..."

"It is necessary also to endeavor in some way to mitigate the adverse relation of interchange that takes place in our country---just as it does in all underdeveloped countries---as a result of exporting primary products at low prices, officially or extra-officially controlled, and of importing generally high priced products that are almost never subject to control."

"For this reason the Cuban government in March 24, 1954 began a tariff reform with a dual purpose: 1) to adjust the obsolete Cuban Customs Tariff to modern nomenclatures and techniques and, 2) to protect the economic development of the country..."

"Any attempt at an indefinite freezing or general and indiscriminate reduction of Customs duties, without taking into account the peculiarities of each under-developed nation, would constitute true economic aggression."

"Some representatives of industrialized countries with a large foreign trade seem to be fundamentally preoccupied in finding the way to sell more to others, without giving proper attention to the necessity others also have of selling, in order to be able to buy. In this sense the display of agility is really astonishing because of it's ingenuity; but we would feel more at ease if greater emphasis were placed on the need for raising the standard of living of all the peoples, beginning with the under-developed countries---which have the great majority of the population of the world---in order to achieve a general increase in the purchasing power of all the peoples."

In Petropolis:

"No podemos, los paises latinoamericanos buscar exclusivamente en el exterior la solucion de nuestros propblemas."

"Nuestro pais practica con hechos el principio del auto-desarrollo. Utilizando exclusivamente nuestros recursos economicos y financieros, hemos financiado por 120 millones de pesos (sabido es que el peso cubano esta en paridad con el dolar americano) la retencion del excedente de nuestra zafra azucarera de 1952; hemos construido en este ano de 1953 mas de cuarto mil kilometros de caminos vecinales, cientos de kilometros de carreteras, y varios acueductos y hospitales; hemos adquirido de los propietarios ingleses en 13 millones de pesos los Ferrocarriles Unidos de La Habana y utilizado mas de 7 millones de pesos en su reabilitacion, que estamos llevando a efecto; estamos dragando los puertos; estamos desarrollando a un costo de 14 millones de pesos la primera Central Hidroelectrica del Hanabanilla y contemplamos la inversion de unos 15 millones de pesos en el establecimiento de fabricas de glicerina y de papel utlilizando el bagazo de cana; hemos creado la Financiera Nacional de Cuba, el Banco Cubano del Comercio Exterior y estamos organizando el Instituto Cubano de Investigaciones Tecnologicas; estamos realizando la reforma aranceleria con objeto de adecuar los obsoletos aranceles de aduana cubana a las modernas nomenclaturas y tecnicas de la materia, y de defender el desarrollo economico del pais; y hemos iniciado un Plan de Desarrollo Economico y Social que representa una inversion de 350 millones de pesos en 4 anos. Al observar este gigantesco esfuerzo que significa una mobilizacion de mas de 500 millones de dolares sin la cooperacion, hasta el presente, de ninguna de las agencias internacionales de credito, se comprende hasta que punto preocupa a mi Gobierno la necesidad de combatir el desempleo en nuestro pais."

"Comprendemos perfectcamente que el "role" de lideres de la democracia mundial que actualmente desempena los Estados Unidos de America, los obligan a compromisos y cargas realmente grandes en todas partes del mundo (Japon e Europa post guerra), pero no debe olvidarse que sus mejores amigos estan en este Continente."

"El bienestar economico y social de los 170 millones de personas que habitan al sur del Rio Grande sera la defensa mas efectiva contra las penetraciones exteriores. Pero al propio tiempo, la desatencion de ese bienestar constituiria una linea de intensa y creciente peligrosidad." (En el ano 1948 G.G. le comento a un pariente que temia que Cuba podria ser el primer pais de America Latina a  caer en manos de los comunistas).

(English translation)

"We, the Latin American countries, cannot look abroad exclusively for the solutions to our problems...We believe that the economic development of a country depends fundamentally as much on it's own efforts as upon it natural resources..."

"Our country practices the principle of self-development. By using exclusively our economic and financial resources we have financed at 120 million pesos ( and it is known that the Cuban peso is on a par with the American dollar) the retention of the surplus of our 1952 sugar crop; we have constructed during this year, 1953, more than 4,000 kilometers of feeder or side roads, hundreds of highways and several aqueducts and hospitals; we have acquired the United Railways of Havana from it's English owners for 13 million pesos and have spent more than 7 million pesos in it's rehabilitation which is now underway; we are dredging our ports; we are putting up at a cost of 14 million pesos, the First Central Hydroelectric Plant of the Hanabanilla River and are contemplating the investment of 15 million pesos in the establishment of glycerine and paper plants using sugar cane bagasse as raw material; we have organized the Financiera Nacional de Cuba, the Cuban Foreign Trade Bank, and  are organizing the Cuban Institute of Technical Research; we are undertaking revision of our tariffs for the purpose of putting our obsolete Customs Tariffs in line with modern nomenclatures and techniques on the subject of protecting the economic development of a nation; and we have started a Plan of Economic and Social Development that represents an investment of 350 million pesos in 4 years. In observing this gigantic effort, which involves the mobilization of more that 500 million pesos without the cooperation up to the present time of any of the international credit agencies, the extent to which my Government is preoccupied by the need for combating unemployment in our country can be understood."

"We realize perfectly well that the role of leader of world democracy, at present being held by the United States of America, obliges it to undertake truly large commitments and burdens all over the world, ( post war Europe and Japan) but it should not loose sight of the fact that it's best friends are on this Continent."

"The economic and social welfare of the 170 million people who live south of the Rio Grande will be the most effective defense against foreign penetration. But at the same time, failure to look after that welfare would create a line of intensive and growing danger" (In 1948 G.G. commented to a relative that he feared that Cuba could become the first country in Latin America to fall into the hands of communism.)