A people like this is invincible!
• Final part of Fidel’s speech

There is one issue which I wish to emphasize today, an appreciation I wish to state and it is in reference to the people, to the conduct of the people in these days. I must say that the attitude of the people in terms of decisiveness, valor and discipline, has exceeded anything that the most optimistic of us could ever have imagined.

The attitude of the Cuban people was always one of mobilization to confront the aggressions of the United States and its lackeys, even under the threat of a nuclear holocaust.

It has to be said that thousands of men who were not militias, who have not been so during these four years of Revolution, have become militias during this crisis. It has to be said that thousands of people who did not belong to any of the mass organizations, nor the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, have gone to join those mass organizations during these days. It has to be said that the enemy has been unable to count on internal allies of any kind within our homeland. It has to be said that in these days of extreme crisis it has not been necessary to arrest anyone. That even the patriotic and revolutionary core of men and women who had criticisms of the Revolution has once again shone in this decisive hour and they have gone to enroll themselves. And they have gone to enroll themselves for a battle which, from all perspectives, could be a serious, tremendous battle, a battle that could be fought with conventional or atomic weapons.

The Mr. President of the United States tried to intimidate our people. This people whom he called a "captive" people when he spoke about us being the target of atomic attacks, and the result was that there were more militias than ever, more revolutionary activists than ever.

It has to be said that women went to work, retired people went to work to replace men who were in the trenches. And it has to be said that despite having been the largest mobilization of all it was the one that least affected production. Never has production moved at such as rate as now during a mobilization!

The discipline of the people, the ardor of the people, the courage of the people was really impressive. The organization acquired by our people and, above all, by our Revolutionary Armed Forces, the efficiency with which the commands functioned was impressive. And it was demonstrated how the Revolution has set about creating a discipline, has set about making a people.

By force of harassing us, the enemy has made us disciplined, has made us organized, has made us battle-hardened. The result of these four years of harassment is a heroic people, a more than Spartan people because it is said that in Sparta, mothers bade farewell to their sons saying, "with the shield or on the shield." Here, all of the people – women, children, young and elderly people – said to themselves, "with the shield or on the shield."

A people like this is an invincible people! A people like this, which in this way and so serenely, so admirably confronts such difficult situations, is a people with the right to win what they desire, which is peace, respect, dignity and prestige. We possess long-range moral missiles, which cannot be dismantled and never will be dismantled! This is our most powerful strategic weapon, of strategic defense, of strategic offense. For this reason, I wish to give testimony here, today more than ever, of our admiration for our people. As revolutionaries, all of us must feel doubly obliged, on the basis of this experience, to fight for our people, to work untiringly for our people. And, to end, from the bottom of my heart, I wish to say that today, more than ever, I feel proud of being a son of this people!

¡PATRIA O MUERTE!

¡VENCEREMOS!