MOSCOW -- Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev threatened today to use Soviet rockets in support of Cuba if the United States "dared" any aggression against that country.
Khrushchev bluntly told the United States to stay out of Cuban affairs or the Communist world would intervene.
Khrushchev voiced the threat in stating, as part of a report on his nine-day visit to Austria, that Russia was ready to extend a helping hand to all smaller nations.
He spoke before the all-Russian congress of teachers gathered in the great Kremlin palace. He arrived home from Vienna Friday.
"One should not forget that the United States is not, as before, an unreachable distance from the Soviet Union," Khrushchev said.
"Figuratively speaking, in case of necessity, Soviet artillery men can support the Cuban people with rocket fire if the aggressive forces of the Pentagon dare to start intervention against Cuba.
"Let the Pentagon not forget that as the last test (of Soviet rockets) showed, we have rockets capable of accurately hitting at a distance of 13,000 kilometers (about 8,000 miles)."
This was a reference to rockets, which have been fired from launching sites in the Soviet Union into central Pacific target areas.
"The socialist states and all the countries which stand on the position of peace will render assistance to Cuba in her just struggle, and nobody will succeed in enslaving the Cuban people," said Khrushchev.
"On our part we will use every thing to support Cuba in her just struggle for freedom and liberty won by the Cuban people under the leadership of the national hero, Fidel Castro."
Khrushchev cited what he said was a recent speech by Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller of New York advocating "economic strangulation" of Cuba and said this was an example of U.S. policy toward the Cuban government.
