The creation of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) on June 6, 1961, was very timely because, coinciding with the start of its functions, then-President John F. Kennedy consulted with his top military commanders about the costs and chances of success of an invasion to avenge the defeat at Playa Girón and plan the possible course of a broad plan of actions of all kinds against Cuba.

During more than 10 US administrations, the CIA, the Pentagon, and official agencies would develop more than 600 plans for attacks against Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, uprisings in rural areas, espionage operations, bacteriological warfare, terrorism, and subversive programs, among others.

These methods failed in the face of the radicalization and resilience of the revolutionary process and the leadership of the supreme leader at the head of his people in victorious battles against the empire and its lackeys, in epic battles in which the Ministry of National Defense played an important role.

This institution has also developed other fundamental departments to ensure internal and traffic order, forest protection, fire prevention and extinguishing, border guard forces, customs services, immigration and foreign affairs, and other missions relevant to the full development of society.

These have been 64 years of commendable mission, during which many combatants have risen to a place of honor for their performance, such as Captain Eliseo Reyes, San Luis, who at just 25 years old became the legendary head of the Ministry of National Defense in Pinar del Río, where he confronted armed infiltrations and later fought his last battle in Ernesto Che Guevara's guerrilla group in Bolivia.

Another example of an unsung hero is Commander Tony Santiago, a State Security agent who infiltrated a counterrevolutionary organization in 1964. While en route to Miami by sea on a mission, his small boat was intercepted and sunk by a terrorist-armed boat. About to be machine-gunned, he returned fire with his pistol and died shouting, "Homeland or Death!" his assassins remarked years later.

Our Five Heroes are equally examples of intransigence and loyalty to the Revolution. During their service in the United States, they risked their lives in defense of national security. After being captured, they resisted and did not surrender in American prisons until they returned to their homeland.

The new generations of combatants in the Ministry of the Interior are currently facing the enemy's strategy, based on new information and communications technologies and social media, attempting to exploit the consequences of the blockade, difficulties in supply, the people's living conditions, and their own mistakes for their own ends.

The objectives of these maneuvers are not new and correspond to those outlined in an official document from 1960 by Lester Mallory, Deputy Secretary of State, who, in defending the blockade imposed on Cuba, said that it is aimed at causing hunger and desperation that will lead to the overthrow of the government by the people themselves.

This long-standing policy has remained unchanged for more than six decades and is now masked under the names of alleged Color Revolutions, fake news, and post-truth, which are also promoted by cyber mercenaries committed, like their failed predecessors, to those old and well-known objectives of capitalist restoration through division.

The brave, disciplined, and even-handed attitude of the MININT forces, together with the people, defeated the enemy's plans during the riots of July 11 and 12. These plans sought to establish a climate of violence that would serve as a pretext for an escalation of actions that would lead to a "humanitarian" intervention by Washington, as demanded by the anti-Cuban mob in Miami and its internal servants.

On this June 6th, the 64th anniversary of the Ministry of the Interior, we extend our warmest recognition and congratulations to the thousands of men and women who today continue the mission of those heroic founders.

They renew their commitments and demonstrate, through their example and determination, their fidelity to the principles that gave birth to this organization.