Central Telegram to the Shandong Bureau Concerning the Sending of Birthday Gifts to Stalin (December 1, 1949) To the Shandong Bureau: Comrade Stalin will celebrate his seventieth birthday on December 21 this year. The Central Committee has decided to send as birthday gifts large yellow sprout cabbages, large radishes, large scallions, and large pears produced in Shandong Province. Upon receipt of this telegram, please purchase five thousand jin of each item—totaling twenty thousand jin—within three days (before December 4), which will be transported by aircraft dispatched by the Central Committee to Jinan. The plane is scheduled to arrive in Jinan on December 4, so please pay close attention to the timing. When procuring the aforementioned items (large yellow sprout cabbage, large scallions, large pears, and large radishes), please ensure that you select the finest quality. Central Committee, 5:00 p.m. on December 1st, printed from Mao Zedong’s manuscript.