Greeting on the Occasion of Stalin’s Seventieth Birthday Celebration in Moscow[1]
(December 21, 1949)

Dear Comrades and Friends:

I am deeply delighted to have this opportunity to attend the grand gathering celebrating the seventieth birthday of Comrade Stalin.

Comrade Stalin is the teacher and friend of the people of the world, as well as the teacher and friend of the Chinese people. He has advanced the revolutionary theory of Marxism-Leninism and has made extremely outstanding and extremely broad contributions to the cause of the world communist movement. In their arduous struggle against oppressors, the Chinese people have deeply felt the importance of Comrade Stalin’s friendship.

At this grand gathering, I wish, in the name of the Chinese people and the Communist Party of China, to celebrate the seventieth birthday of Comrade Stalin, to wish him health and long life, to wish happiness and strength to our great friendly ally, the Soviet Union, under the leadership of Comrade Stalin, and to acclaim the unprecedented great unity of the world working class under the leadership of Comrade Stalin.

Long live the leader of the world working class and the international communist movement—the great Stalin!
Long live the Soviet Union, bastion of world peace and democracy!

[1] In a telegram to the Central Committee sent at 24:00 on December 21, 1949, Mao Zedong stated: “At today’s (the 21st) celebration, besides speeches by representatives of the various Soviet republics, representatives from thirteen countries spoke. Among these thirteen countries, I was the first to deliver a greeting on behalf of China, and it received a grand welcome, with the entire audience rising and applauding at length three times. When Xinhua News Agency publishes the news, please publish it according to the TASS news release. It would be appreciated if my speech manuscript could also be published separately.”