Central People’s Government's Decree on Stalin's Death
(March 6, 1953)

Source: RMRB (Mar. 7, 1953), 1. Available English Translation; N
Daily Bulletin (Supplement), 126 (Mar. 6, 1953), 3.

Generalissimo Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, Chairman of the Cou
Ministers of our great ally the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
tary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Unh
unfortunately passed away at 9:50 p.m. (Moscow time), March 5, 1982
order to express the Chinese people's immensely profound mourning fh

people, and in order to express the Chinese people's reverence for the Ie
of our great ally, it is hereby decreed that:

1, From March 7 to March 9, 1953, flags shall fly at half-mast
our country as a symbol of mourning;

2. In this period of mourning, all factories, mines, enterprises, units of
armed forces, government organs, schools, and people's organizations sh
Suspend all banquets and Jother] forms of entertainment.

Mao Zedong
Chairman
March 6, 1953