FLAGS FLY FOR STALIN

Chronicle (Levin), 22 December 1949, Page 5

FLAGS FLY FOR STALIN

(N.Z.P.A.-

— Reuter.

■ ■ — v Communist Nations Make Big Fuss Of Birthday

Comiriaht)

Received Thursday, 9.15 a.m. LONDON, Dec. 2Fl. All over the Soviet Union, East-, ern Eurbpe and Communist China the fiags were out today fo'r Marshal Joseph Stalin. It wa s the 70th birthday of the , shoe'maker's son who has ruled all the Kussians for a erueial quarter of a een-tury. Bands played and people danced. In every capital o'f every Communist eountry there were ceremonial meetings to give politcians the. oppoTfu'nity of paying tribtfte to Marshal Stalin and Kfe Soviet Uniori. Of the new btflletiris from 30 countries received in London today, only two made tio? mention of the birthday. These were from Vatican .City ahd from Belgrade, the capital of Marshal Tito's Yugoslavia. In Moscow itself the main feature of the day's celebrations was a big meeting at the Bolshoi Theatre; organised by Cabinet, the COmmunist Party and leading official bodies of the Soviet Union. Delegates from all parts of Russia and from abroad were preserit and each in. tuni made a speech . in praise of Premier Stalin. Among them was General Mao Tse-tung, Prime Minister of Communist China. Chief Birthdhy Gift! The chief birthday gift of the Soviet people was a promise to break their output records, but trainloads of presents worth millions of pounds and ranging from • motor-cars to silk stOckings have been rumbling through East Europe to the Kremlin for two days. The presents are being displayed in the Moscow Museum. Moscow radio, Tass News Agency and all Soviet newspapers devoted practically their entire output to the birthday. Sdrne of the birthday epithets inclu'ded: "Leader of Progressive Humanity," "The World's Greatest Strategist," and "Saviour of Humanity from Hitlerite Slavery." In Peking 7000 people went to the Soviet Embassy to present birthday gifts for Marshal Stalin. The Soviet Embassy. was gaily decorated with a huge portrait of Marshal Stalin over the doorway. Leading newspapers throughout Communist China paid tributes to Marshal Stalin. The British Prime Minister, Mr. Attlee, today sent a message of congratulation to Marshal Stalin.