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Moscow Announces Death
Of Joseph Stalin
LONDON, Friday.
Joseph Stalin died in Moscow at 9.50 last night (4.50 a.m.
' Canberra time yesterday). He was 73.
Newe of the death reached London initially in a Russian lan-
guage broadcast by the official Soviet newsagency, Tass.
The official announcement was authorised by the Central
Committee of the Communist Party, the Council of Ministers of the
Soviet Union, and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet.
Tass said Mr Stalin's body
would lie in state in the Colunu
Hall of the House of Unions in
Moscow. It added that no fun-
eral date had yet been fixed.
Moscow radio stations norm-
ally heard by the Russian public
did not announce the news of
Mr. Stalin's death until nearly
two hours after it was broadcast
initially to various parts of the
world.
The death announcement was
preceded by the beating of mass
drums, and the national anthem
played in solemn tones.
Official Statement
By Doctors
Tass said that doctors attend-
ing Stalin issued the following
statement early to-day:
On the night of March 1,
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin suf-
fered cerebral haemorrhage
caused by deficiency of the heart
system and arteriosclerosis.
"This was followed by paraly-
sis of the righi side and loss of
consciousness.
From the first days of illness,
his breathing: became sharply
affected as a result of disturb-
ances of the nervous centres.
These disturbances became more
serious every day assuming the
nature of so-called cheyne
strokes, breathing with long
pauses.
"On the night of March 3-4
his condition became, at times,
alarming.
"Following progressive deter-
ioration of breathing and of
blood circulations, symptoms of
oxygen deficiency appeared.
"On the last day of the ill-
ness, his general condition de-
teriorated and symptoms of the
heart disturbances which had
temporarily been alleviated, re-
curred.
"During the second half of
March 5, the condition of the
patient began to deteriorate very
fast. Breathing became more
difficult and the frequency of the
puise reached 140 to 150 beats
per minute.
"At 21.50 hours Mr. Stalin
diecF the announcement ended;
Arrangements for
Impressive Funeral
Moscow Radio announced a
seven-man committee had been
appointed to make arrange-
ments for the funeral.
The smartest troops in the
Soviet army will guard Mr.
Stalins embalmed body as it
lies in state.
High Soviet officials including
Malenkov, Molotov and Beria
are also expected to stand guard.
On Mr. Stalin's chest will be
his decorations and on the bier
will be concentrated batteries of
powerful cinema arc-lights.
Once the embalmed body is
lying in state a cordon of
thousands of security troops and
police will be lined six deep in a
ring around the area where the
body will lie.
The cordon will enclose the
Metropole hotel where most
foreigners stay.
It is believed likely that Mr.
Stalin's body will be buried be-
side his old comrade, Lenin,
under the great pink mausoleum
in the cobbled Red Square.
Diplomats and foreign corres-
pendents are expected to attend
the funeral by invitation only.
The body probably wiliv toe
carried from the Kremlin on a
fun carriage draped with a Red
flag and piled high with flowers
If custom is followed six or
eight black horses will draw the
carriage
The mile long procession will
te led by the highest military
and state leaders each probably
carrying a velvet cushion on
which they will rest one of Mr
Stalins decorations1 > <
Not far behind will come the
Persons carrying the coffin ttd,
Which will not be screwe-d on
««ii just before it is lowered
mto the grave accirding to
Russian custom
A black ribbon attache 1 to the
rea flag was flown by the Rus-
tan Embassy1'for the death of
Marshal Stalin ~
Peking radio, mouthoiece c-f
t-omtaunist China, '»offlcfaUV an-
nounced Stalin's death 12 houn
"w the actual, time he died in
Moscow íadio announced th»*
wen party leadeis, heeled b
ii s"Khruschev, a secretary of
"i" Central Committee of the
J-ommunist Party will make Wr
""wal arrangements
Along every street and by-wa<
JJ sncAV-covered Moscow ma
wrouçhouit the vast Soviet Union
»lackbordered' led Asm w»rp
*»seJ at dawn to-day1 lrf Jmourn
toç foi Mi stalin
London
The Prime Minister, Mr
Churchill! was told of Mr
Stalin's death a few minutes
8fter first reports reached Lon-
don -> »
No immediate comment was
forthcoming 'from the British
leader
Deputy Leader of the British
Opposition, Mr Herbert Morri-
son said "¡From the stand-
point of the Soviet Union un-
doubtedly Stalin was a consider-
able man of outstanding ability
-a great man but not a good
man *
"He led his country with suc-
cess in war and foreign policy "
Home "'
i
Signor De Gasperi said "In
his life of'a dictator Mr Stalin
showed for our country neither
understanding nor consideration
His1 attitude and the attitude of
his diplomats' at peace confer-
ences was obstinate hard and
persistently negative"
Paris
Sources close to the French
Foreign Office said that Stalin's
death was the "most momentous
development since the end of the
Second World War"
i
New York
The New'York Times said that
the; death of Mr Stalin would
appear to be the logical occasion
for the ascendancy of Chinese
Communist Premier Mao Tse
Tung, to the place of the first
star in the Communist firma-
ment
"It is safe to say that Stalin's
death brings the chances of
a thlncse counter revolution
somewhat closer" The Times
added
Toky
o
The Japanese ' Evening News
said that Stalin's whole Com-
munist empire might come under
China's influence It drew ' a
parallel with the Mongol empire
of the 13th century which ruled
from China after the death of
conqueror Genghis Khan
The Japanese Radio suggested
that Mao would have a much
bigger say in Communist policies
than hitherto and might become
predominant in the Far East
United Nations
Mr Lester ?Pearson of Canada
Piesident of the United Nations
General Assembly last night ex
pressed Ms sympathy al; the
death of Premier Stalin to the
Soviet Foreign Minister Mr
Andrei Vjsh'naUy and through
him to the Russian people
His metsaire said "As Presi-
dent of the Genera' Assembly I
express through vou to the gov-
ernment and ppoples of the
Soviet Union deep sympathy at
the death of Premier St»1'n
"With his1 passing the United
Nations has lost one of its
I founders and the Soviet peonies
the man who was their indomit-
able lealer in the common
struggle against Nazi aggres-
sion
"We remember at this time
how great was the contribution
of those peoples to victory Jn
that struggle-a victory that
made possible our world organ-
isation on which to-day mi'llon«
of men and women In all lands |
rest their hopes for peace
Washington
Preslsent Eisenhower Instruct-
ed the Secretary of State to
transmit official condolences
of the United States to the
Soviet Union on the death of Mr
Stalin
-. The President directed the
Secretary of State Mr John
Foster Dulles to send this mes
sage to the American Embassy
'n Moscow for transmission to
the Government of the U S S R '
"The Government of the
United States tenders its official
condolences to the Government
of the Union of the Socialist
«ovlet Republics on the death of
Generalissimo Joseph »Stalin "
Observers noted that tho
message which spoke only of
"offldat condolences omitted
the usual words of svmpathetlr
tflbute which are almost a part
of fcrdtocol when the leader ^of
anv other nation dies
r The \ terse statement was p
si cm " of the strained relations
which have grown uri from rN»
«<m/ et's aEfflresslve career under
Stalin said" an Ahierican As-
sociated Pr«ss report
r ' The;Vatican
Tho Popel in the Vatican City
today, prayed,for the soul of Mr.a
Stalin at Maas in his private
chapel. .
The Pope has twice mentioned
Mr. Stalin in prayers.
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