On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Soviet-Czechoslovak Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Assistance, I send to the fraternal peoples of the Czechoslovak Republic, to the government of Czechoslovakia, and to you personally, Mr. Prime Minister, my friendly congratulations.

I wish further success in strengthening the alliance and friendship between our countries and the steady rise and prosperity of the Czechoslovak People's Democratic Republic.

I. Stalin

Pravda, December 14, 1948.