Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes some archival documents extracted from the Central State Archive in Tirana (fund of the former Central Committee of the ALP), which also contains the political diary of Enver Hoxha, which belong to the period March 9 – April 30 of 1961, where the communist leader of Albania, kept notes and analyzed the events and official relations between the senior leadership of the ALP and the Albanian government, with official Moscow, focusing not only on the relations between the two countries, as were the problems with the incidents at the ‘Military Base’ of Vlora when the Soviets wanted to withdraw from there all submarines, ships and military arsenal, but also those of the international situation, such as the ‘Consultative Meeting of the Political Commission’ of the Warsaw Pact countries, which at that time also belonged to Albania, which was scheduled to be held on March 28 and 29 of that year, as well as official relations and relations with a number of communist parties and various states. si; China, North Korea, Vietnam, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Cuba, France, etc. How did Enver Hoxha respond to the Soviet side’s demands regarding the “Vlora Base” and why did he refuse invitations to the Warsaw Pact meeting, where all the top leaders of the member states would participate and assist, starting with the first party secretaries, prime ministers, defense ministers, foreign ministers, etc.?!
“At 5 o’clock in the morning I received a radiogram from our delegation in Moscow to attend the Meeting of the Political Consultative Committee of the member states of the ‘Warsaw Pact’. I am informed that Marshal Grecko, at 11 pm yesterday, had handed them a letter with the intentions of intimidation and blackmail. In it he threatened that, if we do not accept that the Vlora base becomes completely Soviet and all ships are taken over entirely by the Soviets, then he will raise the issue at the meeting of the Warsaw Pact Political Consultative Committee and will demand from the Soviet government that the base be removed from Vlora altogether. As can be seen, this threatening Soviet demand resembles the former Titoist demand for the sending of “famous” Yugoslav divisions to Albania, which aimed at invading Albania. It is clear that the Khrushchev government has the same goals. The Soviets want to violate the treaties and agreements they have signed, have Vlora as their base and do whatever they want there. But to them these do not go and will never go with us. That is why I instructed the comrades of the delegation, how to respond to the Soviets, fire for fire, and Grecko received the answer before giving his report at the meeting, today. This is what Enver Hoxha wrote, among other things, in his secret diary, full 60 years ago at the end of March 1961, when the “rift” that had begun between the official relations between the senior leadership of the ALP and the Kremlin, not only could it no longer be “closed”, but it was “magnifying” for days and more. This can be seen in the notes of the main leader of Albania, Enver Hoxha, kept in his diary in the period March – April 1961, a time very busy with many events not only in the international arena, such as the ‘Meeting of the Political Consultative Committee of the member states of the Warsaw Pact, where Albania was a member at that time, but also with other, even more important events, such as the honorable situation at the Vlora Military Base, where the Soviet side sought to take all of its military arsenal that it had brought there since the mid-1950s, when relations between the two countries were “honeymooning.” But this was met with strong opposition from the Albanian communist leader, who by all means was rejecting the demands and pressures of the Soviet side led by Nikita Khrushchev, even labeling him “the greatest enemy”, not only of Albania, but also of all the “peace-loving peoples of the world”. For more about this, we know the political diary of the former main communist leader of Albania, Enver Hoxha, kept by him in the period, March 9 – April 30, 1961, which Memorie.al publishes in full and for the first time.
Continues from the last number
Enver Hoxha’s secret diary about the events with the Soviets and the ‘Military Base’ of Vlora, in the period March 9 – April 30, 1961
E HENE, 10 APRIL 1961
OUR GOVERNMENT ECONOMIC DELEGATION LEAVES FOR BEIJING, PHENIAN
I spoke with the head of our government economic delegation, who is leaving tomorrow for Beijing and Pyongyang, to complete and sign the credit facilities for the third five-year term. The Chinese are responding to our requests satisfactorily.
TUESDAY, 11 APRIL 1961
CZECHOSLOVIS REVISIONS ALSO THREATEN US
Czechoslovak revisionists are continuing to threaten our country. At the reception given by the Romanians in Bucharest in honor of the Czechoslovak party and government delegation that went to Romania, the Czechoslovak Foreign Minister told our ambassador there: “Disputes in the socialist camp are deepening and becoming dangerous. “Measures must be taken to eliminate them.”
THURSDAY, 13 APRIL 1961
VIGILANCE, TO AVOID PROVISIONS OF REVISIONISTS
Attacks against us continue. Now they are more open. A joint statement issued after talks between the party delegation and the governments of Czechoslovakia and Romania said: “Not only will we fight against revisionism and dogmatism, but also against any blow that seeks to undermine unity. of the socialist camp”. The filthy! They prepare provocations against us. Therefore, we must be vigilant! Ulbriht with Toliat, provoked the steps for us to fall into their provocation. Now they provoke Czechoslovaks and Romanians indirectly and threaten. Be ready and prepared, that the enemy works. Avoid the slightest mistake, why the enemies are ready to catch up to him to explode the campaign against us.
SATURDAY, 15 APRIL 1961
THE ATTEMPT OF THE BALKAN REVISIONISTS TO ISOLATE US
Representatives of the Bulgarian and Romanian governments accepted and went to Athens to meet with the Greeks and Yugoslavs to discuss Balkan issues without us. Thus, they accepted and joined the Titoist views to isolate our country.
SATURDAY, 15 APRIL 1961
A PRO-YUGOSLAV ANTI-PARTY GROUP DISCOVERED
The Bulgarians informed us that they had discovered an anti-party revisionist group linked to the Yugoslavs. How many such open and masked groups are there that revisionism helps in the head! This discovery is enough to throw ashes in the eyes of the hairy.
SUNDAY, APRIL 16, 1961
CLEANSING IN THE LEADERSHIP OF THE SOVIET REPUBLICS
In the Soviet Union mass purges continue under the leadership of the republics. This time the first secretary, the second secretary, the third secretary of the Central Committee of Tajikistan and the prime minister were expelled from the party. All of these why allegedly had lied in the figures for cotton!
MONDAY, APRIL 17, 1961
US IMPERIALISTS ATTACK CUBA
This morning, at 5 o’clock, the Americans and Cuban mercenaries attacked the heroic Cuba. The fighting began. The heroic Cuban people will not be defeated! It seemed what Khrushchev’s vile boasting that he would fire rockets really were. How false does the famous “peaceful way” of taking power preached by the revisionists sound: Khrushchev – Gomulka – Toliati and company! Not only does the bourgeoisie not give you power without seizing it by force, but even when you have won it by force, it attacks you to seize it. Cuba will suffer, but the great betrayal of the revisionists with Khrushchev – Tito – Gomulka – Togliatti and their comrades, will be unmasked in the eyes of the peoples and the real communists.
TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 1961
THE CUBAN PEOPLE WILL WIN
In Cuba the war continues fiercely. I am fully convinced that the Cuban people will win, because they are armed, mobilized and in revolution. In addition to the articles, the statement of the Government and the rallies in the enterprises, orders were given that today afternoon in all of Albania, to organize demonstrations and rallies in solidarity with the heroic Cuban people.
WEDNESDAY, 19 APRIL 1961
THE AMERICAN ATTACK AGAINST CUBA IS FAILED
Fighting in Cuba continues, but Western radios show signs of despair. The attack is failing.
THURSDAY, FRIDAY 20 APRIL 1961
EXCELLENT VICTORY
The Cubans won. The attack of the American imperialists and their mercenaries was defeated, the counter-revolutionaries were annihilated. This was stated today by Castro. Excellent victory! Great victory for Cuba, great victory for us and the revolution in general. The assertion of the straight line of our Party, the defeat of Khrushchev’s opportunist revisionist line and company, the failure of the policy of flattery, smiles and concessions to the imperialists. Failure for the American imperialists, for the Yugoslav revisionists and for the Greek monarcho-fascists plotting against us. Our people, all revolutionary peoples, can never be defeated. Enemies will always be unmasked! Bravo Cuba!
FRIDAY, 21 APRIL 1961
SUCCESSFUL AND SHAMEFUL ACTION BY THE SOVIETS
I was warned of a vile act. and shameless of the Soviets. They ordered the steamer that was unloading in Durrës, iron and other materials for the Palace of Culture in Tirana, to load them again and return them to the Soviet Union. Only the imperialists and revisionists can show such hostility to our people and country. Nothing, we will move forward, but woe to the Soviet brotherly people, what has fallen into what hands, what unscrupulous bandits have taken power in the Soviet Union!
SUNDAY, 23 APRIL 1961
ECONOMIC AGREEMENTS WITH CHINA SIGNED
In the evening, the ‘HSINUHA’ agency announced that in Beijing, agreements were signed for the provision of complete equipment and technical assistance to the People’s Republic of Albania by the People’s Republic of China, for specialists and for the use of the loan provided by the Chinese side for this five-year period. The signing of these agreements is an economic and political success for us and a blow to those who do not want the best for the people of our Party.
E HENE, 24 APRIL 1961
NOTES
The Hungarian Government rejected, in low terms, the letter of our Government concerning the meeting of the Warsaw Pact. No matter what the Hungarian leaders are, Khrushchev’s pressure is evident in their stance. The Soviet ambassador, as soon as he got off the plane, handed Behar a sneaky note, slanderously accusing our party that we allegedly demanded the departure of Soviet oil specialists. The ambassador and those who sent him are very lowly people, counterfeiters and all this makes them justify the removal of specialists and the cutting of loans. The French ultra-right reaction is preparing the coup of the fascist state. Yesterday in Algeria, the French fascist generals took power and threatened France. I believe that the French communists will remember and see what the “peaceful way to take power” is.
TUESDAY, 25 APRIL 1961
ENEMY ACTION OF THE SOVIETS
Today, the officials of the Soviet embassy, acting in a hostile manner, quickly summoned twelve specialists to Tirana and tomorrow they will leave for the Soviet Union. Ten of them have expired. These specialists are from those who worked on the construction of the Palace of Culture, the Korça Knitwear, the projects and the Sugar Factory. This is a hostile course of action. Among other things, the Soviets seem to have been enraged by the communiqué of aid that China gives us and act as enemies, but as foolish enemies. Every day more and more it is becoming very clear what clique has come to the helm of the Soviet Union. It takes a lot of vigilance with these traitors!
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 1961
SHAMEFUL ACTION OF THE SOVIET EMBASSY
With shameful haste, the Soviet embassy continues to round up Soviet specialists in Tirana to return them to the Soviet Union. Many Soviets cry when they share with our people.
THURSDAY, 27 APRIL 1961
BLOF OF “BALKAN UNDERSTANDING”
In the meeting that took place in Athens for the “Balkan understanding”, we did not participate, why the Greeks did not give the entry visa to our delegation, while the Yugoslavs, certainly influenced the Greeks that we “isolate”. Romanians and Bulgarians shook their buttocks. They did not keep their word that they would not go if the Greeks did not give us a visa. They did not even tell us what was done and what was said there. It is understood that vile things have been said against us by the Greeks and the Yugoslavs. “Friends”, of course, have been silent, but with this attitude they expose themselves. The communiqué that was issued was a juice without salt and without a drop of fat.
FRIDAY, 28 APRIL 1961
NOTES
Conversation with comrade Pupo Shyti, who reported on the completion of work with Chinese comrades. Everything ended well. The Chinese met all our requirements. They will build us some industrial enterprises these five years, they will supply us with goods, such as tractors, etc. Today we had S.K.’s wife for lunch. Nauman, the old Czechoslovak communist militant, who in 1914 was a member of the Austrian army that came to Elbasan. He wrote poems about Albania and made paintings about Elbasan.
SATURDAY, 29 APRIL 1961
ON THE PURPOSES OF RANKOVIC’S VISIT TO GREECE
Rankovic will soon pay an official visit to Greece. In connection with this I drafted the theses of the article I will write to unmask the purposes of this visit.
SUNDAY, 30 APRIL 1961
THE ENEMY ATTITUDE OF THE SOVIET LEADERSHIP TOWARDS US CONTINUES TO EXPAND
The current Soviet leadership persists in its hostile work against the Party and our people. For us she has established the law of silence; The Soviet press does not talk about Albania at all, completely at all. No information or news is published about our foreign activity. Soviet diplomats and their friends everywhere try to completely isolate our diplomats. In the Soviet Union they slander us, attack us and curse us. Here, sneakily removed and continue to remove Soviet specialists, who in the majority do not approve of this action of their government. Many of them cried when they parted with our people. From the naval base of Vlora, the Soviets have not yet withdrawn, but it seems that they are preparing. They tax our pulse whether or not we will try to keep the four submarines that belong to us. They vane to the point of provocation. The Soviet guard returned the machine gun to our sailors who would board the warship. However, ours were introduced. The Soviet ambassador himself and General Andreyev leads these actions. Economic aid has cut us off. They also threaten us with clearing agreements. The other countries of popular democracy are also against us, they all take the side of the Soviets. The Chinese support us. They agree with our stance and call it heroic. Their economic assistance is great. The Koreans, too, help us with something. Our government economic delegation is being warmly welcomed everywhere in China. /Memorie.al
