Dashnor Kaloçi
Second part
Memorie.al publishes some archival documents extracted from the Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana, with the logo “Top Secret”, which belong to the years 1985 – 1989, where there is a correspondence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana, with the Albanian embassy in Paris, at the request of the French side and the then president, François Mitterand, who sought to honor the famous Albanian writer Ismail Kadare, with the medal “Legion of Honor”, which was the highest decoration that the state the French accorded to foreign nationals. Full correspondence between the diplomat Kujtim Hysenaj and his superiors in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana, such as the Minister, Reiz Malile, Deputy Minister Sokrat Plaka, etc., regarding the request of the French side, as well as the instructions given to him by ‘center’, how it should act and how to respond to French diplomats in meetings and conversations with them!
In the mid-1950s, when the de-Stalinization process was under way in the Soviet Union, thanks to the newly ousted leader Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev and his supporters, a booklet was circulated somewhere in Italy describing in detail the horrors of civil war (1918-1922), in that huge country where the October Revolution, which brought the Bolsheviks to power, had “triumphed”.
The book “Doctor Zhivago”, written as a pamphlet by Russian writer Boris Pasternak, was said to have been backed, funded and distributed by the US Secret Service (CIA), which wanted to make the world aware of what ‘cradle’ had emerged that ‘offspring’ of the Stalinist regime, which some of its protagonists and actors were unmasking and shouting at him.
After Italy, under the full care and patronage of the Americans (camouflaged under the Rochkfeller Foundation), the book, which continued to amaze the world, managed to enter the Soviet Union itself. Thus, as Moscow’s Stalinist leadership tried to erase or “bring out” those horrors experienced by almost all the peoples living in all the USSR republics, the Americans “smuggled” them back inside.
And in the midst of all this American-sponsored ‘literary-political’ campaign, then Pasternak’s name and his book reached the top of the world, and the author was nominated for the Nobel Prize, which was awarded to him in 1958. Although under numerous pressures, he refused to receive the ‘Nobel Prize in Literature’, the American mission had already been accomplished at its best.
The Kremlin was boomeranged by this, as Pasternak’s refusal caused more commotion than it would have done if he had accepted the award. Likewise, almost at the same time that the Americans had launched the ‘Pasternak operation’, the communist leader of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito, had come up with such an ‘action’ himself with the Bosnian Serb writer-politician Ivo Andric.
It is said that there was no official or private meeting where Marshall Tito himself did not speak and promote with his friends and guests the “genius” of the Slavic writer who “was shining with his work”, the whole world. A work describing “brotherhood-union” in that country with six multi-ethnic Balkan republics. And, thanks to the support of Tito’s promotion, Ivo Andric also managed to be crowned with the ‘Nobel Prize in Literature’ in 1961, although the “union-fraternity” which he ‘sang’ in his work, turned out to be just a façade. , if we consider the wars that drowned in blood almost all of its republics in the early 1990s!
Full 15 years later (in 1985), a completely different story from that of Tito and Andric took place in Albania. She with the famous writer Ismail Kadare and the communist dictator Enver Hoxha and his successor Alia. (the event has its origins when Enver was still alive).
While at that time France and personally President François Mitterrand, had undertaken the “action” to honor the Albanian writer Ismail Kadare, first with the ‘Legion of Honor’ (the highest decoration given by France), and then to nominate him as a candidate for the ‘Nobel Prize in Literature’, his own country, or rather the communist leadership, did not accept this at all.
Not only that, but official Tirana informed the French that: “In case France would take such an action unilaterally, then”.
This and many other highly refined (typically communist) machinations are made known for the first time by these official documents (found in the archives of the Albanian state), which are published for the first time and in full in the pages of this book. .
Continued from the previous issue
Information of the diplomat Kujtim Hysenaj from the Albanian embassy in Paris for the minister Reiz Malile
Second Directorate
I n f o r m a t i o n
On a conversation with the French ambassador
Last night, at the lunch given by the Academy of Sciences for the group of French archaeologists, I talked to the French ambassador about the following issues:
The ambassador informed that in the explanations given to the French for the Reagan-Gorbachev meeting, the Americans emphasized that they found in Gorbachev the absolute ruler of BS. According to the Americans, the time of collegial leadership had ended in the BS because Gorbachev resolved issues competently and decided on the spot.
The Americans had also told them that whenever the experts got stuck in their work, a solution was found as soon as Gorbachev was informed.
The ambassador said that as far as he was informed in this meeting, no concrete agreement had been concluded except those that were published. The meeting had a cognitive character and will be followed by another in the future.
I asked him about the information he had given to the Soviets through the Deputy Foreign Minister. The ambassador said he had not been informed yet but expressed the view that the Soviets had sent their representative to France to show that they had not agreed with the Americans on secret matters and in this sense the visit was more of a Soviet character.
Regarding Mitterrand’s refusal to attend the meeting held in New York for the Geneva meeting, the ambassador said that the French president could have gone, but assessed that the conference organized by Reagan was hasty and unprepared.
Mitterrand, he said, could not come into the role of servant and carry out what order Reagan gives. France, both in De Gaulle’s time and today, never questions its allegiance to the Atlantic Alliance and the United States, but refuses to allow its independence and dignity to be affected.
- The Ambassador asked if Comrade Andon had returned and if he had left the FRY.
I confirmed that he had returned and, avoiding answering the second question directly, told him that, as far as he was aware, rounds of talks had been held with the Germans to resolve the issue.
The Ambassador insisted on this issue and asked again if the talks are taking place on a concrete ground, or is it still in the stage of principled statements. In the end he asked if from our side he hopes that a solution to the problem will be found.
I told him that I did not know more details about this issue but I pointed out that in everything we do or undertake, one wants and hopes to achieve the desired result. I also pointed out that we believe in the realization and seriousness of the German side.
- The Ambassador again raised the issue of Ismail Kadare’s decoration. He prayed that the matter would be answered as soon as possible.
- The ambassador said that they will soon send us a note to convey the request of a French company for rescue at sea in case of maritime disasters to connect with an analogous organization of our country.
Kujtim Hysenaj
Note of the Directorate
Regarding the interest shown by the French ambassador for the talks with the FRG, we note that this is the second time that he treats him at an interval of 5-6 days.
As the Director, we are of the opinion that, in any occasional meeting, the French ambassador should be informed of a general nature about these talks.
This would be welcomed by the French side and at the same time would serve as an incentive for it to move to move concretely in bilateral relations.
Note by Minister Reiz Malile
To talk
(R. Malile)
Telegram figure “Top Secret” for the Albanian embassy in Paris
VERY SECRET
Coding
Address; Embassy of Paris
Concept: The advisor of the French embassy came to the Ministry regarding the decoration that the French want to make to I. Kadare. From the beginning we stressed that unilateral action by the French side in such matters without the full consent of our party, would be considered unfriendly to our country. We mentioned on this occasion how much has been written in the press, according to which France intends to nominate Kadare for the Nobel Prize.
Information of the Albanian Embassy in Paris for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana
Second Directorate
I n f o r m a t i o n
During a reception given at our embassy in Paris on the occasion of the publication of two books by writer Ismail Kadare in France recently by the FAYARD Publishing House, the director of Europe at the French Foreign Ministry, Blet, asked Comrade Ceno if the Albanian government agrees to have Albanian citizens decorated by the French government. It is about decorating Ismail Kadare, he stressed.
The problem of Ismail Kadare’s decoration has been raised once again by the French. Thus in 1985 they expressed the desire to decorate Comrade I. Kadare with the high decoration “Legion of Honor” (La Legion d’Honorus). The French press has often commented on the Nobel Prize for Kadare.
In the information for the leadership no. 377 dated 2.12.1985, it is said: It seems that with this the French pursue certain goals; therefore we think it should not be accepted. Taking into account the comments made in the French press that our writer Ismail Kadare will be nominated for the Nobel Prize by France, we will tell the French that they should not take any action without the consent of the Albanian government.
We intend to maintain this position this time as well, and comrade Ceno will be instructed to emphasize the above in this regard, in a casual meeting with the Director of Europe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Blet.
Tirana, on February 2, 1989
Th. Haxhi
You did… Paris
Comrade Minister notes; that the matter be left silent.
Leave it alone. Memorie.al
- 2.’89
Continues in the next issue
