Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes some unknown archival documents with the initials ‘Top secret’, issued by the Central State Archive in Tirana (fund of the former Central Committee of the ALP), which belong to the year 1969, where there is a report of The Director of State Security, Feçor Shehu, sent to his superior, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Kadri Hazbiu, where he talks about the comments of foreign tourists coming to Albania and those of the press of foreign countries for our country, as and the report-information of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Kadri Hazbiu, sent to the Secretary of the Central Committee of the ALP, Hysni Kapo, regarding the foreigners who came to Albania for work problems. The full documents of the two highest heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and State Security, where they present to the senior leadership of the ALP, their problems and concerns regarding tourists and foreigners coming to Albania, specifying their comments and conversations, from the praise for the “beautiful country on the Adriatic that built socialism”, to the insults about “communist Albania, which is a vassal of China and foreigners see them as wild animals”, etc.
“A group of Swedish tourists when they were leaving our country said:… We learned a lot from Albania, we are clear now about the articles written by some Swedish journalists, who try to present the Albanian reality in black. It is up to us to present the truth about Albania, how it is, how it progresses in building the socialism of the country. We have learned a lot about your country, from the great construction work of your people, from the education and simple dress of your youth… ”. But in addition to positive cases, there are many of them who have written and spoken badly about our country by falsifying reality. Thus, for example: “Albania, the small China of Europe, tourists do not get in touch with the people, they throw stones at them. Fukarallëk and ignorance ruled here, Chinese influence is felt everywhere”.
This is written, among other things, in an information report with the initials ‘Top Secret’ of the Director of State Security, Feçor Shehu, sent to his superior, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Kadri Hazbiu, which bears the date 10. VI. 196 , where it comes to foreign tourists who come to Albania, as well as the various negative and positive comments they made about our country. For more about this, we know the document in question that Memorie.al publishes in full and for the first time, together with a report of the then Minister of Internal Affairs, Kadri Hazbiu, sent to the secretary of the Central Committee of the ALP, Hysni Kapo, regarding the foreigners who came to Albania for work problems and the measures that had to be taken so that they would not take away our state secrets, etc.
Information to the Director of State Security, Feçor Shehu, sent to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Kadri Hazbiu
THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA VERY SECRET
MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS EXECUTION. No. 2
FIRST DIRECTORY
Tirana, on 10.6.1969
I N F O R M A T I O N
ABOUT FOREIGN TOURISTS COME TO OUR COUNTRY DURING THIS YEAR
During this year, about 8000 foreign tourists have come to our country. From the correspondence that they have developed with their relatives, as well as from the conversations made with our people, it turns out that some of them have spoken well of our country Thus e.g.
A group of Austrian tourists said: “We have visited many so-called socialist countries, such as Poland, Hungary, etc., but only Albania is a truly socialist country”. “Two German tourists said: “… .How much has the Albanian Labor Party done for the Albanian people during these 25 years of liberation, no other party has done for its own people.
“In Yugoslavia we have been badly told about your country, but it is a great disgrace to speak ill of a manly country like yours.” An Italian tourist handed a letter to our companion, where among other things he wrote: “Dear Albanian friends, I came to your country on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the liberation of Albania and I was very enthusiastic about the work done during these years under the leadership of the Party and the great leader Comrade Enver Hoxha. Greetings to you an Italian friend who looks with conviction at the invincible soul and encourages you with a deep admiration. Long live the heroic Albanian people, long live the great Labor Party, long live Comrade Enver Hoxha… ”.
Commenting on our relationship with the People’s Republic of China, a group of West German and French tourists said, “keni You have a great friend, the Chinese people, who help you internationally.”
Many other tourists say that in the first hours of their stay in our country: “We are convinced that Albania is not as they told us, we will tell this reality to our people, but until we return”.
A real controversy and war has also opened up in the Swedish press between those who deliberately distort the result and those who present it correctly. The Swedish journalist, Inga-Lill Valftridson, in a long article on Albania published in “TINGSINGAL”, wrote among other things: “… The purpose of this article is not to force bourgeois newspapers to write good articles about Socialist Albania, that this would be impossible, but to emphasize the need for a fairer information on Albania … “.
A group of Swedish tourists when they were leaving our country said: “… We learned a lot from Albania, we are clear now about the articles written by some Swedish journalists, who try to present the Albanian reality in black. It is up to us to present the truth about Albania, how it is, how it progresses in building the socialism of the country. We have learned a lot about your country, from the great construction work of your people, from the education and simple dress of your youth… ”.
But in addition to positive cases, there are many of them who have written and spoken badly about our country by falsifying reality. Thus, for example: “Albania, the small China of Europe, tourists do not get in touch with the people, they throw stones at them. Fukarallëku and ignorance ruled here, Chinese influence is felt everywhere”.
While some others write: “The Albanian capital is a very closed place, people here are quite bad, they look at us as curious and wild animals, imagine an ignorant place from all over the world and at the end of the world. Despite the great heat, here they force us to wear pants over clothes; they do not allow us to uncover our feet. In the shop windows they have nothing but pictures and propaganda, everything is outdated, the packaging and products are of a very poor quality. Chinese are seen from all sides. “Churches and mosques have been demolished; there is nothing interesting to see.”
Another group of French tourists writes: “… Beautiful memories from Albania, where our beards were removed and our hair was cut, short dresses, tight pants and beards are forbidden.”
While German tourists comment: “… In this country dominates the poverty that does not mind, the people are very badly dressed, women are in long clothes and partly with veils, everywhere there are only political slogans, people look sad to us, the tool mainly of traffic in Albania, are bicycles and mules, here they are quite upset, maybe by Chinese cars and the Chinese… ”.
In his letter a Swiss tourist writes: “… Many greetings from the lobby (salon) of China. This is an attractive place; it operates exactly in the communist style of Mao. Albania is a beautiful country but poor. The best memories from this primitive and poor country… ”.
DIRECTOR OF THE NEW DIRECTORATE
FEÇOR SHEHU
Information report of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Kadri Hazbiu, sent to Hysni Kapos, regarding foreigners coming to Albania for work problems
THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA VERY SECRET
MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS EXECUTION. No. 1.
FIRST DIRECTORY
Temporary, 2 years
DEGA E III-TE
NO.I Prot. 285
Tirana, on 5.XI. 1969
Subject: On foreigners, not diplomats, coming to the People’s Republic of Albania and some thoughts on this problem.
Mr.HYSNI KAPO
SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF PP ALBANIA
Tirana
As a result of the rapid pace of industrialization of the country and the intensification of Agriculture, from year to year, our foreign trade is growing, both in scope and volume. Traders and specialists for the machines that are traded come to the People’s Republic of Albania from dozens of countries around the world and their number is increasing every year. During the two years, 1967-1968, 1603 foreign traders and specialists came as well as 1567 drivers. Only in the first half of the following year, 580 foreign traders and specialists came.
According to the orientation of the three ministries, of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Internal Affairs, of 1967, for issuing visas to foreign traders, specialists and drivers, this procedure was followed.
After a relatively long practice by correspondence, our economists propose to invite foreign traders from different countries. This proposal is reviewed by the directorates of the respective commercial enterprises, which, if it deems it appropriate, submits it to the Ministry of Trade for approval. When the application is approved by the Ministry of Trade, then foreign traders are notified to make a visa application at any of our foreign representations, at the same time our commercial representations are also notified. After that, the head of the mission submits the visa application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which after studying the persons in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, authorizes the issuance of the visa.
The same is done with the traders who are sent to our country by our trade representations abroad. After receiving the approval of the Ministry of Trade, they apply to the head of the visa office for a visa. For the guests of our central departments, a written request is made with the signature of the head of the department directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In addition to specialists, traders and drivers, who by the very nature of work stay and pass in many districts, every year in the People’s Republic of Albania, come many guests and tourists. During this year alone, 8000 tourists have arrived, of which 1400 with a stay of 7-14 days, while the rest have been tourists that the Yugoslav tourist companies send to transit in Albania.
In order to avoid the jobless arrival of foreigners and the arrival in the People’s Republic of Albania of undesirable persons, the orientation of the three ministries provides for a close cooperation between the employees of the three ministries in question, here or abroad for study, differentiation and selection of foreigners seeking to come to the People’s Republic of Albania. But despite the experience so far, it has proved that in our country still come traders who do not sign contracts, without justifiable reasons, who wander for days about a small or commercial thing, whose arrival is not justified.
In order to avoid these in the future, we think that the central departments should create regular and complete records for foreigners coming to the People’s Republic of Albania, in which the time of arrival, the places he has attended, the work he has performed, its views and qualities, the capital of the firm, its seriousness, correctness in the implementation of contracts with us, etc. This would greatly facilitate the work for the selection of foreigners seeking to come to the People’s Republic of Albania.
To carry out their duties as traders or as specialists, many foreigners circulate in many districts of our country. During trade talks, commodity inspections, or at work, they associate with our trade people or other enterprises with which they work. In their spare time, they remain in most cases, alone, walking freely through the cities or traveling from one city to another, e.g. from Durrës to Tirana and vice versa by train.
Our institutions try to show foreign guests as much as possible, sometimes without any studied criteria. For example, The Ministry of Agriculture sends an Italian specialist to see the citrus fruits to Saranda from the coast, while in return it comes from Delvina, Gjirokastra, Tepelena, Këlcyra, Berat, etc. There have been cases when people with bad biographies have been assigned to accompany foreigners.
In order to avoid useless movements and to discipline the circulation of foreigners in our country, we intend to take the following measures:
- Movements of foreigners in the territory of R.P. of Albania and the persons who will accompany him, to be the competence of the Deputy Minister in each department.
- To choose the shortest route of movements and to strictly respect it.
- To show foreigners only those objects or parts of our objects where they have work.
- As has been done so far, and in the future the Ministry of Internal Affairs, not to give foreigners the necessary circulation permit to go to the place where there are secret facilities, in those districts where important military games take place, where there is movement of forces or festivities.
It is known that foreign capitalist and revisionist discoveries make extensive use of these legal channels of work, to carry out comprehensive hostile activities against the People’s Republic of Albania. There are many cases in their ranks, the State Security bodies have discovered many cadres and agents of foreign intelligence, who during their stay in our country, have tried to collect secret data, to establish numerous connections. with Albanian citizens for the purpose of studying and determining candidacies for recruitment, have put our people on the path of smuggling, tried to compromise them morally or materially and have developed agitation and propaganda against RP of Albania.
To cut off this activity, we think that working with foreigners should be treated as a serious problem. After the selection of foreigners coming to our country, which is undoubtedly the main job, the issue of calling, receiving, escorting and escorting foreigners, should be seen as a very important task.
It is appropriate to say that the State Security bodies have and will have special tasks in this regard and we try to understand and implement them in accordance with the developing situation and the created conjunctures, but also the departments that work with it foreigners should feel that they also have duties and responsibilities to accompany and control them, to process them ideologically as well as not to give them opportunities to take our secrets, or harm us. Therefore, depending on the volume of current arrivals and especially on the prospects of foreigners, we think it is worth studying the possibility of creating a sector for the reception, escort and escort of foreigners, at the Minister of Trade. /Memorie.al
MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS
KADRI HAZBIU
