Dashnor Kaloçi
Second part
Memorie.al/ publishes some archival documents labeled “Sekret” taken from the Central State Archive in Tirana (the fund of the former Central Committee of PPSh) which belong to 1963 and were separated from a file containing a correspondence with information, reports, relations, letters, telegrams, report-information, etc., between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana, with accredited Albanian embassies in several countries of the world and the Directorate of Foreign Relations, near the apparatus of the Central Committee of PPSh -‘s. As we will see from the documents in question, the holders of accredited Albanian embassies in several countries of the world, mainly those of Vienna, Rome and Paris, inform their superiors at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana and through them the Central Committee of PPSh -, related to the various articles published in the Western press (such as “The Observer”, “Die Press”, “Stuttgarter Zeitung”, “Ilustre Kronen Zeitung”, “Industriekurier”, “Die Velt”, etc.) which dealt with and reflected the political line followed by the senior communist leadership of the Party of Work of Albania and official Tirana, after the breakdown of official relations with the Soviet Union, the difficult economic and social situation that prevailed in the country, its relations with its neighbors , mainly with Josif Broz Tito’s Yugoslavia, from where as a result of the climate of terror exercised by the leadership of Tirana, many Albanians crossed the border illegally and fled to Yugoslavia, relations and reports of the Labor Party of Albania, with the Marxist-Leninist communist parties of various European countries, as well as the signs of cooling and separation that were appearing between Albania and Mao Zedong’s People’s Republic of China, due to their different attitudes in connection with the assassination of the President of the USA, Kennedy, to whom “Zeri i Populli” dedicated an article, where it appreciated his work, etc. One of the main topics that the Western press (mainly the British and then the West German and Austrian) has addressed in many of the articles published during the period August – September – October 1963, is the one where it was said that; in Albania, an uprising was being prepared by the senior military, led by the Minister of People’s Defense, Lieutenant-General Beqir Balluku, for the overthrow of the head of state, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Albania, Enver Hoxha. After these articles, a leading place in the various articles of the Western press about the political situation in Albania at that time are also occupied by those that deal with the breakdown of official relations between Tirana and Moscow, as well as the punishment given by the senior leadership of the PPSh and personally Enver Hoxha, member of the Political Bureau and secretary of the Central Committee of the PPSh, Liri Belishova and Koço Tashko, (former ambassador to Moscow), accusing them of being supporters of the official Moscow political line led by Nikita Khrushchev. For more about these topics and events that were covered by the Western press in 1963, related to Enver Hoxha’s communist Albania, we know the relations and secret reports sent to Tirana by the Albanian Minister of Power in Vienna, Gaqo Nesho.
Continues from last issue
The secret document compiled by the Press Branch at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana, sent to the Directorate of Foreign Relations at the apparatus of the Central Committee of the PPSh, with the relation of the Albanian ambassador in Vienna, Gaqo Nesho
THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA S E K R E T
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS Tirana, on 15-II-1964
PRESS BRANCH Ex.
No. 47
LANDA: Copies of agency relations are sent
CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF P.P. ALBANIA
(Foreign Directorate)
T I R A N E
Attached, we present you the copy of the relations as follows:
REPORT ON THE PROBLEMS WHICH THE PRESS OF AUSTRIA, WEST GERMANY, THE GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC AND THAT OF SWITZERLAND TREATED DURING THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER IN CONNECTION WITH OUR COUNTRY
During this month, the press of the aforementioned countries published 51 announcements and three articles. This month we also received 16 announcements and articles, in which our country is mentioned only once. Of the 51 announcements, 33 are from Austria, 10 from the German Democratic Republic, 5 from West Germany and 3 from Switzerland, three articles are from the Austrian press.
The notices were written on the article of the newspaper “Voice of the People”, dated 10/11/’63, with the title: “Historical turn in the life of the Party and our country”. Where, among other things, the activity of Khrushchev, who with the help of Liri Belishova, tried to undermine the unity of our Party, on the Cuban representation that was set up in Albania, on the unmasking that Radio-Tirana did to Khrushchev regarding his release from prison of the American professor, Bargohorn, who was captured by the Soviet authorities for espionage activities, on the congratulations given to the “Voice of the People”, “Rote Fahnes”, the organ of the Austrian anti-revisionist communists, on the congratulations that the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of the German Democratic Republic, sent to our country on the occasion of the 19th anniversary of liberation, on the visit of the Head and the first secretary to Graz and Klangenfurt, on the trade delegation of the German Democratic Republic, which held talks in Tirana regarding the exchange of goods for the year 1964, between R.D. German and R.P. of Albania, on the protest that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Yugoslavia made to the person in charge, a.i. of R.P. of Albania, regarding the unmasking that our press did to the renegade Tito, during his trip through Latin America and the USA, on the telephone connection Switzerland-Albania, on the football match, Denmark-Albania, etc.
From the articles: One was written by Kurt Vessely, associate of the East Institute, on the economic question of our country, one was written by the correspondent Nerbert Trost, who uses very low slander against our country, and one was written by the newspaper “Illustr Kronen Zeitung”, in which it slanders that the agreements between Albania and China are showing signs of departure, due to “their different attitude regarding the Kennedy assassination”! (In this article, it is said that “Voice of the People” devoted an article to Kennedy in which he appreciated the work of the deceased).
The bourgeois press, in order to show that even in our Party there were Khrushchev’s people and in order to show what is being done with Liri Belishova, this month I falsify the article of “Voice of the People”, dated 10/11/’63 , with the title “Historical turning point in the life of our Party and our country”, adding, in addition to what is said in this article about Liri Belishova, that she will appear in court.
The newspaper “Di Press” dated 12/11/’63, speaking about this, writes as follows: “The central organ of the Albanian Communist Party, “Voice of the People”, writes that Prime Minister Khrushchev tried some time ago to the leadership set in Tirana, overthrow him with the help of a senior Albanian functionary of the party. We are talking about the member of the Politburo, Mrs. Liri Belishova, whom Khrushchev used with the intention of exploiting “Disagreements with the Albanian Communist Party, to determine its unity and to liquidate the Marxist-Leninist leadership”.
Liri Belishova was expelled from the Politburo three years ago for “serious mistakes” not closely defined. As the newspaper announces, she will now answer before the court, “for conspiracy against the leadership of the Party”. These words of the last sentence were not said in the “Voice of the People” article, dated 10/11/’63, but the press added them, for the purposes we mentioned above.
This announcement was followed by six other Austrian bourgeois newspapers and two West German newspapers. Radio-Vienna television also had a comment this month regarding the expulsion of Liri Belishova and Koço Tashko from the Party. It seems that some article was prepared by Soviet revisionists and paid for its publication.
From the article written by Norbert Trost, it emerged once again that the Austrian bourgeois press has set itself the task of unscrupulously slandering our Party. In this article, the author has tried by all means to discredit our country, both from a political point of view and from an economic point of view.
In his article, N. Trost presents the cutting of Soviet aid to our country as something catastrophic. Speaking about this, among other things, he writes: “Until the time of the break with Moscow, the Albanian people’s economy was oriented towards Russia. Russia supported the small country in the Adriatic, which it wanted to turn into a “Communist Switzerland”, like no other satellite.
Albania, which was economically located deep in the Turkish Middle Ages, had to become a modern imperialist state for a short time. At the entrance of Tirana, there is the “Stalin” Textile Factory, which, with about 15,000 workers, sufficiently meets the needs of the Albanian market. Every screw of this factory came from Russia and the machines can only be replaced with Russian spare parts.
The complete severance of economic relations in Russia called into question the operation of this factory and the entire new Albanian industry, for the reason that even in other communist countries that actually continue to trade with Albania, with Moscow’s wish, they are not allowed to supply none of these replacement parts. As long as China cannot fill these shortages, Albania is dependent on Western partners, who must make available productive goods and spare parts of Soviet origin, what a strange difficulty…”!
The bourgeois press has been trying for some time to prove that Cuba is taking China’s side and ruining the affairs with Khrushchev. This month, to prove this, he took as an example the establishment of the Cuban representation in our country, the visit of a Cuban delegation to Albania. In this regard, the newspaper “Illustr Kronen Zeitung”, of Vienna dated 19/10/’63, published this announcement: “Fidel Castro is increasingly crossing the Beijing line. A fact about this was given to the world through the news that a Cuban delegation arrived in Tirana, which should prepare the opening of the Cuban embassy. As is known, Moscow cut relations with Albania in 1961”.
11 other newspapers from Austria, two from West Germany and one from Switzerland have announced this.
Regarding what we said above, the Hamburg newspaper “Die Zeit”, dt. 9/11/’63, as follows: “The speculation, according to which Khrushchev and Castro will break the relations between them, strengthened again. After the news about a big cut in Soviet economic aid to Cuba seems to be confirmed, even representatives of the Castro regime no longer hide their sympathy for the Chinese. A Cuban delegation that returned from Albania, praised “Albanian successes on the path of Marxism-Leninism” and “the wise leadership of General Enver Hoxha”.
The hostile attitude of the Austrian press against our country became clearer during this month.” He did not write a single word on the occasion of the 19th anniversary of the liberation, he did not even give short news, as is customary in Austria, about the reception given by our representation, nor was a congratulatory telegram sent. But even more hostile than the attitude against our country, of the revisionist leaders of the Austrian Communist Party.
The newspaper “Volkastkimme”, dated 30/11/’63, publishes only eight and a half lines on the occasion of the 19th anniversary of the liberation of R.P. of Albania, taken from “Pravda”, and for the 20th anniversary of the creation of Yugoslavia, he wrote a full page and a half of the newspaper! The bourgeois press has also valued putting a wedge in the relations between R.P. of Albania with R.P. of China, for this, he took Kennedy’s assassination as the cause, emphasizing that China insulted the American president, while Albania appreciated his work”!
The “Illustr Kronen Zeitung” newspaper, dated 30/11/’63, speaking about this, among other things writes: “…The comments of the Eastern Bloc press are particularly striking. Red China explodes as before with hate attacks against the USA. Radio Beijing described Kennedy as a “bad man”. Albania, on the other hand, until now a vassal of Beijing, followed its own path this time.
While Radio-Tirana, until now, Kennedy had only been described as: “murderer”, “criminal” and “gangster”, with an article on the events in Dallas, he was called “Mr. President” for the first time. The Albanian Party newspaper “Voice of the People” dedicated a long article to Kennedy, in which it appreciated the work of the deceased.
It is still worth noting that the newspaper published the Western comments about the Kennedy assassination without cutting them. In Moscow, the Albanian reaction to Kennedy’s assassination was accurately recorded. Diplomats believe that the completely different attitude of Albania and China regarding the assassinated president may be a symptom of the “difference” of the two states…”!
On the occasion of November 29, we asked Professor Babinger, Dr. Robert Schwanke, Dr. Ernest Viese and Dr. Kurt Vessely, (Birth Institute Associate). The first three gave different excuses and did not write anything about our country, while Dr. Kurt Vessely, based mainly on our materials, wrote an article on economic issues, without saying anything about the 19th anniversary of liberation!
This article, which was published by the newspaper “Di Press”, dt. 29/11/’63, generally contains positive things about our country. But nevertheless, the author, based on economic data of the O.K.B. on our country, aimed to prove that compared to the second five-year plan, production growth in the third five-year plan has fallen.
The newspaper “Di Press” dated 29/11/’63, speaking about these, among other things, writes: “In the communiqué for the first months of 1963, it is announced that the plan was realized 101/66%. Industrial production increased compared to the same period last year, by 6.66%, which is more than was predicted for the whole of 1963. Naturally, a slowdown in growth (of production) is noted. While production in the second five-year plan increased an average of 16.95% each year, in 1963 it increased only 7.2% and in 1962, 6.4%. Also, in the most long-term plans, a slowing trend is observed.
But nevertheless, this tempo is very good, especially since Albania, due to the breakdown of relations with the countries of the Eastern Bloc, which forced it to reorganize the structure of foreign trade…”!
Also, the magazine of the Institute of East, “Pascyrë e pressi of East, Economy”, in the November issue, published textually the communique of our Directorate of Statistics, on the implementation of the plan for the first nine months of 1963. About the content of this magazine, answers Dr. K. Kenssely, and with his initiative, the aforementioned communiqués on the implementation of the plan issued by our Directorate of Statistics have begun to be published in the above-mentioned magazine. This one is interested in current articles of an economic nature.
The purpose of the Birth Institute and Dr. Kurt Vessleyt, it is undoubtedly to measure the pulse of the economic development of our country and other socialist countries. However, we are of the opinion that the center will constantly send us articles, which talk about the development of the branches of industry or agriculture in our country, since the above-mentioned magazine publishes things textually and is distributed to many Austrian senior staff and to many firms large trade.
During this month, based on our materials, the editorial staff of “Rohte Fahnes” (“Red Flag”), published a very significant article about our country, which talks about the heroic struggle of our people for liberation, about the successes of his role in the socialist construction of the country and the struggle he is waging against imperialism and modern revisionism.
During this month we distributed the special newsletter on the occasion of the holidays as well as various articles that were sent to us from the center. With the visits made by the Titular and the first secretary to Klagerfurt and Graz, the local newspapers were given the opportunity to write about this visit and publish photographs.
The newspaper “New Albania” did not reach us, which hindered the work against propaganda with the reactionary element. Memorie.al
MINISTER POWERFUL
(Gaqo Nesho)
