Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes some archival documents labeled “Secret” taken from the Central State Archive in Tirana (the fund of the former Central Committee of the ALP), which belong to the beginning of 1973, where there is a correspondence between the Committee of the Party of the district of Kukës and the Central Committee of the ALP, where we are talking about two serious events that happened at that time in the village of Vlahen, where the cooperative Lush Sokoli with a bad biography, during the meeting “where the speech of the friend was being worked on Enver”, said to the secretary of the Party: “I cannot criticize Enver, that’s why I’m speaking for myself”. As well as the other event that happened in the Gjegjani Mine, where the mine’s chief accountant, Jemin Gjana, refused to remove from the cultural hall the antenna that received the signal for Yugoslavian television, saying that: “Even if you cut me to pieces, I I don’t remove it”. All the reports-information of the Party Committee of the district of Kukës for the Central Committee and the notes of Hysni Kapo, who took Jemin Gjana under his protection, after he was fired and sent to production for “tempering and education”?!
After Enver Hoxha’s speech held in the apparatus of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly of Albania on January 9, 1973, just a few days after the 11th National Radio-Television Song Festival had ended, as well as his discussion at the meeting of of the communists of the basic party organization of the APS Central Committee (on March 15 and 16 of the same year) with the theme: “The fight against foreign performances in art and culture and their influence on the entire life of the country ”, where for the first time he publicly criticized the 11th Song Festival, making Todi Lubonja and Fadil Paçram the main responsibles, in all the main artistic and cultural institutions of the country, a series of long meetings were held with analysis, criticism , self-criticism, denunciations and endless discussions. They continued until the end of June of that year, when the 4th Plenum of the Central Committee of the ALP was held, which was held only to analyze art and culture and to condemn the main responsible, as considered Todo Lubonja and Fadil Paçarmi. But in the meantime, since January of that year when Enver Hoxha spoke for the first time about the problems of art and culture and the foreign and liberal performances that had been noticed there, by order from the Central Committee of the ALP, the Party Committees in the districts and all grassroots organizations, issued the directive to remove all the antennas of foreign television stations, which served to receive their signals, such as those of Yugoslavia and Italy at that time, which were watched mainly in the North of the country (but also in the largest of the Albanian territory), as well as those of Greece in the South of the country. All this was done after, in his speech, Enver Hoxha had emphasized that: “The 11th Song Festival was an imitation of Italian festivals, with debauched and modern music, from which our singers also imitated their extravagant clothes and long hair” etc. After that, the Propaganda sector of the Central Committee of the ALP, which was led by Ramiz Alia, as the first action was taken to remove the television antennas of foreign stations. This thing, which at that time was called “a political action”, as a result of which, for a short time, it was possible to remove all “Yugoslav and Italian” antennas from the terraces of buildings and the roofs of houses, caused foreign television stations to were watched secretly by all Albanian families, which would continue without any problem until the collapse of the communist regime. But at that time, that is, from the beginning of 1973, when the “massive action” began to remove the antennas of foreign television stations, there were also open objections from various individuals who refused to remove them. In this regard, it is also a question of these archival documents that Memorie.al publishes in full and for the first time with the relevant facsimiles.
The first letter of the Kukes District Party Committee to the APS Central Committee
LABOR PARTY OF ALBANIA “SECRET”
DISTRICT PARTY COMMITTEE Ex. No. 1
KUKES
No. 259 Kukës on 3.4.1973
CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE ALBANIAN LABOR PARTY
(Information Group)
T I R A N E
Attached to this letter, we are sending you the information on the activity of citizen Emin Gjana.
I N F O R M A T I O N
The District Party Committee, as part of the measures in the fight against foreign influences, on March 22 ordered all the secretaries of the Party’s basic organizations to remove all Yugoslav television amplifier antennas from the various clubs and institutions.
Pursuant to this order, the secretary of the office of the Mining Party, Gjegjan, Enver Metollari, removed the antenna that received foreign television signals.
When the antenna is removed, Jemin Gjana, without anyone’s knowledge, goes and puts the antenna back. For this action that he did, the secretary of the Party organization, calls Jemin Gjana and draws his attention, why did you put the antenna back up, when we ordered it to be put up again, what makes you act contrary to the orders of the organization base of the Party.
He replies that “this is how I protect the wealth of the people” and I do it “for the good” of the workers.
From the secretary of the Party, he was told that: “this is how you break discipline and do not serve the Party and the people, so you should go and remove the television antenna”.
Instead of Jemini carrying out the given order, he gives a speech to the secretary of the Party bureau for pressure and insults him: you are a thief, you watch Yugoslav TV, that you had a gendarme father, don’t teach you how so, etc.
On 23.III.1973, the general meeting of the communists of Minera takes place. They call the aforementioned, but he refuses to remove it, and even behaves with disdain towards the basic organization of the Party. He does not obey and says that: even if you cut me into pieces, I will not remove it. Our friends go and remove it.
The district Party Committee, to analyze this issue, sent the member of the district Party bureau, Comrade Latif Potja, to the collective. Before the collective gathers, Latif Potja is called and told: why did you act like this, why did you put the antenna of the Yugoslav TV in opposition to the order given by the basic organization of the Party? He didn’t give an explanation, but told him that: you also protect your friends and when you go out, you make a letter-lightning to the member of the district Party office, that you protect Enver Metollari and that you put pressure on me.
On 24.III.1973, the Mine collective meets, where 143 people gather. During the analysis of this action of Jemin Gjana, the collective discussed in a healthy spirit, condemned this act and asked him to account: why you do not follow the instructions of the Party, what drives you to act like this, why you oppose them. Even in the collective he did not react. I asked you to give explanations and account. He was again in the first positions. In the collective, there were proposals for him to go and work in production to get better, there were thoughts that he should be given a warning.
During the discussions, there were also some who defended him, or maintained an indifferent attitude, there was also a communist here. The first proposal was implemented and out of 143 workers, 84 voted for him to be dismissed from office and go to production for education and training.
The decision of the collective is right; therefore, it was ordered to be fired and go to production. On the other hand, we ordered the justice bodies to look into the issue of criminal responsibility. Jemin Gjana, despite the fact that he has the appearance of psychopathy, he has brought political concerns many times. The political position of Jemini’s family has not been good.
Further clarification of the workers on this issue is ongoing.
Kukës, on 2/4/1973
SECRETARY OF THE DISTRICT PARTY COMMITTEE
(Sinan Demhasa)
The letter of the instructor of the Central Committee, Hasan Selenica, to Hysni Kapo
Comrade Hysni
Note:
In the district of Kukës, as it emerged from the previous information, there were reactions from unstable elements and enemies, during the preparation of Comrade Enver’s speech.
I talked to my friend Izet and he told me that they have taken measures and in addition to the ideological and political work and their unmasking, some cases are also being pursued by the prosecution to hit them.
Hasan Selenica
28.IV.1973
Hysni Kapo’s note in the instructor’s letter, Hasan Selenica, about the Kukës event
Gafurrit and Pirros
For the hostile problems that the districts inform me, to study how to organize against propaganda.
For the elements that are said to be out of place, of course the party and the authorities in the district should talk to them so that they don’t have to give them these answers, but also the citizens.
Hysni Kapo
The second letter of the Party Committee of the Kukës district, to the Central Committee of the ALP
LABOR PARTY OF ALBANIA “SECRET”
DISTRICT PARTY COMMITTEE Extra No. 1
K U K Ë S
No. 326 Kukës on 29.4.1973
CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE ALBANIAN LABOR PARTY
(Information Group)
T i r a n e
Regarding the matter that we have informed you with the information dated 17.IV.1973 and that dated 2.IV.1973, for the Chief Accountant of the Mine, Jemin Gjana, we inform you as follows:
In the Vlahen village of the Golaj agricultural cooperative in the Has area, when Comrade Enver’s last speech to the brigade was prepared, the citizen Lush Sokoli said: “I don’t want to criticize Enver (comrade Enver), that’s why he was talking about himself”.
Its member, Bajram Kovaçi, a communist with a low political-ideological level, was assigned to work on the speech by the cooperative Party bureau.
The political composition of this brigade is not pure.
In 13 families whose members work in this brigade, 4 of the families have escaped members, political prisoners, one of which is the family of Lush Sokol – Lush Sokol’s brother, Arif Sokol, being the secretary of the basic organization, has entered into counter-revolutionary activities in the service of the Yugoslav revisionists, for which he was severely punished, he is now out of prison.
The information about Lush Sokol was given to us by another communist and not Bajram Kovaçi. We sent an instructor from the district Party Committee to verify the matter. In the meeting with the instructor, Lush Sokoli explained that I said it – that the member of the bureau is asking me the question, i.e. – come on, who can criticize and I said so.
The member of the bureau does not accept that he asked the question “Who has to criticize”, but put forward the opinion “come on, who will discuss, let’s criticize ourselves and our friends”. It is understood that the poor organization of the discussion in this brigade has left room for political and hostile provocations.
In the meeting with the instructor, Lush Sokoli also stated this: – I said that the tasks that are presented in this speech are heavy, I cannot work as required”.
How the brigade’s position and ours was further acted:
The brigade gathered and Comrade Enver’s speech was worked on again. Two trained comrades were sent to the brigade, the instructor of the district Party Committee and the chairman of the Agricultural Cooperative. When he was put in front of the responsibility, he added that “I did it myself out of stupidity”, he denied the statement, according to which the member of the bureau asked the question only – who has to “criticize” and then he was put in front of the responsibility that other times like he talks back and forth, an undisciplined man, he was forced to admit that he was wrong.
At the brigade meeting, the attitude of Lushi’s brother, who tries to call himself “good” in the close circle, was also discussed. Even this one in the brigade declared that “I am indebted to the Party”.
The attitude of the brigade has been good, even from the beginning the brigade has expressed disapproval of Lush Sokol’s expressions. Despite all this, there have been positions to soften it, calling it the expression of a fool. But these attitudes have come from elements with bad political attitudes. Despite this, we consider the attitude of the brigade to be positive.
Our opinion is that we do not consider the expressions of this citizen to be accidental. They are the result of liberal attitudes towards proletarian discipline and non-implementation of legality. He tries indirectly, to say that the mistakes were made from above, by the leadership. The requirements of the speech, “difficult” the freedom of such categories of people.
It is true that in some people who have been criticized, there are also arrogant attitudes. It is precisely against these attitudes that we have opposed the force of the masses, the force of collective thought. In all cases, we can say that the category of these people has seen themselves narrowly in this way.
Regarding Jemin Gjana, the former head of the account of the Copper Mine, Gjegjan.
On March 22, 1973, the District Party Committee, studying Comrade Enver’s speech, decided to remove the antennas that transmit television signals of foreign stations, in our case that of Yugoslavia. The order was given to remove television antennas from the red corners of enterprises, houses and centers of culture and in other halls of institutions, not individual ones, without preparing the social opinion.
In support of this measure, the antenna of the culture club of Gjegjani Mine was removed, under the auspices of the secretary of the Bureau of the Mining Party. The television antenna of the Mine was universal. In opposition to this measure, Jemin Gjana goes and puts the antenna on. On March 23, the general meeting of the communists of Minera takes place, for accountability and elections. They were notified of this event. For this reason, the communists demanded that the meeting not begin without removing the antenna. They asked Jemini for this. He categorically refused. In these conditions, two communists went, removed the universal antenna, until the individual antenna was adjusted, to receive signals only for Tirana television. So, the antenna and television were not Jemini’s personal property, but at the service of the Minera collective.
Precisely for these reasons, the collective gathered and proposed that he go into production, a measure which was also approved by the bodies that had him in the nomenclature. He now works as a laborer. During the discussion about the arrogant attitude of his provocateur, he left nothing unturned in the address of the secretary of the Party Bureau, even the secretary of the District Party Committee Bureau who was sent there to verify and clarify the matter. Therefore, the measure taken against him seems fair and prudent.
In this case, there is only one mistake on the part of the Party secretary of the Mining Bureau, that before taking measures for the antenna, he did not explain the reasons for removing the antenna. For what reason, Yemen will be kept. But even in this case, he is not right, because Jemini was not tasked to remove the antenna, but someone else.
These were enough for detailed explanations.
FIRST SECRETARY OF THE DISTRICT PARTY COMMITTEE
Izet Dyrmishi
Hysni Kapo’s letter to Pirro Kondi and Gafur Çuçin
Gafurri
Pirros
What is this Jemin Gjana? Is it a framework? Is it a specialist? Or a simple worker who stays at home?
Is the antenna personal to Jemin Gjana TV, or the companies? If it is personal, when should it be taken away by force? Should it be proceeded with? How did we give the instructions? /Memorie.al
Hysni Kapo
