Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes an archival document extracted from the fund of the former Central Committee of the ALP, which is a letter dated July 21, 1960, which Enver Hoxha sends to the Central Committee of the Communist Party. The Soviet Union, complaining about several serious incidents at the Albanian embassy in Warsaw, such as that of November 29, 1959, when the 15th anniversary of Albania’s liberation was being celebrated, entered the premises of its headquarters. by security officers, who attempted to steal some documents and set fire to the embassy. As well as the other case of a former employee of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs who had served as a diplomat at the Polish embassy in Tirana, who on June 29, 1960, entered the headquarters of the Albanian embassy in Warsaw and after removing the revolver, tried to kill Ambassador Muhsin Kroi.
“On June 29 of this year, a former official of the Polish embassy in Tirana and exactly its co-founder, and now, as he stated, an official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of Poland, appeared and entered the Albanian embassy. in Warsaw and, pulling out the revolver, attempted to assassinate our ambassador, Comrade Muhsin Kroi. “Officials at our embassy caught the criminal, disarmed him, and handed him over to the Polish Ministry of the Interior.” This is stated, among other things, at the beginning of a letter of protest sent by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the ALP, Enver Hoxha, sent to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, which is dated July 21, 1960. , where he complains to the Kremlin’s top leadership about several extremely serious incidents that took place at the headquarters of the Albanian embassy in Warsaw, where an attempt was made to set fire to the headquarters of the Albanian diplomatic mission accredited in the Polish capital, and in another case, it was attempted to assassinate Ambassador Muhsin Kroi himself. All these incidents that took place at that time with the Albanian embassy in Moscow, had their source in Enver Hoxha’s opposition to the policy pursued by Nikita Khrushchev with the liberalization of the country’s life and openness to the West, which had begun with Congress of the XX of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1956 when the condemnation of Stalin’s cult and the denunciation of his crimes began for the first time. In this context of events at the then Socialist Camp, the leader of the Polish Communist Party, Gomulka, who had been released from prison in 1953 where he had suffered Stalinist violence, could not easily overcome Enver Hoxha’s stance as loyal to Stalin. In this context, those incidents that took place at the headquarters of the Albanian diplomatic mission in Warsaw, are thought to have come precisely because of these attitudes of official Tirana and its leader, Enver Hoxha. For more on those incidents, see the document on the file, which Memorie.al publishes in full in this article.
Enver Hoxha’s letter of complaint to the Kremlin regarding the incidents that took place at the Albanian embassy in Warsaw
LETTER TO THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE SOVIET UNION CONNECTED WITH THE FIRST INCIDENT IN THE AMBASSADOR OF THE POPULAR REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA IN POLAND
Moscow
July 21, 1960
We received your letter dated July 13, 1960, regarding the unwanted incident that took place at our embassy in Warsaw, as a result of an attempt by an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of Poland to assassinate the ambassador. our friend Muhsin Kroi.
We are very sorry that such an incident occurred and it is understood that we are not to blame for this incident and the consequences that result from it, but the responsibility lies with the Polish comrades, who have not taken any measures to prevent such incidents.
To be fair, we want to tell you that two serious incidents took place at our embassy in Warsaw.
During the reception given by our ambassador in Warsaw, on November 29, 1959, on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the liberation of Albania from the Nazi-fascist occupation, a recommended element for service in this reception by the competent Polish authorities, attempted to rob state documents and set fire to the Albanian embassy, but the officials of our embassy immediately intervened, extinguished the fire, caught the criminal and handed him over to the competent Polish authorities.
This diversionary act, given the friendly relations that exist between our two countries, in a social and internationalist spirit, was verbally pointed out to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, demanding that measures be taken to prevent the repetition of gestures. such hostile to our country.
After this friendly intervention by our embassy in Warsaw, a militia was given to our embassy, which at the same time protects many other foreign embassies. All this showed us that: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of Poland dealt with this issue very easily.
On June 29 this year, a former official of the Polish Embassy in Tirana and exactly its co-sponsor, and now, as he stated, an official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of Poland, appeared and entered the Albanian Embassy in Warsaw and, pulling out the revolver, tried to kill our ambassador, comrade Muhsin Kroi.
Officials at our embassy arrested the criminal, disarmed him, and handed him over to the Polish Ministry of the Interior. From these two serious incidents, it is clear that the Government of the People’s Republic of Poland, in our view, has not only not taken seriously the security of our embassy in Warsaw and its staff, but has addressed this issue with one lack of serious consequence and with an inadmissible contempt, which does not agree not only with the friendly and internationalist spirit that connects our two countries but also with the formal diplomatic norms.
Can you imagine what an international scandal it would be if the ambassador of the People’s Republic of Albania in the middle of Warsaw was killed by an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of Poland, or our embassy was burned by “diversionists”?!
We think that these similar provocations are not coincidental and are done by enemy elements, who are trying to break the fraternal relations between our two countries.
The responsibility of the government bodies of the People’s Republic of Poland, in our view, consists in the fact that they have not taken any serious measures to stop such acts of provocation against our embassy and its staff.
The grade of our Government towards the Polish government is completely appropriate and is characterized by great patience in view of the course of events. But it seems that Polish comrades do not like it when the truth is told in their eyes and they are asked to do the most basic thing, to take measures to protect our embassy and its staff.
It was reasonable and necessary for us to temporarily remove our ambassador from Warsaw until the Polish government apologized and took appropriate action against these incidents, which were becoming a dangerous line and full of serious consequences.
The Polish government did not adhere to not only diplomatic norms but also the friendly and internationalist spirit, after these two very serious incidents, which were not our fault to the embassy and our ambassador in Warsaw.
In addition, the note of the Polish government’s response to our Government has been drafted in a contemptuous tone and in such a way that it is clear that the Polish government not only does not intend to admit its mistake but also does not. take measures in the future.
We will respond to the Polish note that what you are saying is very reasonable, that this issue, until it is regulated in the diplomatic line, will be regulated in the party line, however for us every action of the Government is in line with the line and decisions. of the Central Committee of the Party.
We tell you that we also tried this line. When the incident took place, Deputy Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of Poland, Comrade Nashkovski Marian, was in Albania on holiday and asked to discuss the issue at the party headquarters as a member of the Central Committee.
We accepted such a thing and he talked to the member of the Politburo and the secretary of the Central Committee of our Party, Comrade Rita Marko. Although this issue was raised by us in a party tone and spirit, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of Poland, Comrade Nashkovski, was accused not of being a party man, but of a diplomat.
His tone was the tone of the Polish note and no result was achieved. In addition, we must emphasize that the Polish comrades, following these serious incidents, took another measure, which does not fit the friendly and internationalist spirit that must exist between our two countries and parties.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Comrade Nashkovski, who has repeatedly expressed his desire to come and rest in Albania, and whose wish was granted, left his vacation and left. We cannot but consider this act as a contempt for the fraternal friendship that our Party shows to its Polish comrades.
We think that serious incidents and unfriendly acts towards our country show that Polish comrades are not only far from recognizing their mistakes, but also want to play against socialist Albania sister, the card of a great state to a small state.
Of course, they are wrong in their address and forget that the Albanian people and the Albanian Labor Party were neither born nor live at the mercy of their Polish comrades.
We have always wanted and want to have very good and close relations with the people, the party, and the Polish government, in the spirit of Marxist-Leninism, in the spirit of proletarian equality and internationalism, and we will continue this path with perseverance until in the end.
We have no objection to resolving the issue between the central committees of both parties, as you rightly recommend, but we think it is up to the Polish leadership, whether party or state, to take the initiative to correct. these serious mistakes of hers and give guarantees that in the future, such incidents do not occur.
With communist greetings
First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Albanian Labor Party
Enver Hoxha
Memorie.al
