Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes some unknown documents extracted from the Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana, which deal with the conflicts between the Albanian and Italian governments in the years 1945-’53, as official Rome did not respond to the requests of from time to time of the communist government of Enver Hoxha, which had made some protest notes regarding the detention and accommodation in some camps of Italy, of the main leaders of the Albanian political diaspora, such as: Hasan Dosti, Ernest Koliqi, Kol Bib Mirakaj, etc.
How did the Italian government respond to the protest note of the communist government of Enver Hoxha and the response of official Tirana, where Enver Hoxha gave his suggestions, how the government of Prime Minister De Gasperi should be unmasked, both through various articles in the Albanian press and and with writings in the left-wing Italian press, supplying them with propaganda material
Our legate in Rome to turn back the Italian note, mentioning that that note does not correspond to reality at all and does not have the most elementary forms of politics. The party press and the progressive one in Italy, to write to unmask the statement of the spokesman of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This will also apply to Italian comrades to unmask De Gasper’s government now before the election by showing to the Italian public that the Italian constitution does not protect war criminals, enemies of the people, and people of fascism such as Hasan Dosti, Ernest Koliqi, Kol Bib Mirakaj etc. (Our legate to give them the material). “Even our press to write on the first occasion about this, exposing the position of the Italian government.” This is written, among other things, in a memorandum of the Albanian government, approved and signed by the Prime Minister Enver Hoxha himself, which is dated May 13, 1953, and which is addressed in response to a protest note made by the Italian government of Prime Minister De Gasperi. What is further said in that memorandum of the Albanian government and what was the essence of the conflicts that had started at that time between official Tirana and Rome? What was said in the bulletin of the Albanian Telegraphic Agency for the government of Prime Minister De Gasperi and what were the proposals of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana, which were approved by Enver Hoxha? All this is mentioned in a series of official documents that are in the archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana, where is the full correspondence of the heads of that ministry at that time with the diplomats of the Albanian embassy in Rome.
ATSH offends Rome (“Bandits de Rome”)
The quarrel or conflict between the Albanian communist government of Enver Hoxha and the Italian one, led by Prime Minister De Gasperi, had started in late 1944, when with the help of allied Anglo-American forces, dozens of Albanians fleeing politics found refuge and were taken under protection by the Italian government, which housed them in several camps in Rome, Santa Fe, Reggio Emilia, etc. From that time on, the Albanian government continued to urge the Italian government to extradite those Albanians held as political migrants in various Italian camps, calling them “war criminals” who had to be returned to their place to be accountable before the courts of the people. Among the main exponents of Albanian anti-communist emigration who had received the status of political asylum in Western countries, official Tirana most often mentioned the names of Hasan Dosti (who also chaired the “Free Albania” Committee) and Ali Këlcyra, Gjon Marka Gjoni, Ernest Koliqi, etc… But all the official requests of the Albanian government were never taken into consideration by the government of Rome, and based on this, official Tirana often made harsh statements in its direction, using even the most banal vocabulary. According to archival documents, one of these statements of the Albanian government, quoted by the Albanian Telegraphic Agency, was made on March 2, 1953, which forced the Italian government to submit to the Albanian embassy in Rome, a note of protest against the Albanian government… What does the statement of the Albanian government say about the government of Prime Minister De Gasperi, what was the protest of Rome in the address of official Tirana and what messages did the Prime Minister Enver Hoxha give to respond to the Italians?
Document for Enver
Regarding all these, it is mentioned in one of the documents of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dated 13 May 1953, which is addressed to the Prime Minister Enver Hoxha for approval, who with his hand has put the note: “I agree with this issue. To be done so. Enver”. That document states:
PRO-MEMORY
On 22.II 1953, in writing, our Legation in Rome informed us that on December 2, 1952, the Italian radio gave a show by Albanian criminals on the occasion of November 28, with slanders and fabrications about the situation in Albania.
The same show also talked about the gathering of Albanian criminals on November 28, 1952 in Rome, and were part of the speech of Eqerem Vlora. On the occasion of Christmas on December 20, 1952, the Italian radio broadcast the speech of Gjon Marka Gjoni against the People’s Republic of Albania.
On March 5, 1953, with a note, the Italian Legation in Tirana, informed this Ministry that in the bulletin of the Albanian Telegraphic Agency, dated March 2, no. 51, in the summary of the Albanian press (page 3 line 11) has reproduced an article of the newspaper “Zeri i Popullit”, in which there is an offensive expression (“bandits de Rome”), which is directed only against the Italian government.
The Italian Legation added in its note that: the bulletin of the Albanian Telegraphic Agency has an official character and as a result the reproduction of such an expression should be avoided, which is not only contrary to the diplomatic regulation, but also gives bad evidence, on the relations that exist between Italy and Albania.
On April 21, our Legation in Rome informs us that it had learned from the Italian reactionary press that on March 20, criminals Gjon Marka Gjoni and Ernest Koliqi, had held a political conference against our country in the cities of Parma, Crotone, Marsala, Trapani, Milan etc.
On April 22, we instructed our legate to make a protest note citing all of the above cases and noting that the Italian government, in violation of the Peace Treaty, was assisting Albanian war criminals and demanding their surrender.
On April 24, our Legation in Rome submitted the protest note to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Simultaneously with the submission of the note, we spoke with our press colleagues to write an article and to unmask this position of the Italian Government, regarding this and the election campaign in Italy.
On May 8, 1953, our Legation in Rome informed us that the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had responded to our protest, and that neither the date nor the policy formulas were included in the response note. In its note-response, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not respond to the facts, but says that Italy is a free country, where refugees under the constitution, not only are sheltered, but can develop those freedoms that are denied them in their place.
Simultaneously with May 7, 1953, the spokesman of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a press conference on the current problems, treated as a second point the relations with Albania, focusing on our protest and the response of the Italians. In this conference, the spokesman concluded his view on Albania, stating that the view of the Italian Government on Albania is well known: Freedom, independence, and territorial integrity (text of the last telegram).
On March 3, 1953, the Italian right-wing press published what the spokesman of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, adding and commenting that relations with Albania have not found the desired normality due to the alleged policy of our Government. During the press conference, the spokesman of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was asked by a journalist: what news does the Italian Government have on the situation in Albania, on the resistance and movements against the previous regime. The spokesman replied that it does not appear that the domestic and international situation in Albania has evolved. In relation to the above, we think that:
a) Our legate in Rome to reverse the Italian note, mentioning that that note does not correspond at all to reality and has no more elementary forms of politics.
b) The party press and ay progressive in Italy, to write to unmask the statement of the spokesman of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This will also apply to Italian comrades to unmask De Gasper’s government now before the election by showing to the Italian public that the Italian constitution does not protect war criminals, enemies of the people, and people of fascism such as Hasan Dosti, Ernest Koliqi, Kol Bib Mirakaj etc. (Our legate to give them the material).
c) Even our press to write on the first occasion about this thing unmasking the position of the Italian government “.
Letter from Rome to Pacram
Following the proposal made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana to respond to the Italian government, which was signed by Enver Hoxha, regarding the conflicts between the Albanian and Italian governments over the problem of the Albanian political diaspora in Italy, there is also a letter another from the Albanian embassy in Rome, which is addressed to Fadil Paçrami.
In that information, which bears the logo “Top secret” and entitled “Some information on the activity of Albanian criminals in Italy and the support given by the Italian Government to them”, as given some detailed data regarding the activity of the Albanian political diaspora in Italy, among other things it says: “We think:
Due to these acts of Albanian criminals, to write an article in the newspaper on the consequent hostile policy of the Italian government towards our country, mentioning the above facts of this hostile activity, but without mentioning in the article at all the note sent by our legate or that they sent us.
Our goal is to forcefully expose the activity of the Italian Government towards our country, but without entering into controversy with it. We have asked the left-wing Italian press to write about this issue, unmasking the statement of the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This will be useful for the Italian comrades to unmask the government now at the time of the elections, showing that with the Italian constitution it should not keep these people of fascism and instigators of war such as: Hasan Dosti, Ernest Koliqi, Kol Bib Kirakaj et al. but the Italian government has violated the Constitution in the most brutal way”. / Memorie.al
