Dashnor Kaloçi
The third part
Memorie.al publishes some archival documents extracted from the Central State Archive in Tirana, (the fund of the former Central Committee of the ALP), where the political diary of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Labor Party of Albania, Enver Hoxha, for the period 1973-1980, where he kept notes and made analyzes and conclusions about various meetings and conversations he had at that time, mainly with the former Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu, with the secretary of the Central Committee of the PPSh , Hysni Kapon, with the deputy prime minister and member of the Political Bureau, Spiro Koleka, etc., with whom he has discussed issues of Albania’s foreign policy and mainly relations with the People’s Republic of China, as well as the influence it had in the international arena, etc.. But in addition to these, also with the reports and relations of the official Tirana, with a number of other countries of the Communist East and the West, mainly in trade relations, such as: Yugoslavia, Poland, Czechosl Slovakia, Soviet Union, Greece, Austria, Sweden, Italy, France, Switzerland, West Germany, Canada, etc.
In the archival documents in question, where his political diary is located, Enver Hoxha also took note of some conversations he had with Mehmet Shehu, such as the one on July 15, 1973, who suggested that they take some steps in politics foreign affairs, holding talks first with France, Switzerland or any Scandinavian country, which Enver did not approve, saying that he was looking forward to the USA, the Soviet Union, etc. Regarding this, in his political diary, among other things, he writes: “I was in our club with Mehmet Shehu and Spiro Koleka. Talking about the development of events in the world, Mehmeti expressed his opinion: ‘If we get official contacts for political talks, to present our views, first with France, then with Switzerland and with some Scandinavian countries, etc. This should be done by sending our Minister of Foreign Affairs and they should mutually send theirs’.
He finds this moment reasonable due to the fact that France is currently dissatisfied with the Brezhnev-Pompidu agreements. I did not support this proposal, because we do not win anything, we only lose in the international arena, and I explained why. It is true that in these conjunctures, France is unhappy and tries to split, and we must help to deepen these contradictions”. Regarding this, as well as the other notes that Enver Hoxha kept in the political diary belonging to the period July 1973 – July 1980, mainly the conversations he had with former Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu, such as those about the Italian engineer who lived in Milan and was contacted by a group of specialists from the Ministry of Industry, as he claimed to have an apparatus for the discovery of oil, negotiations with West Germany, for the payment of war reparations, for which he (Enveri) had shown great displeasure for the procrastination of them and the majesty of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nesti Nase, (who according to him was sleeping), until Enver’s clash with Mehmet, over the book ‘Hrushovianet’ that Hoxha had prepared for publication in 1980 and gave them to read made a remark, some of the friends of the Political Bureau, etc.
Continues from last issue
Archival document with the political diary of Enver Hoxha in the period 1973-1980
TUESDAY MARCH 13, 1979
BEWARE OF FOREIGN ECONOMIC AGENTS IN THE OIL FIELD!
I talked with friend Hysni about an issue related to oil. At the beginning of this month, I talked with Mehmet Shehu about a problem of this nature. In a telegram from Rome, our ambassador informs us that, according to the instructions he received from the center, he called for lunch an oil specialist from Milan, who told him that he could come to Albania, to give clarifications on an apparatus for the discovery of water in oil, but, for him to come, he has to stay for two months and we pay him 30 thousand dollars, or, neither more nor less, 25 million lire salary.
On the other hand, he had told him that, “after we do the surveys, I cannot return this device to study the existence of oil, but for this it will take 8 months and the device can cost up to 80 thousand dollars “. He had also told our ambassador that we should not talk with AGIP. Ours, it seems, have made timely contact with this person. This is about 7-8 years from what I remember, that is, this person entered us since the time of Abdyl Këllez, Koço Theodhos, Lipe Nashi and other saboteurs of the oil fields.
What is this man? Of course, this is an element of AG1P, a qualified economic agent, appointed by this company to contact Albania, to allegedly make proposals on oil matters and to provide equipment, which itself cannot he does, but what AGIP gives him. In other words, we are dealing with a new Italian agency, to enter our country to control the state of our oil and gas.
I told Hysniu that the Security must study this issue very carefully and suspend the visit of our oil delegation to this person, because an oil delegation about 8 years ago, during the time of Abdyl Këllez, also went to this person person, allegedly studied the deep wells in Milan and gave them information.
At present – this Italian tells our trade officials, who are in Milan and who keep in touch with him that his inventions, according to a French oil institute (and to this he showed them a letter which supposedly came to him from this institute), the Chinese have put them to excellent use.
By this he means, he says that these inventions were taken from you, the Chinese that is, he also accuses us that the Chinese took this important information that he gave us. Our people here in Tirana investigated in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the Ministry of Industry and Mining and, in fact, from our Ministry of Foreign Affairs were found in the Ministry of Industry and Mining, the letter that conveyed this information of to this man, but the copy of the information was not actually found.
However, we must suspend contacts with this person, clarify once and for all who introduced this person to us, who created these contacts, what they did with this person and act with the greatest care, why AGIP is a large international oil company, which has exploited and oppressed our people, and prepared the occupation of Albania.
“In no way should we allow the Italians to get into oil, if we need to buy some equipment, we should know what we need, buy, order and we implement with our people, since these devices exist, we buy them with contracts and, if they don’t give us results, we return them.
In addition, I told my friends that yes; they are lax about accepting in our country, under the pretext of doing business with the West, delegations with a large number of specialists.
For example, we expected from France a delegation of 20 people, Belgium requests to also send 20 people, with two ambassadors in charge, as well as Sweden, Switzerland has also made such divisions and why this? For nothing.
They don’t buy us anything; they come to our country only to tax our opportunities and economic strength, to hit us, to sabotage us. Trade must not be done in this way, we must send samples of our goods to these countries, send people and bargain with them, and, for such goods as they are interested in, we may allow a person or two to come, but not from 20 people, from 17 people and from 15 people, because this is to the detriment of the economy and the Security of our State.
By allowing them without criteria, we give them the opportunity to be informed about our main issues, about the economic strength of our country, which means about the strength of our defense and resistance. Until now we have protected the homeland and we have not allowed any foreign journalist, whom we have considered suspicious, to come to Albania, we have also not allowed any filmmaker who we have called suspicious, to come to Albania to shoot a documentary for the propaganda of our country and, no longer, to allow such large delegations, as we see in China and that the Chinese, for this activity they carry out, we criticize them.
With this practice, we tell the Western countries, exactly what they write, that we are supposedly left in the middle of the road and at their mercy, therefore we allow them to come with economic espionage experts in groups of 20, 17 and over 15 people. This kind of work is ill-conceived, that’s why the “meter” should be set, I told my friend Hysni, and he agreed with my opinion.
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 19, 1980
THE PROBLEM OF COMPENSATIONS FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY MUST BE DEALED ON A STUDYED AND SERIOUS BASIS
Yesterday I criticized the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nesti Nasen, for the very poor handling of the issue of reparations owed to us by the Federal Republic of Germany. The friends of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not only do not have initiative, but even when others open up to them, they do not think, they do not work and, in order to find work, they make infantile and harmful proposals.
Concretely: it has been so long since our ambassador in Belgrade contacted the ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany and submitted our demands regarding war reparations. He replied that the amount we are asking for is large, that they no longer pay compensations, etc.
We, the German ambassador said, want to establish diplomatic relations with you, and then find some formula for solving the issue you raise. Our Foreign Minister transferred the talks from Belgrade to Vienna, allegedly because the German ambassador “was more reasonable” here. And the ambassadors talk endlessly, while our minister advises our ambassador to continue the talks without bread.
The Germans want this, to leave the impression that: the Federal Republic of Germany has a grudge with the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania. Thus, the talks between our ambassador and that of Federal Germany, with the approval of the head of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are returning as those that used to take place between the Chinese ambassador and that of the United States of America in Warsaw.
About this important problem, I talked for hours with Nesti Nas and Mehmet Shehu and I told them that, if we want to get something out of the Germans, our demands for compensation must be as realistic as possible and we will succeed to those with new proposals, proven and possibly more acceptable, why the German has not come forward to give brands.
Only out of trouble can he give us something. And so we agreed. As for Nesti Nase, he asks for my opinion on the question that he thinks our ambassador will ask the ambassador of Bon, when he has a discussion with him: “What do you understand by economic relations”?
But the German can repeat this question to our ambassador, why he told him in time that we Germans do not pay reparations, but we can give you loans, which you do not receive, and do you other economic favors.
I told him that I do not agree with his proposals and with his actions without deepening. New lists and proposals must be prepared and presented to the German side. Only on these bases should negotiations be held and not on any basis or, on burnt grounds.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 1980
WE WANT THE APPETITE OF YUGOSLAVIC TITISTS
Yesterday I read the radiogram of our ambassador in Belgrade, with which he announced that the Yugoslav Prime Minister, Djuranovic, had asked him for a meeting. I asked Mehmet Shehu today if Gjuranovic’s request is for a protocol meeting, as he does with foreign ambassadors who come to us for the first time, or if it is a meeting to make some special communication.
He replied that he did not know for sure what the character of this meeting is, but, as he told me, he thinks it may be a protocol meeting. I told him that, if it is so, it is another matter, but if it is for some special problem, of course, we have to think.
I reminded him on this occasion, but not without purpose, that I was informed in the past that, when he received the Yugoslav ambassador, he had proposed exchanges of delegations at the rank of Foreign Ministers and “for this, you had not responded” therefore , I am of the opinion that they, the Yugoslavs, may have taken this position for approval and, as well as the “congratulations for Tito’s recovery”, the Yugoslav coders may have been encouraged and repeated the proposal they made.
Mehmet Shehu told me that he would look into this, but added: “I believe that our ambassador in Belgrade has his thoughts in his head and will inform the Government first”. I told him that he, of course, has his own thoughts in his head and does not do anything without the Government’s guidance, but, however, we have to see this matter.
We will give the Yugoslavs their appetite, they cannot put us in a bracket, trying to take advantage of our article published in the newspaper “Zëri i popullit”, on January 19 of this year, where it is declared that: the Albanian people will to stand by the people of Yugoslavia, in case of any eventual attack against Yugoslavia by the Soviet Union or any other power.
This statement of ours excludes any reconciliation and political and ideological meeting with the Yugoslav revisionist leaders. In the conversations that our friends have with the Yugoslavs, they must be very discreet. They must be very careful and attentive in the words they say and in the thoughts they give.
To give a fair and quick interpretation, but also without rushing, to the words, thoughts and problems raised by the Yugoslavs, giving them clear answers, so as not to allow equivocal thoughts. Currently, as I see it, the Yugoslavs are trying to use even the fatal illness that Tito has in the interest of their capitalist revisionist politics.
They have gone so far as to say, as one of their main leaders, Grličkovi, did in the last few days, in a speech he gave in the active of a municipality, that Tito’s illness has become an international referendum for the approval of the right Yugoslav policy from all over the world!
Around this point, this Grličkov then spins the theory of the Yugoslav leadership, before and after Tito, claiming that the current world crisis and catastrophe can only find a solution within the framework of his theory of the Yugoslav administration, which he generalizes and makes world current for going to “socialism”, while he puts the policy of “disengagement” in the first place, in front of the policy of “polarization” of the two superpowers and of “multipolarism”, mentioning Europe, Japan and China.
But, for the speech of this Titist, yesterday I made a series of special notes, in which I clearly point out the capitalist, revisionist, traitorous theses of Yugoslav Titism.
THURSDAY JUNE 12, 1980
AGAIN ON THE ISSUE OF GERMAN REPARATIONS
Today, I again drew Mehmet Shehu’s attention to the clumsiness with which the issue of war reparations that we request from Boni is being pursued. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nesti Nase, is slowing down this issue and shows neither initiative nor vitality. Boni, through a German newspaper, is indirectly making his proposals, while we have asked Nesti Nase for our options 10 times, and he is sleeping. I ordered them to determine our procedure immediately.
THURSDAY 10 JULY 1980
NOTE
Before publication, I had sent my new work “Hrushovians” to the friends of the Political Bureau so that they could read it and give me any comments if they had any. They read it, sent it back to me, and tell me they all found it good and very useful. They had no remarks but a few words, some correction of expression, or some fuller definition from the memories. I read them carefully. Some I accepted, some I left out, because they seemed unnecessary to me.
So I left aside an “Introduction” that Mehmet Shehu had made without anyone uploading it. It seems that he wanted to put his name, to give the “visa” for this work, arrogantly having the stamp on these memories, inventing events and facts that did not happen like that. Now the work “Hrushovians” is ready for printing and translation into foreign languages. Memorie.al
