Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes some unknown documents with the “secret” logo extracted from the Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana, which belong to 1945 and talk about a correspondence between the Albanian Military Mission attached to the Allied Command of Mediterranean based in Bari, Italy, regarding the cessation of aid by UNRR.A. for the Albanian government of Colonel-General Enver Hoxha, talks held with the representative of the US government near it, Harry Fultz, as well as of Albanian political emigration in the camps of Italy with the disputes that existed between them.
“The Rome-based opposition organization, among other things, criticizes our Government for refusing UNRR.A. aid, saying that the government there imitates Yugoslavia, which is linked to Russia, and that Albania, with this gesture, pursues pan-Slavic policy against the other two allies. “On the other hand, this will put the government and the people in an unresolved dilemma, because the people then mean that the government does not care about us, but only follows Yugoslav policy.” This is stated, among other things, in a long information of the Albanian military mission at the General Command of the Allied Mediterranean Forces based in Bari, Italy, which is dated January 16, 1945 and is sent to the Albanian Prime Minister, Colonel-General Enver Hoxha in Tirana. Who were the members of the Albanian Military Mission in Bari, Italy and what is further stated in their information? What are the main points of the report where the attention of the Albanian Military Mission is focused and what do they suggest to Enver Hoxha? What does that report say about the activity of the Albanian anti-communist emigration in the Italian camps and what were the problems and disagreements that they had between them? What were the conversations that the military of the Albanian mission in Italy had with Harry Fultz, the representative of the United States government at the UNRRA mission, set up to help war-torn countries? For all these, etc., is the secret report sent to Enver Hoxha, which is in the archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana, a part of which we are publishing below in this article.
Albanian military mission in Bari
Before the end of the war, at the beginning of the autumn of 1944, the General Command of the Allied Forces for the Mediterranean, based in Bari, Italy, gave the OK for the attachment to it of an Albanian military mission, which belonged to the forces. partisans of the National Liberation Army commanded by Enver Hoxha. The delegation initially consisted of: General Bedri Spahiu, Colonel Ramadan Çitaku, Colonel Kadri Hoxha, Lieutenant Colonel Halim Budo and Major Frederik Nosi, who was also the translator of the delegation. Among other things, two of the main tasks of that Albanian military mission were initially to request clothing and armaments for the needs of the partisan army and to coordinate combat operations for Anglo-American aircraft bombing German forces in Albania. These tasks continued until the end of the war in November 1944, and then the Albanian military mission based in Bari took care of the treatment of wounded partisans in the hospitals of the allied forces in Italy and the constant requests for various economic assistance, which were accorded by Western countries to the states most affected by the war. As in other Eastern countries, in Albania this aid was distributed by UNRRA, where one of its officials for Albania was the representative of the US government Harry Fultz, former director of the American Technical School in Tirana in the years ’30. But, in addition to all these tasks performed at that time by the Albanian military mission in Bari, one of the most important was the surveillance of the Albanian anti-communist emigration that was located in various camps in Italy. This is made known by dozens of archival documents where the full correspondence of the Albanian military mission in Italy with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana and the Albanian government is located.
Report of the Albanian Military Mission in Bari: “Here is how the Albanian reactionaries are being organized in Italy”
At the beginning of the information of the Albanian Military Mission in Bari, Italy, which is addressed to Enver Hoxha, it is about the activity of the Albanian anti-communist emigration in Italy. Regarding this, which is the first point of information, among other things it says: “I want to say here some findings about the Albanians here in general, and for those of Rome in particular: Before the Homeland was liberated i all from the occupier and exactly a few weeks after the mission arrived here, based in Rome, an organization “Agrarian Anti-Communist Party” was formed consisting of Zef Seregji, Xhemil Dinos, Nebil Dino (Federal of Tirana), Jak Koçi (right wing of Jakomonit), Ferit Dervishi (Zogist), Ymer Fortuzi, Haki Korça (* science student PL), Namik Resuli (former federal of Tirana), Ymer Shara (former Technical professor) and Don Franko Karma the Italian spy; Asim Jakova is a former deputy of Zog. This organization, born and supported by the British, Americans and the Vatican, was systematically and broadly propagandized against the National Liberation Movement in Albania.
This organization to some extent managed to influence all the Albanians of liberated Italy. With some mission work on the one hand and with the liberation especially of the whole of Albania on the other hand, this organization changed its form and began to give birth to another organization from the above-mentioned elements and other senior officials of previous governments (during the Zogu and the enemy occupations) as the Albanian opposition to the Nac-Çl Front. in Albania.
This organization has connections with most of the Albanians here, in America, Egypt and Turkey. This organization tries to form a kind of army of its own, as in some cases they try in any way to inadvertently take the wounded partisans. Its political line is that it ostensibly boasts the Nac-Çl Front. for the liberation of all Albania, but at the same time accuse him (the Front) that it is not a coalition of different parties, but only the Communist Party.
In order to have a truly Democratic Albania, they say, there must be at least one other party as a rival of the Communist Party, and from these two parties then the Democratic Government must be elected. As an example, we are attaching the original copy of the 13 points declared by Mr. Mehmet Bej Koniza, about which many other people who have been responsible for Albanian affairs talk and it is concluded that these points have been worked on for other Albanians as well.
This organization as well as the first is run and assisted by two allies and the Vatican. Another task of this organization is for its members to return to Albania and form the opposition, and another task is for some of them to cooperate with the Yugoslav reaction, especially the Greek one. We have tried to clarify the elements of this organization and especially the Albanian masses here, we have had some positive results based on the fact that the latter especially want to return to Albania. However, knowing what we wrote above, we are very prudent about this return to Albania. We will provide details and more soon. ”
Military Mission Report: “Americans Refuse Aid”
Following the report of the Albanian Military Mission based in Bari, Italy, sent to Enver Hoxha in Tirana, it is about the disputes born with the Anglo-American allies. In this regard, among other things, it says: “The Allies informed us that they will no longer send aid under the agreement they had with our delegation, saying that the war is over in Albania and that in Albania, we have sent more material than what the agreement contained.
They say that we will send aid to Albania again, but aid that is simply related to the reconstruction there, and for this we will not be of the previous agreement, but a military commission of the Military Reliefs has gone to your Government ( ML) which according to Fulz, is a military organization that aims to provide immediate assistance as soon as a country is liberated and this over time entrusts its work to develop more broadly and peacefully to the civilian organization UNRRA -s.
Our opinion on the above: When there was still fighting in Albania, the allies near us were very interested in the issue of UNRR.As in Albania and there was no talk at all about the immediate assistance of (ML) and according to these then it would be the right time for this kind of help. But after U.N.RR.A. there was not accepted on the basis of all its principles, and after their agents have ascertained that even the people and the army did not like the help of UNRR.A. in that way, they now try to intervene with another weapon, with this new organization.
This organization not only does not have the right time and place for our Homeland (the time why there is no war in Albania, the country why Albania is liberated) but it is something of a military organization which is the most intervening lady, under the pretext of this immediate assistance, more formally and more imposing than UNRR.A. self-proclaimed civil organization. This is a weapon, we think, that will coordinate with the creation of the opposition, with the Greek aspirations and with any incident that may occur on the Southern border, provoked by them or any treacherous gang that can recover and help Albania.
It would be different to help, of course, according to our UNRR.A. conditions as a civil society organization, because it had more opportunities to be controlled, more easily refused help in case it did not meet the conditions and it was easier to saying that you are not interested in internal affairs and whatever happens, and it is more difficult to control this new organization (ML) since it is purely military “.
Mission: “Our conversation with Fultz”
The information of the Albanian Military Mission based in Bari, Italy, also talks about the talks they had with Harry Fultz, the representative of the US government at UNRRA for Albania. Regarding the conversations that took place with Fultz and the other members of that mission led by the American government that was in charge of the aid that was given to Albania at that time, it says, among other things: “We heard from Watrous that the proposals of the allied commission (according to Fulz only the Americans of England), we have rejected.
For this, these two allies are very desperate, especially Watrous, who in connection with his walk throughout Albania and the baking of many elements of our military and civil Front, has formed an idea that all Albanians have a great distrust towards these two allies, and the seal of this distrust, he sees in the rejection of the proposals of their mixed delegation. If it is possible to forward their proposals to us and the manner of rejection so that we too can take a fair stand here.
Two and a half months ago in a conversation we had with Fultz we were told by him that: U.N.RR.A. It consisted of three great allies and many other states, and now, according to him, it turns out that it is composed only of America and England. British officials propagate that the Atlantic Charter is no longer respected, as they have not entered into a good agreement with America. This also happens to Albanians here and to some American officials. We received the envelopes from Comrade Captain I Nuri Huta, on the 7th of the trip.
After a study and a conversation with the political commissioner of the Yugoslav Mission here, we decided not to hand over these two envelopes to the military channels, because besides the suspicion that they were not sent where they should be, but they could be too late.
We will forward them through diplomacy: one of Mr. Churchill, we will hand over to Mr. Philip Brood, Deputy Minister Angles of the Mediterranean Center in Caserta or Rome, and to Mr. Roosevelt, Mr. Alexander Kirk, Ambassador of the United States United in Rome. Tomorrow on the 16th of K.M. we leave for this work and we send you the receipts. The allied office where we are connected (399 HQF) tried to get these envelopes through it as it was agreed because we would meet with these people. We avoided this by saying that they should go through the diplomatic route. “Mr. rosatros, as their delegation did not have the proper success with regard to the aid proposals, said that your government will not be recognized so easily.”
Report: “Situation in Albanian camps”
As can be seen from the report of the Albanian Military Mission sent to Enver Hoxha, one of his main points is that which has to do with the activity of the Albanian anti-communist emigration, which was located in the camps of Italy. This, in addition to the first part of the information, is given at the end of it, where among other things it is stated: The traitors are still in the concentration camp No. 1 (Karbunarë). They are treated day by day as best they can by the allies, they are allowed to go out. Some of them want to return to Albania, but are afraid for their skin and some others are determined to betray them. Even Eqrem Telhaj, based of course on the promises of the allies, said to see after 6 months.
There is a certain quarrel between them and especially through the Legality of the Ballistas in general, and between the Ballistas in particular. Let us know as soon as possible if there is anyone on the list we have sent to you who can return to Albania, so we can start working among them. In the above-mentioned camp there are 50 other Albanians who were interned by the Germans in Thessaloniki, we have sent them their list based on which you can ask the allies, if it is reasonable, to return to Albania and at the same time notify us to be interested in this direction.
Seit Kryeziu’s condition is still the same as we described before through Halim Buda. We suspect he may not be here. When Lila (Colonel Kadri Hoxha, our note, D.K.) was in Rome, the Italian Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Eugen Reale, was invited for a talk. Lila went and discussed simply privately. The Deputy Secretary of State of Italy requested the list of Italian war criminals in Albania, for the Italian army and civilians there, and for the establishment of a certain Albanian-Italian friendship, more strongly of a commercial nature.
In connection with the above, Lila always proposed in private that the Italian Government is required to speak well in its official press on the National Liberation War for the Nac.Çl. in general, for the liberation of Albania from its own Army, for the recognition of the Government, to speak ill of the Italian and German occupation in Albania, to denounce the various traitors, not to favor the Albanian fascists in Italy, to give us all the documents during the time of Zog and during the fascist occupation in Albania. Let us know at the same time whether all those Albanians who have signed the joint telegram that was forwarded with Halimi and those who appear on the list can return to Albania together with the prayers that we forward to comrade Nuri Huta “. / Memorie.al
