BY DASHNOR KALOÇI
Memorie.al / The history of conflicts, strained relations, and clashes between Enver Hoxha and Mehmet Shehu traces its origins back to the period of the Anti-Fascist War. It began around May 1943, when Enver sent a letter to the Vlora communist regional committee (which was led by Hysni Kapo and Mehmet Shehu), ordering them to dismantle the “fractionist group” of Sadik Premte and his supporters.
According to this order, Hysni Kapo was to kill “Xhepi” (Sadik Premte’s pseudonym) and Pali Terova, who were being sheltered in the villages of Gjorm and Tragjas, while Mehmet Shehu was also to arrest the commander of the “Çeta Plakë” of Vlora, Neki Ymeri (pseudonym “Vangjo”), and Xhemil Çakërri, who were in the Mallakastra area.
This is revealed by public testimony given several years ago by retired Colonel Idriz Seit Sadikaj – Mehmet Shehu’s childhood friend during the Zog Monarchy in the Mallakastra region and later his “right-hand man” during the Anti-Fascist War – who recalled: “The order for the liquidation of Sadik Premte was taken as early as June 1942 at a meeting of the Central Committee of the CPA by Enver Hoxha, Miladin Popović, and Dushan Mugoša. This decision to eliminate Sadik and Pali Terova, based on party rules, should have been processed in all communist cells, but in fact, it never was.”
“Mehmet Shehu himself admitted this at the First Conference of the CPA in Labinot, where he stated, among other things: ‘Regarding Xhepi’s faction in Vlora, we the partisans of Mallakastra had no knowledge at the time because it was not processed with us communists. I learned about it from my close friend, Vllas Arapi, who was among the primary communist leaders in Vlora.’ When we were in Greshicë – both the partisans of Mallakastra and those of Vlora – to cooperate regarding the ‘June Operation’ that the Italians were about to undertake, Mehmet Shehu called me, Vllas Arapi, Neki Ymeri, Xhemil Çakërri, and S.G., telling us that we were going to a party meeting in Klos. While walking along the road, Mehmet stopped me and Vllas and said: ‘If the Party told you to arrest me because I had betrayed, would you do it?'”
“We hesitated a bit, and then said: yes. He continued: ‘The Party has given the order to arrest Neki Ymeri and Xhemil Çakërri, for they have betrayed the struggle and the Party. They will be arrested and handed over to the court. This task will be carried out by you two and S.G. and Q.K.’ after these words, Vllas insisted, asking how such a thing was possible. Then Mehmet was forced to pull the order from his pocket, which had been signed by Enver Hoxha under the pseudonym ‘Shpati’; it was typewritten with dove-breast colored ink,” recalled Idriz Seiti regarding the order Enver had given Mehmet for the arrest of Sadik Premte’s supporters.
But how did events unfold, and was Enver’s order carried out? Regarding this, Colonel Idriz Seiti testified: “As soon as we arrived in Klos at Bilbil Klosi’s house, the four of us, according to the order, arrested Neki and Xhemil and locked them in a room, where Mehmet later met with them. Afterward, Mehmet assigned us a secret base to hold them in Çorush, and I was the person in charge of the group. Immediately, together with the comrades and the two detainees, we set off for the designated base. While walking, morning caught up with us, and to stay safe, we entered ‘Bektash’s Mill,’ telling the miller that ‘we had some party materials and would spend the day there as we were tired.'”
“The miller, who did not know our faces but only our names, became suspicious and went to the village to inform the Council Chairman, Brahim Rexhepi, and several partisans of Vlora’s ‘Çeta Plakë’ who were sheltered in the village. Following this, Brahim Rexhepi, along with Vlora partisans Bendo Asllani, Hydajet Micoli (‘Dysheku’), and others, surrounded the mill and demanded we surrender, as word had spread that spies had entered the mill. I identified myself from the window, and after me, Neki Ymeri (‘Vangjo’) spoke to them, saying: ‘We are guilty, for we have betrayed the party.’ I do not know if they heard these words, but after that, gunfire erupted in our direction.”
“We fired only to scare them off so they wouldn’t enter, because we had orders from Mehmet that we were not to surrender the two detainees alive to anyone except Hysni Kapo and Mehmet himself. As they fired at us while cursing – ‘Come out, you sh*tty spies’ – Hydajet Micoli attempted to enter the mill, attacking with grenades, and M. Islami shot and killed him. After this, the situation became very tense; the noise of the weapons created an alarm, and people from the surrounding villages gathered, as did the Martalloz unit commanded by Namik Xhafa and Arif Hasko. They decided to burn the mill and climbed onto the roof, removing tiles and calling for our surrender.”
“Having no other way out, I decided that, together with the detainees, we would exit through the mill’s water channel. As we were coming out, Neki and Xhemil emerged through the open mill gate, and from the bullets flying toward us, Xhemil was killed on the spot, while Neki was wounded in the hand. My comrades and I fired formally in their direction. As we were leaving, I ran into Brahim Rexhepi, who recognized me and told those on the roof to cease fire. Afterward, I requested a meeting with the local unit commanders who were there, and we agreed that the whole thing was a misunderstanding and the killing of ‘Milo’ and Micoli was accidental.”
“We asked for Neki Ymeri, whom the villagers of Kuta had taken in, but they only gave him to us when Mehmet arrived in the morning. We held Neki under arrest for several days until his trial, which spared his life after he performed a self-criticism. Later, Neki went to Vlora and joined Sadik Premte, who was his brother-in-law,” recalled Idriz Seiti regarding the “Bektash’s Mill” incident, where Xhemil Çakërri and Hydajet Micoli were killed.
Seiti’s Testimony: “Hysni Kapo Abducted Pali Terova!”
According to Idriz Seit Sadikaj’s testimony, the incident at “Bektash’s Mill” greatly aggravated the situation in Vlora for Sadik Premte and his supporters. Regarding this, he recalled: “According to Enver’s order, Hysni Kapo took it upon himself to execute Sadik Premte and Pali Terova without a trial. Hysni went to Tragjas, where Pali Terova was sheltered, and told him he had to go with him to a meeting with communists, without revealing the location. When they reached the mountain of Tragjas, Hysni told Pali to write a letter to Sadik Premte asking him to come there, and the letter was sent with a courier.”
“At the time Hysni took Pali Terova, Abaz Fejzo (Colonel-General, ‘Hero of the People,’ who died in Burrel prison as an ‘enemy of the people’) became suspicious and went immediately to warn Sadik Premte at his home in Gjorm. Abaz met Sadik on the road, as Sadik had already received Pali Terova’s letter and was heading to the location requested. After meeting, they immediately realized Hysni’s trick and raised the alarm in Gjorm, Lepenicë, and Brataj that their man, Pali Terova, had been abducted by Hysni Kapo! Following this, armed residents of these villages surrounded Hysni Kapo, telling him to release Pali Terova, as he was under their besa (word of honor) and they could not bear such shame! Hysni, under their pressure, was forced to release Pali Terova.”
“After this, Hysni went to Tërbaç to arrest Vehbi Hoxha (Major-General, ‘Hero of the People’), using the same method he used with Pali Terova. Vehbi was suspicious and refused to go with Hysni, saying they should hold the meeting there since they would take responsibility for notifying all the comrades. They threatened Hysni and forced him not to leave, holding him under arrest. Hysni barely managed to escape because Sadik Premte’s people were very agitated by his actions regarding Pali’s abduction and the attempt to repeat it with Vehbi Hoxha! Consequently, the attempt to dismantle Sadik Premte’s ‘fractionist group’ failed, and Enver Hoxha himself came from Tirana to Vlora, where he gave a strict order for their execution.”
“At that time, Sadik Premte, Pali Terova, and their people formed a separate unit and fought both against the Italians and against the communists of the Vlora Regional Committee, who pursued them everywhere. In response, Enver Hoxha ordered the creation of a special partisan unit to track and execute Sadik, Terova, and Neki Ymeri. Later, during an ambush by this unit, Neki Ymeri (‘Vangjo’) was killed, while on the other side, the unit commander Shyqëri Alimerko was also killed,” recalled Idriz Seiti regarding the failure of the actions to dismantle the “fractionist group” which, according to Enver’s order, Mehmet and Hysni had undertaken.
Idriz Seiti: “Hysni Sabotaged Enver’s Order!”
But how were these events perceived at the time by the partisans of Vlora and Mallakastra? Regarding this, Idriz Seiti recounted: “The failure to dismantle Sadik Premte’s faction – which included Neki Ymeri, Xhemil and Qazim Çakërri, Pali Terova, Vehbi Hoxha, Arif Hasko, etc. – was announced to us communists and the people of those areas.”
“From the conversations I had with Vllas Arapi and other comrades, the conclusion was drawn that: Hysni Kapo and Mehmet Shehu had intentionally sabotaged Enver Hoxha’s order for the physical liquidation of the fractionists. Both Hysni and Mehmet could have easily executed them, but they didn’t because, in addition to the acquaintances and family friendships they had in those areas, they were also against the terrorist line Enver was following at the time to eliminate his opponents. However, Enver Hoxha ‘put it behind his ear’ and would not easily forget that failure to follow orders, by either Hysni or Mehmet…” Idriz Seiti testified regarding those events and the impressions of ordinary communists about Hysni Kapo and Mehmet Shehu.
Mehmet Shehu’s Letter to Enver Hoxha, 1944
Regarding what is mentioned in Idriz Seit Sadikaj’s testimony – namely, the origin of the clash between Enver and Mehmet over the “Vlora fractionist group” led by Sadik Premte – it is also confirmed by an archival document dated December 10, 1944. There exists a letter written by Mehmet Shehu (handwritten) sent to Enver Hoxha, which states among other things: “Ever since before the National Conference held in Labinot, I was the organizational secretary of the Vlora Regional Committee. In Labinot, I received directives to destroy ‘Xhepi,’ who had hatched the plot against the Party. But since at that time ‘Xhepi’ was working in Mallakastra, and his departure from Vlora had made his family suspicious, he took advantage of the situation and asked me for permission to go home for a few days.”
“I gave him permission for five days so his family could settle. This, my mistake, caused ‘Xhepi’ to slip through our fingers then and there. After the trial held against the fractionists, I was removed from my organizational responsibility without any explanation, without any clarification. Not only that, but words were heard here and there that I didn’t know how to defend the Party…! The removal of the responsibility I held is considered by me as a Party measure against me, and the failure to provide an explanation for this measure has left me dissatisfied.”
“My condition became critical and tragic; twice I placed my revolver before me to end it once and for all in the most shameful way for a communist – to disappear myself. Weeping like a child had become a habit and the only means of consoling venting for me…! Anyone who reflects a little on this tragic state of mine can and should ask how it is possible for me to have reached such a state, what the causes of this state are.”
“In Përmet, instead of the comrades of the Central Committee asking this question seriously, instead of helping me express myself freely and without threats, to say what I could call the truth, they, on the contrary, took me, tortured me spiritually, silenced me, and threw me back into the hell from which I came. And when my partner, Fiqret, who was closer to me than anyone else, saw me suffering like a baby. Then, what are the causes?”
Besides the archival document containing the letter written by Mehmet Shehu in December 1944 – where the friction, contradictions, and his clash with Enver Hoxha are clearly visible (though Mehmet does not mention him by name) – those clashes did not end there. On the contrary, they continued further, even until 1950, when Mehmet held the position of Minister of Internal Affairs, which he had taken on October 30, 1948, replacing Nesti Kerenxhi.
Regarding this, in his public testimony (to the author of this article), Idriz Seit Sadikaj testified: “Around 1950, the contradictions between Enver Hoxha and Mehmet Shehu became so aggravated that Mehmet left Tirana and went to his village in Çorush, where he locked himself in his house, guarded by his loyalists – former partisans of the First Offensive Brigade who stood guard in shifts on the hills surrounding the village. When someone asked him: ‘What if they come here, what will you do?’ Mehmet replied: ‘I will take the rifle and fight, and I will never fall into their hands alive!'”
This public testimony by Idriz Seit Sadikaj regarding Mehmet Shehu’s contradictions with Enver Hoxha – or more accurately, their highly strained relations at times, which would only be “smoothed over” definitively on the night of December 18, 1981 – seems to contain significant truth. It is confirmed to some extent by this secret archival document (extracted from the Archives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs) belonging to July 3, 1950, which is published for the first time, along with the corresponding facsimile by Memorie.al.
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT WITH THE REPORT-INFORMATION FROM THE DIRECTORATE OF SIGURIMI DATED JULY 3, 1950, SENT TO THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE ALP, REGARDING THE COMMENTS OF LIEUTENANT HALIM HODAJ ON THE CONFLICT BETWEEN ENVER HOXHA AND MEHMET SHEHU
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA V.F. – L.P.
(Death to Fascism – Freedom to the People)
MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS Tirana, 3.VII.1950
TIRANA Prot. No.
Subject: TO THE DIRECTORATE OF SIGURIMI INFORMATION – DAILY
For the dates 1, 2, 3 / VII / 1950
Lieutenant Halim Hodaj, at the disposal of the Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of People’s Defense, regarding the Korean War, has said: “The war was started by North Korea and not by South Korea, as these people’s newspapers say. 53 states have risen against communism and in Japan; all communists have been imprisoned, leaving none outside.
Russian troops have come to Bulgaria because of the war. Then he said that Mehmet Shehu is on very bad terms with Enver, to the point that things have gone to ‘remove him or be removed.’ Because of this, Mehmet has been isolated inside his house. This quarrel stems from Mehmet saying that we should stand until the end with ‘Mustache’ (Comrade Stalin), while Enver with the others seeks to change the situation and link with the West.
Mehmet calls these people traitors, and because he is isolated at home, the documents for him to sign go to his house. Enver was called to Moscow, but he did not go because he is afraid they might do to him what they did to Dimitrov, who was called to Moscow and then sent to a camp, where he was poisoned and embalmed. Enver doesn’t fall for this, so he doesn’t go.
Soldier Musa Tura, effective of the Tank Regiment (enemy), has said: ‘It’s pointless to say the Camp of Peace is strengthening every day like a granite pillar, but if we look, this isn’t true; Mao Tse Tung is slipping through their fingers because he understands that this path was very harmful, and he turned policy just as Tito did before.’
Because of this, the newspapers of America and England are praising Mao Tse Tung, as he is showing great political leadership and refused to become a colony of the Soviet Union and send every production to ‘Mustache’ (Comrade Stalin).
In another case, talking with soldier Nexhidet Libohova regarding the Kamza Farm, he said: ‘Today’s power belongs not to the majority, but to a ruling clique. With the farm’s land, thousands of villagers and workers could be fed, but since this wealth is in the hands of a clique that rules, the opposite happens; i.e., we suffer.’ / Memorie.al
Conc. H.N. DEPUTY HEAD OF THE ARMY SECURITY BRANCH
Dakt. H.B. Captain 1st Class Farudin Jaho
Printed in 5 copies
