Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes secret documents of the Ministry of Interior, and the Party Committee of the district of Durrës and Shkodra of 1970, sent to the Foreign Relations Sector of the Central Committee of the ALP, regarding the organized groups of foreign tourists visiting Albania of that time, where the main part of them was occupied by Marxist-Leninist groups. In these secret minutes of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it is about the development of all tourist programs that the government agency of that time “ALBTURISM”, organized these tourist groups throughout the country.
Also, in these documents, it is noted in detail all the activity of tourists who during the period of their visits to the respective tourist destinations in Albania, were usually subject to some strict rules in order not to allow the “degeneration” of Albanian youth and society in relations. with foreign visitors. As well as with the “setting” of all foreign tourists with the written and unwritten rules of Albanian communism, regarding the organization of tourism and advertising the country before the eyes of the world. According to the documents in question, alarming for the officials of the Party and State Security Committees, the situation is constantly presented, especially in Durrës Beach, where compared to other districts the concentration of tourist groups would be greater. The “extravagant” dances, the inappropriate way of dressing and acting, as well as the constant interest in associating them with ordinary Albanians, would pose a serious problem for all structures of the Party Committees in the districts as well as for the officials themselves. senior of the Ministry of Interior to the Deputy Minister of Interior Feçor Shehu. This is due to the fact that ALBTURISM had previously signed contracts and agreements with foreign tourist agencies and groups that would visit our country, who were obliged to implement those agreements, where the main point was the appearance of tourists and clothing Theirs. Also, as it appears from these secret documents, a big problem for the Albanian state, or more precisely for ALBTURISM, the departments and other institutions that were in charge of this work, was a problem of the tourist guide, ie the places where they will be sent these tourists to visit. During a visit to the stables of the Shijak Agricultural Enterprise, there were no cows at all, which made the escorts and translators feel uncomfortable and did not know what to say to the tourists. Another thing that stands out in these secret documents, is the extremely great preoccupation, or more precisely one of the primary tasks of the Albanian state was not to accommodate and meet the minimum conditions of tourists, but their education through conversations with lecturers, shows recordings of Radio Tirana that were given with sound centers to tourist hotels, literature and books selected by the competent bodies, etc. etc. Another hot issue that constantly worried the organs of the Labor Party, would be the constant arrival in Albania of some people described by the communist regime as unwanted and with a hostile attitude towards the People’s Republic of Albania. Such refugees who after the end of the war from Albania, or their families, would try to enter disguised as tourists to see more closely the political-economic and social situation of the country. The most egregious case of this action would be that of Çesk Kallmet from Shkodra, whose family would visit Albania in September 1970, but who would immediately be placed under the full surveillance of the State Security. Another very interesting aspect described in these secret documents is the constant feeling of distrust and suspicion that the State Security organs nurtured towards different groups of tourists classified as “Marxist-Leninist groups”.
The bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs continuously intercepted and monitored without exception all the different groups of foreign tourists, who during the 48 years of the existence of the communist regime of Enver Hoxha, would visit the “Lost Paradise” of Albanian communism.
follows from the previous number
Report
SOME WORK PROBLEMS OF TOURISTS COMING TO OUR COUNTRY
In order for Albturism to properly perform the tasks mentioned in this report, it is necessary to take the following measures:
- The composition of the management staff of this enterprise should be strengthened with politically capable comrades, to look at the problems of tourism primarily in the political prism.
- To be given a staff capable of dealing with the work and problems of propaganda. In the staff it has this place, but it is not given and this problem so far is dealt with by the Deputy Director, who is in charge of many other issues and is constantly on the move.
- Along with the increase in the number of tourists coming to our country, the problem of escorts is becoming more and more difficult both for the Security and for their preparation. The needs of Albturism for these people are not understood and are not met by various institutions and especially by the State University of Tirana which should give more. Without these people there is no question of working with tourists. Here it would be absolutely necessary an intervention of the Council of Ministers, to command in this service during the two or three summer months some suitable staff from our central institutions.
It should also be noted that the ideo-political level of the escorts that have been made available, (mostly students) has been low and often times they have not been able to cope with the demands and sometimes with the provocative character of the tourists. This has been pointed out to us by the friends of the Party who have ascertained it.
Report: Tourists need a propaganda framework
- In Durrës, where in the months of July-August there are about 500 tourists every day, there is a need to have a staff to deal with the organization and propaganda work. Such a framework and for such a short time would not be difficult to make available to the Durrës Party Committee. He could be a retired teacher or some other social activist. For this service, tourism would also pay.
- Albturism has not been able this season to meet all the requests of tourists for excursions, for lack of buses. This work, among other things, brings great income. During this season from the excursions, for example, about 40,000 dollars were collected, which is equal to the value of the two buses.
It would be good for the problems of tourism, to organize a seminar in the center, where in addition to the staff working in this sector, also participate comrades from the Party Committees and the Executive Committees of the districts.
Report: Foreign sailors drink and quarrel with INTERKLUB
About Interklub
The Port of Durrës comes with dozens of ships a month, from many countries of the world that have large crews. “INTERCLUB” was built a few years ago to serve these ships. It depends on Albturism and in addition to the task of supplying the ships and meeting the material needs of their crews, it is also tasked with doing propaganda work. According to the data of the comrades of the Durrës Party Committee, this institution is not performing its duties properly and has been turned into a center where foreign sailors get drunk and beat each other.
Most of the sailors who come to the Port of Durrës, most of whom are poor, oppressed and exploited people, according to our rules, are not allowed to go out in the city and spend their time on the steamer, or in the halls of “Interklub” which is in the territory of the port. This cannot but arouse in the sailors, who are accustomed to roam freely in every port, a kind of anger towards our country. On the other hand, we are used to working with this large number of people, so we think that in this matter should intervene the Committee of the Party of Durres, which should not look at this situation, as well as central state bodies. To turn it into a model and propagandistic center of the Party’s ideas and the great realizations of our country.
To do this we think that the following measures should be taken:
- It is now being discussed that the administrator of INTERKLUB should be transferred to the Ministry of Communications and he should depend directly on the Port Directorate, which has a working relationship with ships. Experience has shown that Albturism cannot do this job properly.
- The Durrës District Party Committee should appoint a suitable staff as the leaders of the Club and help and properly control its work, primarily ideological and propaganda work.
- To equip the reading room with a library and publications in foreign languages, magazines, illustrations, photo-exhibitions, and other figurative materials from our country.
- To better organize the screening of our films, feature films and documentaries.
- Interklub to organize with groups of sailors, according to their desire and for a fee, collective excursions in the city of Durrës and abroad, visiting, as the case may be, an industrial and agricultural center. Often such excursions are required.
- To better organize the trade of books in foreign languages, discs, postcards, stamps, albums and handicrafts.
- In cases when we have an interest, concerts with numbers chosen by folk groups for foreign sailors can also be organized in the city.
- The interclub should better perform the task of supplying ships with food products, because there are cases when it is neglected in this regard and leaves the amount of foreign currency to the state.
Tirana, on 5.X.1970 Foreign Sector
Information: The fugitive’s wife came with the tourists
ALBANIAN LABOR PARTY Secret
DISTRICT PARTY COMMITTEE Exemplar No.1
Nr. 627 Prot. Shkodër, 25/9/1970
CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF ALP
(Foreign Sector) Tirana
At the end of August this year, together with a group of tourists from Sweden, came to spend the holidays in our country, the wife and daughter of kesk Kallmet, who fled in 1944 together with the German Nazi occupier, who is now in Sweden.
Like many other tourists, in addition to staying in Durrës, the wife and daughter of the above, also visited the city of Shkodra. Arriving in our city, despite the measures taken by the authorities, to observe their movements, during the visit here they paid a visit at home to their brother-in-law, Pac Kallmet.
This woman who came “as a simple tourist” has brought to the two brothers of the husband, Pac and Kola, a lot of loot, which she has handed over on this occasion. She herself is of Yugoslav origin and nationality and together with her 19-year-old daughter, have presented themselves with a Swedish passport. During the meeting they used the Yugoslav language, especially outside the family, but it is suspected that in intimate conversations they may have used the Albanian language.
In the family where they went to visit the “Skënderbeg” neighborhood, they photographed the former old house, in which the fugitive lived with his brothers, as well as the street, ostensibly to remember them.
We tried to inquire immediately as soon as we received the information from the base, how they were given the right to come as tourists to Albania and the answer of the friends of the Internal Affairs Branch here is that they did not know anything about it , and even more so that she was the wife of a person who had left his homeland.
Therefore, based on these data, we think and propose that the people who will come as tourists to our country, be better controlled and people like these, who do not deserve, not to be given the opportunity for such a thing, for the very fact that their arrival leaves a bad impression, their meeting with families with bad political composition, can give you a reason for propaganda against our country and on the other hand, the masses who know them, create illusions for liberal attitudes towards people with such composition.
P / DISTRICT PARTY COMMITTEE
SECRETARY
ZINA FRANJA
Memorie.al
