Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes some documents marked “secret” from the Central State Archive in Tirana (the fund of the former PPSh Central Committee), which belong to the year 1972, in the information report drawn up by the Albanian ambassador in Rome, Piro Koçi, sent to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Tirana, Nesti Nase, where he informs his superior about the frequent meetings of the journalist Michele Rubin, with the Albanian diplomat of that representation, Faiku, who in between to others, he had told him that elements of the American CIA, knowing that he was a friend of the Albanian embassy, had tried to bribe him, with large amounts of money, to infiltrate him in the affairs of Albania. The complete information report of the Albanian ambassador from Rome to Minister Nesti Nase, where, among other things, it is stated: “On Saturday, August 5, at 6 o’clock in the afternoon, the journalist Michele Rubini paid Faik a visit to the embassy. Among other things, he told him the following: “Elements of the American CIA, based in Italy, have recently met with him and tried to bribe him with money, let him understand that even with pressure , so that he agreed, in any meeting with Faik, to hold a provocative conversation and record it, to have it as compromising material for the embassy adviser. They, according to him, told him that: they are aware of his meetings with Faik, but as Rubini said, they need to “give a blow to the adviser of the Albanian embassy”. Rubini said that he did not accept such a service and expelled them, saying that his relations with Faik are healthy and friendly relations, not related to things that could justify such provocations. During the conversation with Faik, Rubini said that he expected him to thank him for this warning. Regarding these and others, we know the document in question, which Memorie.al publishes in this article and with the relevant facsimiles.
The information report drawn up by the Albanian ambassador in Rome, Piro Koçi, sent to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nesti Nase in Tirana, about the meetings of the Romanian journalist Michele Rubin with the diplomat of our embassy, regarding his meetings and conversations with CIA agents. s american
EMBASSY OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA
Rome, August 7, 1972
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
(Friend Nesti Nase)
On Saturday, August 5, at 6 pm, journalist Michele Rubini paid Faik a visit to the embassy. Among other things, he told him the following:
Elements of the American CIA, based in Italy, have recently met with him and tried to bribe him with money, let him understand that even with pressure, so that he would accept, in any meeting with Faik, to conduct some provocative conversation and record it, to have it as compromising material for the embassy advisor.
They, according to him, told him that: they are aware of his meetings with Faik, but as Rubini said, they need to “give a blow to the advisor of the Albanian embassy”. Rubini said that he did not accept such a service and expelled them, saying that his relations with Faik are sound and friendly relations, which have nothing to do with things that could justify such provocations.
During the conversation with Faik, Rubini said that he expected him to thank him for this warning. Faik tactfully reminded Rubini that they had met together at a reception at the Romanian embassy here, two years ago, and that Rubini has shown interest in getting to know the problems of our country, that he had come to the embassy, for to receive material on Albania, that he had invited Faik for lunch at the restaurant and that Faik had responded, that Rubini had said that he would try to write positive articles about our country in the Italian press and even expressed a desire to visited our country in order to write even better.
Faik reminded him that he is interested, on special occasions, in getting to know our country’s position on various international problems, so that, in the meetings and talks, there were never things that bothered anyone, and that these relations, created on Rubini’s initiative, were without any obligation to each other and that the talks were always correct and normal.
So, Faiku told him, he did not see any reason to thank him for this “signaling”, as far as their relationship, there were no things that did not work.
Rubini repeated the completely normal and regular character of his meetings with Faik and added that the American CIA does not give up its “strikes” against the adviser of the Albanian embassy. He said that the CIA also operates between the Italy-Albania Friendship Association and through Marxist-Leninist groups, or that remove themselves as such, so his signaling should be understood with a wider framework and as a specific goal.
Faik briefly spoke to him about the character of the Association, as a center of Italian friends of Albania, and told him that the embassy has nothing to do with other Marxist-Leninists, that any Italian citizen can come to the embassy to request any material on Albania, and we as an embassy, are not interested in his political or ideological views, because we are the state representation and perform our duties in accordance with the principles that regulate the relations between the two countries.
Rubini replied that the CIA, both in Italy and in other countries, operates independently of state relations between countries, so that it, that is, the CIA, has infiltrated, or will infiltrate with its people, as provocative elements, whether in the Association or in Marxist-Leninist groups, or who remove themselves as such. He repeated that the aim is always to hit Faik.
During the conversation, Faiku told Rubin that he is a friend of the embassy, that is, of Albania, that we will invite him, as we have done so far, and in the future, to film screenings at the embassy and to various receptions that may we have, and it belongs to him, as he said before, to make an effort to write positive articles about our country in the Italian press, because this serves the understanding between the two peoples and the two countries. He said that he will be interested in writing. With that, the conversation ended.
Who is Michel Rubini? He is about 30-32 years old. Journalist by profession. He works as a correspondent for the Romanian newspaper FLACARA. He spends part of his time at the Romanian embassy here, where he also met Faik at a reception two years ago. He is not married and, like him, does not belong to different political parties. He has always spoken as a leftist, that is, against American imperialism, against capitalism and the Vatican. He also spoke against Soviet and Italian revisionism.
He said that in our ideological materials, he has always found scientific analysis of the international situation, which has helped him as a journalist to better and more deeply understand problems such as the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Soviet-American cooperation, etc.
During the meetings with Faik, he did not ask any questions, even indirectly of a provocative nature. It was correct. Since last year, he has shown the desire to visit our country, in order to write positive articles in the Italian press. A few months ago; has said that on the basis of our materials studied by him, he has drawn issues which he will address in the articles he intends to publish in various Italian press bodies.
The meetings with him have been normal, because he goes to various receptions at the diplomatic representation, as well as to various activities of the friendship association, Faiku has met with him on these occasions as well, and as it happens, on certain occasions, in these receptions, during the conversations with him, were also journalists or other diplomats, so the conversations were quite ordinary and normal. Several times he requested that he come to the embassy himself and was received by Faiku
Ruby is not very mature and confused in thoughts. It is difficult to draw definite conclusions about what Michele Rubini said. However, we have these thoughts:
1 – It is possible that elements of the CIA approached him, as he says. This is because, as is known, the Western European counter-intelligence bodies, in cooperation with the American CIA, work towards “extra-parliamentary” leftist forces, such as in Italy, France, etc.
This issue, as we informed you, was also discussed between Italian leaders and Rogers, during the latter’s visit to Rome last month. The CIA cooperates with the Italian and Greek Secret Service, for the annihilation of left-wing forces and groups, introducing provocative elements into their ranks.
Michele Rubini, not by chance, mentions in this meeting Faiku, the Albania-Italy Friendship Association, as well as the Marxist-Leninist parties that call themselves such. The embassy’s relations with the association are correct and normal. It is also known that Fosco Dinnuci, Livio Risaliti, Carmelo Fragomeni, Angelo Grazzi, and other leaders of the Italian Communist Party come to the embassy.
They also come from “Servile il Popolo”. What stands out regarding the Association, is not only its propaganda activity for Albania, and the fact that leaders of the Italian Communist Party, as well as other militants of this party, meet there from time to time, outside of the mass activities that take place on the side of the association.
In our opinion, it is a pressure put on us through Michele Rubini to take into account our ties with the Albania-Italy Friendship Association, or the Marxist-Leninist forces, which remove themselves as such.
It is difficult to say in this regard, whether Rubini has really maintained the position he says towards the elements of the CIA who have approached him, or whether he is trying to play a double game in front of us, removing himself as a person who is helping us with this alert but, who is tasked to perform exactly this task.
2 – The possibility is not excluded that Rubini, under the guise of the CIA, wants to cover the Italian authorities, specifically the Italian Secret Service, who may have introduced him to give us this alert. It is known that Faiku was an employee of the Foreign Sector of the Central Committee and dealt with the problems of the Marxist-Leninist movement.
At the same time, he meets here with members of the Italian Communist Party and Marxist-Leninist militants. Despite that, he only listens to them and never shows any thoughts or considerations about the problems they raised. It is known that he has had these connections for a long time. Why exactly now, this alert from Rubin’s side?!
Maybe the fact that the official, who is known to have been the Deputy Director of the Foreign Directorate of the Central Committee, was taken by the Italian Secret Service as a further strengthening of our relations as an embassy with the Marxist-Leninist forces?!
So it hints that the embassy must be careful in its relations with these forces, especially now that Giulio Andreotti’s government on the one hand, and the Italian Secret Service in collaboration with the Americans on the other hand, are drawing up drastic measures against these groups the left, introducing provocative elements into their ranks as well as hitting their leaders.
3 – Michele Rubini, has close ties with the employees of the Romanian embassy, and the possibility is not excluded with those of the Soviet embassy, due to the close ties between Romania and the Soviet Union. The Soviet revisionists, as much as the Italian revisionists, are troubled by the fact that the authority of our Party has grown so much in every other country as well as in Italy.
There is a possibility that through Rubin, the Soviets will put psychological pressure on us in order for us to give up or limit our work, for the distribution of ideological and propaganda materials, either through the Albania-Italy Friendship Association, or through the Italian Communist Party, to whose address we send these materials directly. This would be a renunciation of the war against Soviet and Italian revisionism.
4 – There is a possibility that Michele Rubini concocted this signal himself, in order to win our trust and for him to visit Albania. He requested such a thing, but we did not approve it. We have not told him anything about our proposal, or about the center’s response. But we let him understand that even without going to Albania; he can write articles to see his opportunities in this direction.
These are the possible variants. And in this regard, we will take the following measures:
1 – To review our acquaintances and increase our political vigilance in our relations with them, gradually and tactfully selecting the persons who are thought not to constitute a sound guarantee for our work, studying them as a whole, e.g., both by their social circle and their personal political views.
2 – With Rubin, let’s not sever relations immediately, but do so gradually. If he asks to come to the embassy, we should accept him, but we ourselves should not invite him to various events. In meetings with him, or in receptions organized by the embassy, be careful. Let’s not let him understand that we doubt him, but that we appreciate him for alerting us.
3 – To talk with Fosco Dinnuci, in order to give up the practice of having lunches and dinners with him, when he comes to Rome, as part of vigilance, but without entering into specifics. He, appoint a person to keep in touch with us at the embassy.
4 – In meetings with local acquaintances, we will mainly deal with problems of the international situation. Let’s handle the internal problems here with great tact and care. Let’s follow the latter through the press and in meetings with diplomats from other countries. Memorie.al
Ambassador
(Pirro Koçi)
