“Small children may die, so the order for the removal of bread ration cards against families who have people in prison should be reconsidered, since…” / The rare document from 1955 with Kiço Ngjela’s order is revealed.

 “Kadri Hazbiu complained to Hysni Kapo, who forced Kiço Ngjela to withdraw the order he had sent to institutions and departments” / The rare document from 1955 with Kiço Ngjela’s order is revealed.

Memorie.al / A secret directive had been distributed on June 8, 1954, by the Ministry of Trade, to remove food ration cards from all families of prisoners. But a year later, the Minister of Trade, Kiço Ngjela, seemed to have “repented,” having understood its consequences. Orphaned children with mothers unable to work, who constituted a good part of the families with political prisoners in Albania, were left on the streets, hungry and unable to buy even dry bread.

Based on this situation, Minister Kiço Ngjela issued another document on August 19, 1955, where he decided on an amendment to avoid the consequences of the order from a year earlier. He was conscious that the withdrawal of food ration cards from prisoners’ families would mean that the children of these families would die of starvation.

The amendment in the new document, according to Minister Kiço Ngjela, “is only intended to prevent the death of persons who will truly find themselves exposed to such a risk.” But he also did not forget to note in the document that this should not be understood as a softening of the first order.

Nevertheless, this “sincerity” of Minister Kiço Ngjela would cause a “seismic event” reaching the highest echelons of the regime. This was a careless document, using a language intolerable for the regime’s armor, language that could be used as a weapon by anti-communist propaganda.

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Kadri Hazbiu, was the first to sound the alarm about this document and underlined the sentence: “is only intended to prevent the death of persons who will truly find themselves exposed to such a risk.” Following him, the concern would go up to the Secretary of the Central Committee of the APL (Party of Labour of Albania), Hysni Kapo, and the order would soon be issued to withdraw all copies of this mistaken document.

The archival document that we are publishing in full in this article, which includes the official letter from Kiço Ngjela and the correspondence with the former head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at that time, Kadri Hazbiu, discusses these issues and others, where the concern is raised and the order is given to withdraw it from circulation.

ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT WITH THE REPORT OF THE MINISTER OF TRADE KIÇO NGJELA IN 1955, SENT TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE DISTRICT PEOPLE’S COUNCIL OF TIRANA, THE STATE CONTROL COMMISSION, THE PROSECUTOR GENERAL’S OFFICE, AND THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS, REGARDING THE REMOVAL OF BREAD RATION CARDS FROM FAMILIES WHOSE PEOPLE WERE IN POLITICAL PRISONS

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA

MINISTRY OF TRADE

Tirana, 19/8/1955

Convergence Branch

No. 1507 prot.

Subject: On the rationing of prisoners’ families, etc.

TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE DISTRICT PEOPLE’S COUNCIL                         

                            (Trade Section)

For Notification:

The State Control Commission

THE PROSECUTOR GENERAL’S OFFICE

THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS

TIRANA

Regarding our secret No. 1511 dated 8/6/1954

Considering that the implementation of the above order has in some cases resulted in orphan children or those with mothers incapable of work being left without bread due to their exceptionally difficult economic situation, as they are unable to buy bread on the commercial market, so that the lives of these children are not endangered, this Ministry adds the following amendment to the order in question:

1. When the implementation of the above order confirms that the life of the culprit’s family is endangered due to the poor economic situation, the Trade Section must be officially ordered to provide them only with bread and food ration cards, while the clothing and footwear cards should not be issued.

The authority to issue the order in these cases is solely granted to the Chairman of the District People’s Council Executive Committee, who must first obtain the opinion of the Party Committee.

2. This competence left to the Chairmen of the District People’s Council Executive Committees should not be understood as a softening of the secret order No. 1511 dated 8/6/1954, but is only intended to prevent the death of persons who will truly find themselves exposed to such a risk. Therefore, it must be implemented correctly and no loopholes should be opened for proving dissatisfaction or privileges, which will inevitably damage badly and distort the implementation of this order.
3. It should also be taken into account that the ration cards to be issued should not become an object of trade by the benefiting families, a practice that has often been confirmed in the past, and that in these cases, to secure a living, the families in question engage in various speculations, while taking young children out of school and pushing them to beg on the streets or steal. Therefore, subordinate bodies should be instructed to show special care in this regard and when such cases are confirmed, the ration cards should not be issued.

The Minister

                                                      (Kiço Ngjela)

By order of the Minister

The Deputy Minister

(Zihni Muço) s.s.

                                           Certified unity with the original

                                          Chairman of the Convergence Branch

                                                    Kosta Taqo

Cc. Koço Taqo,

Dk. E. Shehu

Cop. 14 dated 18/8/55

                                                        ***

To the Deputy Prime Minister

Comrade Hysni Kapo

This order was issued by the Ministry of Trade and concerns the rationing of prisoners’ families, etc.

Comrade Kadri Hazbiu is of the opinion that this act, sent to the districts, could become a tool in the hands of the enemy for propaganda against our government. He says that such instructions should be given orally and proposes to withdraw this order (the focus is on the phrases that state: “…but is only intended to prevent the death of persons who will truly find themselves exposed to such a risk…”, etc., etc.).

I think this order is indeed badly drafted and I agree with Comrade Kadri’s opinion.

The General Secretary:

Spiro Rusha

29/VIII/1955.

We inform you that the observation made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs was found to be valid by Deputy Prime Minister Hysni Kapo, who today instructed the Minister of Trade, Comrade Kiço Ngjela, to withdraw the letters in question due to the phraseology used. / Memorie.al

Koço Prifti

30.8.1955