875.01/3–1245: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to Mr. Alexander C. Kirk, Political Adviser to the Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theater, at Caserta
229. Reurtels 934 and 943 March 12.58 We are willing that General Hoxha should receive a written statement of the American position [Page 16] with respect to his request for recognition. In view of our uncertainty regarding the various means at your disposal you may utilize whatever channels of communication you and Jacobs find most suitable, but we would suppose that if such a statement were handed to Kadri Hoxha he would be able to arrange for its delivery in Tirana. It is suggested that you and Jacobs prepare a memorandum for this purpose along the following lines:
Begin Memorandum. The Office of the United States Political Adviser at Caserta has been directed by the Department of State to communicate to Colonel General Enver Hoxha, Commander-in-Chief ANLA,59 Tirana, the following statement setting forth the attitude of the United States Government with respect to the request which he addressed to the President on December 21, 1944,60 asking for recognition of the “Democratic Government of Albania” as the Government of Albania:
As is well known, the people of the United States have always shown a special interest in the fortunes of the Albanian people. They are well aware of the suffering and sacrifices which the Albanians have endured throughout the present war and of the valor of Albanian patriots in resisting the enemy aggressors. The United States Government finds it necessary nevertheless to hold in abeyance the general question of official recognition of any government in Albania at the present time. It thinks that, as a prerequisite to examination of this question, it should be more fully informed regarding the conditions and developments in Albania and the representative character of the existing authority.
This Government does not propose to send a military mission to Albania, as it understands the British Government is doing, and the small American special units now there in the interest of military liaison can not, of course, be expected to meet the new needs which arise at the present stage. The Department accordingly would like at an early date to send a small group of its own representatives into Albania on an entirely informal basis for the purpose of supplying to this Government the information which it now needs. It is hoped that the presence of such representatives in Albania would be agreeable to the present authorities and that they would receive such courtesies and facilities as might be necessary to enable them to fulfill their mission.
General Hoxha will surely understand that any delay in working out some such arrangements as the foregoing would only serve to [Page 17] postpone a decision by this Government on the action it should take as regards his request for recognition. End Memorandum.
- Telegram 943, March 12, 8 p.m., from Caserta, not printed, suggested that the OSS representative in Tirana be authorized to hand to General Enver Hoxha a letter or memo setting forth the information contained in telegram 82, January 31, to Caserta, p. 10, in order to ensure that Hoxha clearly understood the American position with respect to recognition and the sending of observers to Albania (875.01/3–1245).↩
- Albanian National Liberation Army.↩
- For text of General Hoxha’s note of December 21, 1944, see airgram A–5, January 9, 1945, from Caserta, p. 2.↩