875.01/1–1945: Airgram
Mr. Alexander C. Kirk, Political Adviser to the Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theater, to the Secretary of State
[Received January 31—6 p.m.]
A–13. The following letter signed by Midhat Frashëri30 and Sali Muftija has been addressed to the Secretary of State, asking this Government to take no measures towards recognition of the existing Government of Albania:
“We have learned that Enver Hoxha, head of the self-styled Albanian government in Tirana, has asked for official recognition on the part of the Allies. The governments of the three great Democracies have solemnly declared that in no way shall it be permitted to one party to impose its will be [by] force on all parties and on the whole people as regards the question of regime.
Today, if the question is tackled in an objective spirit, it is obvious that, in Albania, Enver Hoxha’s regime, which is a communist one, has been imposed on the people not only by force but also by sheer terrorism. The L.N.C.31 has not been the only front of resistance in Albania, but there have been other movements too that have fought the invader. Therefore, the F.N.C. is not representative of the free will of the Albanian people and should not be regarded as such.
The communist character of the administration of Enver Hoxha is very clearly manifested by the official declarations and publications made by today’s rulers who pretend to be the champions of the people. The isolation in which Albania finds itself as well as the lack of communications with the outside world makes it impossible [Page 8] for the real will of the people to be known, but the fact is that large crowds are resisting and are fighting this arbitrary imposition of the communist regime on our country. The resistance against today’s set-up in Albania is both passive and active.
Taking all this into consideration, we cannot believe that the Allied governments will tolerate in Albania the domination of a single party which is entirely undemocratic. We, therefore, beg the Government of the United States of America that, until the situation is thoroughly understood, no measures be taken towards the recognition of the present regime of terror in Albania—a recognition which would be to the detriment of our country by increasing its already existing ordeals.
Similar telegrams are being sent also to their Excellencies, the Foreign Secretaries of Great Britain and of U.S.S.R.
Respectfully,
For the Balli Kombëtar:
Midhat Frasheri
For the ‘Legality’ organization:
Sali Muftija
January 7, 1945.”
At the present time both signatories are interned in Transient Camp No. 1, Bari, having arrived in Italy in November. (Reference my telegram No. 1530 of November 28, 194432).
- President of the Balli Kombëtar (The National Front), an Albanian resistance movement which disintegrated in 1944 in the course of the civil war with the Communist-dominated National Liberation Movement. Frashëri escaped to Italy in November 1944 where he was interned.↩
- National Liberation Movement. See footnote 24, p. 5.↩
- Not printed; it reported the arrival in Bari of 150 Albanian political refugees (875.00/11–2844).↩