Fadil Hoxha and Veli Deva, Enver Hoxha in 1968: Be careful with Tito, because you are making it difficult for us in Kosovo

By: Dashnor Kaloçi

In the Central State Archive (the fund of the former Central Committee of PPSh), there is a file with the signature "Top Secret", which belongs to the month of August 1968, where the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Albania, Rexhep Kolli - who also held the position of State Security Director - informs the Secretary of the Central Committee of PPSh, Ramiz Alia, regarding the arrival in Albania of three leading officials of the Kosovo press, such as: Gjon Shiroka, director of the newspaper "Rilindja", Ramiz Kelmendi, director of the "Rilindja" Publishing House and Idriz Rexha, Director of the School Textbook Publishing Entity, who would conclude an agreement with Arteksport for the purchase of artistic, cultural and educational literature. The full report of the State Security for the three officials from Kosovo, where during the interceptions that were done to them, among other things, they said: "Our work in Kosovo is being made difficult by the very serious attacks you are directing against Tito. In the conjuncture created in Yugoslavia, where Tito is held thanks to the army, he is obliged to support our demands, therefore, bypassing every body, we turn to him directly, and he fulfills what we ask for. However, when you criticize it, our work in Kosovo becomes difficult. I was commissioned by Fadil Hoxha, Veli Deva, Rrezak Shala, etc., to convey this to them".

"Gjon Shiroka and Idriz Rexha presented the current situation in Kosovo as quite good and positive for the Albanians, while Ramiz Kelmendi claimed the opposite. He said: I was wrong when I thought that after Brion, Kosovo won its freedom. Immediately after the 14th Plenum of the LK of Kosovo, the situation in Kosovo is no longer the same as before. The pressure for restraining measures against Albanians is clearly visible. Today's Kosovar leadership is not positive. Even if they did something in favor of the Albanians, it was forced on them by the pressure of the masses. All these leaders were those who in 1956 had important positions, therefore their hands are stained with the innocent blood of patriotic Kosovars".

The document is as follows:

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THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA
TOP SECRET
MINISTRY OF INTERIOR AFFAIRS
FIRST DIRECTORATE
Tirana, on 6/8/1968
No. 1426 Prot.

Subject: On the representative group of the Kosovo publications entity

SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PP OF ALBANIA
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA

From 21/7/1968 to 27/7/1968, came and stayed in our country: Gjon Shiroka, director of the newspaper "Rilindja", Ramiz Kelmendi, director of the Publishing House "Rilindja" and Idriz Rexha, Director of the Entity of Textbook Publications: to conclude an agreement with Arteksport for the purchase of cultural and educational artistic literature.

During the meetings and conversations with them, we were able to learn the following:

Regarding the open controversy that our Party develops in the direction of the Yugoslav revisionist clique, Gjon Shiroka and Idriz Rexha had almost equal views, while Ramiz Kelmendi had opposite views. Gjon Shiroka said that: The war you are waging against Yugoslavia, which has recently become much tougher, damages our efforts to ensure the autonomy of Kosovo. Experience has shown that whenever the relations between Albania and Yugoslavia worsen, the situation of Albanians in Yugoslavia has become more difficult.

Idriz Rexha said: Our work in Kosovo is being made difficult by the very serious attacks you are directing against Tito. In the conjuncture created in Yugoslavia, where Tito is held thanks to the army, he is obliged to support our demands, therefore, bypassing every body, we turn to him directly, and he fulfills what we ask for. But when you criticize it, our work in Kosovo becomes difficult. Fadil Hoxha, Veli Deva, Rezak Shala (Provincial Prosecutor), etc., ordered me to convey this to them.

It would be enough for you to criticize only the League of Communists without mentioning Tito. While Ramiz Kelmendi said that: The open controversy against the Titist regime that takes place in the press and on the radio from Albania is positive. However, there are opinions that this should be stopped for the sake of getting closer to Kosovo. If this happens, it will be more difficult for Kosovo and the Serbian-Kosovar leadership will be given the opportunity to take measures against the Albanians, perhaps more bloody than those of 1956, therefore this controversy must continue.

On the current situation in Kosovo, Gjon Shiroka and Idriz Rexha presented it as quite good and positive for the Albanians, while Ramiz Kelmendi claimed the opposite. He said: I was wrong when I thought that after Brioni, Kosovo will gain freedom. Immediately after the 14th Plenum of the LK of Kosovo, the situation in Kosovo is no longer the same as before. The pressure for restraining measures against Albanians is clearly seen. Today's Kosovar leadership is not positive. Even if they did something in favor of the Albanians, it was forced on them by the pressure of the masses. All these leaders were those who in 1956 had important positions, therefore their hands are stained with the innocent blood of patriotic Kosovars.

Regarding the concessions in the political field that the federal leadership should make for this autonomous province, that November 28 be an official holiday, that the raising of the flag be allowed, that the Albanian language be a forced official language, etc., all three were optimistic and they said that all this must be done. According to them, the merit belongs to the efforts made by Fadil Hoxha and some other Kosovar leaders who follow him.

Idriz Hoxha speaking about the patriotism of some Kosovar leaders said: The Albanian leaders of Kosovo who enjoy a certain authority, have a certain allergy against the Albanian leadership and this is related to their positions. With the union of Kosovo with Albania, they think that they will lose the positions they have, that's why they ask for some kind of guarantee. This is also observed among intellectuals who hold important positions.

It is beginning to become clear that the UDB of today is beginning to follow the same path as the UDB of old. Xhevdet Hamza, the head of the UDB for the province of Kosovo, has asked the Provincial Committee of the Communist League of Kosovo to take measures to curb the situation. A few weeks ago, when the Artistic Group "Liman Kaba" of Dibra e Madhe gave several performances in Kosovo with the all-Albanian repertoire, with patriotic content, Xhevdeti requested that not only the performances be banned, but also preventive measures be taken. The Wood Plant that was burned some time ago in Obiliq and that they tried to use as an argument to convince the opinion that Albania interferes in the internal affairs of Yugoslavia, not only did it become clear that the burning was planned by former UDB members removed, but also by new UDBs. The group of Albanian albanologists that participated in the Prishtina symposium was kept under strong control by the UDB.

The emigration of Albanians to Yugoslavia has not stopped. Albanian families are always leaving Kosovo for Turkey. Even in Montenegro, the departure of Albanians is being noticed, while in Macedonia this phenomenon is more pronounced.

The reactionary Albanian emigration that lived in Kosovo, for the most part, left not only Kosovo, but also Yugoslavia. Only those immigrants who have close ties with the UDB have remained in Kosovo. These are people without credit that the people have hated. Even the arrival of Panajot Plaku in Kosovo does not improve their situation. According to Ramiz Kelmendi, after Panayoti's death, he met in Belgrade with a person who knew him and told him that Panayoti had tried to commit suicide three times. Ramiz Kelmendi's opinion was that Panajo Plaku's death was not natural.

There were different opinions about the situation in our country. Gjon Shiroka expressed the opinion that propaganda in Albania has caused people to lose their individuality and turn into automatons that all speak the same, while Ramiz Kelmendi opposed this saying: This is the most positive thing, because it shows that the people are connected to the Party , and when people all think the same, it is better that Albania becomes stronger and time will prove this.

Gjon Shiroka expressed the opinion that in Albania there is a lack of freedom of press, art and music, freedom in social and philosophical sciences, while in Yugoslavia there is complete freedom, Ramizi and Idriz Rexha did not agree with Gjon. They told him that: In Yugoslavia there is only complete anarchy.

They also presented the following requests:

An Albanian book exhibition should be opened in Pristina, an artistic ensemble should be sent, journalists should be exchanged, you should be given the opportunity to visit the editorial office of the newspaper "Zëri i Populli" or "Bashkimi" to see the work organization.

The Kosovars who come to Albania should be treated with warmth and should not be considered as official Yugoslav representatives, but as Albanians.

They were very satisfied with the conclusion of the contract, and especially with the purchase price of the books, saying that this is a double success for you and for Kosovo. On the other hand, it was good for us as people, maybe if we hadn't completed the agreement this time, they would have accused us that we don't come to Albania to buy books, but out of love for the Motherland. /memory/