Stalin, Kardelit: Albanians can be loyal like dogs, because this is characteristic of primitives!

The report of Vladimir Popovic, the longtime secretary of Josip Broz Tito. The following conversation took place on April 19, 1947, in Moscow. In the meeting with Stalin, apart from Popović, there were Eduard Kardeli and Božin Simiqi. Vicheslav Molotov was also from the Soviet side. The meeting of the Yugoslav delegation with Stalin lasted one hour and twenty minutes.

Translated: Adem Nimani

Stalin: How long have you been staying in Moscow? how are you doing

Kardelj: It's been almost three weeks. We are having a good time. We go to the theater every evening. First of all, I would like to convey the greetings of Marshal Tito.

Stalin: How is friend Tito?

Molotov: Did his operation go well?

Cardelli: It feels so good. His operation was successful. We are sorry that doctor Smotrov died.

Stalin: What happened?

Kardelj: Heart attack.

Stalin: Don't drink too much? You know surgeons like to drink brandy.

Kardelj; No, as far as we know, he hasn't been drinking at all!

Stalin (laughing, turns to Molotov): Did you send a letter to Tito about this case?

Molotov (laughing): You know that there was no need, because Tito informed us in advance about this case. Therefore, the case is considered closed.

(clarification: At the beginning of 1947, Tito fell ill with acute appendicitis. Stalin sent two doctors to help him who went to Yugoslavia with medical equipment, while in Moscow they returned to coffins. One of them, Professor Bakelev, Tito's collaborators accused him of unprofessional intervention, and even tried to poison the Yugoslav president, while the other, Professor Smotrov, was sent to Zagreb to treat Tito's chief of staff, Mitar Bakiq the first Smotrov committed suicide, the second died of a heart attack, so the Soviets sent a special plane to pick up their bodies and bring them to Moscow)

Stalin: How many Slovenians are there in Yugoslavia?

Cardelli: A million and a half!

Stalin: How many are left outside Yugoslavia?

Kardelj: Close to half a million.

Molotov: Are there half a million left outside Yugoslavia? How many will remain in Italy and in Trieste? According to your notes, you have close to 180 Slovenians in Korushka?

Cardelli: In total, outside the borders of Yugoslavia, close to half a million will remain. In Korushka, we estimate that there are close to 120 Slovenians.

Stalin: How likely are they to undergo assimilation (denationalization)?

Cardelli: According to the Germans, yes, but according to the Italians – no! A few decades ago, there were more Germans than Slovenians in Ljubljana and Maribor.

Stalin: Cities, in this view, do not play a decisive role. Earlier, for example, Riga was an entirely German city. After liberation, for a short time they disappeared or left. There the village became the main one. In this view, the villagers are powerful and decisive factors. They are quite determined and penetrate the city in different ways.

Cardelli: Yes, that's what you wrote earlier.

Stalin: How many Serbs are there?

Cardelli: Close to five and a half million.

Stalin (laughing): Yes, along with the Malaysians.

Kardeli (laughing): Even with Malaysians and without them. There are nearly 300 Montenegrins. This our ambassador here is Malaysian.

Molotov (laughing): They are a fighting people.

Cardelli: There are mostly Malaysian generals in our army

Stalin (laughing): It seems that the Malaysians have passed the others. How many Macedonians are there in Yugoslavia?

Cardelli: Close to a million and a half.

Stalin (slightly surprised): Within Yugoslavia, there are one and a half million Macedonians, right?

Cardelli: Po

Stalin: And this is an important number. What language do Macedonians speak?

Cardelli: Macedonians have their own language.

Stalin: Do they have works of literature and art in their language?

Cardelli: They have folk songs in their language. Now they are publishing a newspaper and some smaller brochures written in their language. Their language is starting to build. That language is between Serbian and Bulgarian.

Stalin: Macedonians, it seems, got their culture from the Greeks.

Cardelli: They also took those traits from them.

Stalin: How is the work with the Albanians? Enver Hoxha has complained about the policy of your advisers in his army, that they are weakening discipline, right?

Cardelli: What I hear is new for us. We have not been told anything!

Stalin: Where are Albanians from?

Cardelli: They are heirs of the Illyrians.

Stalin: I remember that Tito told me that those Albanians are similar to the Basques.

Cardelli: Yes, that's right.

Stalin: It can be seen that those people are very backward, they are primitive.

Cardelli: But, they are brave and reliable.

Stalin: Yes, they can be loyal like a dog, because this is a primitive characteristic. The Chuvash people have been so loyal to us. Russian tsars have taken them as personal guards.

Cardelli: Here, in the territory of Kosovo, there are still more Albanians than Serbs. We think later, when we strengthen the ties with Albania, we will give you those territories.

Stalin (seemed pleased by these words): Very well, that's right. How did the Albanians come to that territory?

Kardel; During the Turkish rule, they settled there, while the population that was there was assimilated (denationalized).

Stalin: How did such a "primitive" people have such success? How do you explain this?

Cardelli: Even the tribes around them were primitive, such as the Malaysians.

Popovic: No, they did not assimilate (denationalize) Malaysians, but Serbs lived in those places.

Stalin: How? (laughs)

Stalin: Which religion dominates the most in Albania?

Simic: There are mostly Muslims, then Catholics and a little Orthodox. During the national liberation war, the Catholic Church, even now, fought against popular power.

Cardelli: Regarding the punishment of Stepinci, many priests are compromised among us, and some are even afraid. The people are trusting them less and less every day. Now the differentiation between low-level Catholic priests has begun. Most of them are leaving and joining us. Good Orthodox Popes, we are giving you monthly salaries. For example, when the archbishop was crowned in Ljubljana, who was appointed by the Pope, and we were against him, the church was completely empty.

As for the Serbian Orthodox Church, things are better, especially since the Patriarch has returned. The orthodox reaction at the head with Joseph, his deputy, is weakening daily. We are giving some subsidies to the Orthodox Church.

Stalin: What happened to that peasant leader of the Croats?

Kardelj: The cat?

Stalin: Yes, yes?

Kardelj: He is now in Paris, holding meetings and spreading propaganda against us.

Stalin: And they are not handing over Pavelic? Have you asked for it? Where is it located?

Cardelli: We have officially requested it several times. Then also through the press. It looks like they are hiding it in the Vatican or in some monastery in Italy.

Stalin: Do you know Enver Hoxha well? What do you think about it? Is it reliable? Will it stay with us until the end?

Cardelli: We think that Hoxha is mostly good and reliable. He has behaved well in the war and the people love him. But he lacks Marxist-Leninist education. There, according to us, the best is Koçit Xoxe, who is a hard worker even though he is also uneducated.

Stalin: They have not agreed on something?

Cardelli: This has now been corrected.

Molotov; I saw Hoxha in Paris. It is seen that it is beautiful and leaves a good impression. He is quite cultured, but the western influence can be seen in his upbringing and education. I think what Kardeli is saying is correct.

Stalin: Our conversation for today is over.

Cardelli: Thank you. We got a lot out of this conversation

Stalin: You don't have to thank. You haven't received anything yet! /Telegraph/