EMIGRATION OF ALBANIAN REFUGEES TO SYRIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R001800620006-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 24, 1999
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: August 31, 1948
• Content Type: REPORT

;I. t' 5lI iGAflON " ' G()t+'I'.iC).i u,. O1~'i3? i;F AL O!JLY
Approved For Releasa 7J00180062R , T NO.
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DATE DISTR. 31 August 191i8
COUNTRY Albania
SUBJECT Emigration of Albanian Refugees to Syria
PLACE
ACQUIRED CIA LIBRARY
DATE OF I
NO. OF PAGES 3
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED 8ELOJ1)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
The following are excerpts from a letter written by a prominent member of
the .]. Kombetar, at the displaced
persons camp, Lavrion, Greece, concerning Albanian em gration to Syria.
The reasons which compel us to bring our fellow refugees to these parts are
as d oUot
1. The Italians generally nurse a kind of hatred against the Albanians as
a result of the events of the war. They express this .atred quite
openly to the members of the Balli Kombetar or3ani.zati.on who had taken
a part., more or less, against the Italian Army of. occupation.
2. This hatred has been aggravated by the ma hi.nati.ons of the Albanian
collaborators with the Faso:`at regime. These ;o:I aborators have been
criticized both verbally and in writing by the Youth of Balli Kontbttar
for their past policyr
The hatred of the Italian authorities for the members of our organization
has been demonstrated in several cases, and particularly recently by the
arrest of ::pore than 20 of our followers by the Italian police on the day
when the Allied axmies left Italy. Under such circumstances it is am-
poss.ible for our comrades in BaIli Kontbetaa to rein -in Italy?
4. The Isater .tLonGal Refugee Organization (I.R.O.) treats shamefully the
Albanians in the c isplaced persons camps, and particularly badly the
m embers of Bail Kombetar. The latter are the victims of propaganda
and machinations directed against them by the Italians o are wou king
for the I a'l. O. in Reggio Emilia.
in Italy, -,where hundreds of thousands of refugees are liv:Lng, the govern-
raent is paying close attention to prevent freedom of organization amongst
them, because this might create a grave danger for the Italians. Still
less can the Italian authorities permit the Albanian refugees to organize
(~ r ,o have freedom of expression. Not only do the Italians nurse this
hatred against a part of the Albanians, but there are also special interests
Which the Italians have in Alban a, and these interests all Italian regimes
seek ' protect,. The Yugoslav and Bulgarian Emhassie? ;, on the contrary,
are working actively with the purpose of dividing Via :Albanian refugees,
STATS
!ARMY
Archivist of the United States.
CONFIDENTIAL in accordance W Ul the
letter of 16 October 1978 from the
Director of Central intelligence to the
DISTRI5 1 N
NAVY NSRG
_
^^- AIR ( --_- _~
This document is hereby regraded to
ApMM@jj ftA[eRaPR se 1999/09/04: CIA-RDP82-00457R00120062
 Approved For Release 1999/09/08 : CIA-RDP82-004ZAOT800620006-2
df 1ROL
CE? RAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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in order to paralyze any nationalist activity on their part. For these
reasons it is impossible for the Albanian refugees in Italy to unite, much
lees to organize and to act in accordance with their national interests.
6. On the other I-and the present Italic . government has made repeated efforts
to come to some agreement with the government of Enver Hoxha. A few weeks
ago 1 learned that a delegation from How had arrived in Rome in order to
continue discussions. Not only we of 13alli Kombetar but also well-known
ital ophiles have begun to fear that the government in Rome till mistreat us
all or hand us over to Koci Xoxe in exchange for hundreds of Italians who
are now in Albania, detained by the red regimes For moral and political
reasons, as well as reasons of surveal, it is imperative for us to remove
our. comrades as quickly as possible from Italy.
7. It seems to me that Syria is the most suitable place of a?.l for the gathering
of Albanian refugees a In the first place the people and the government here
are absolutely anti-Communist, and Communism is our chief eney. Hero there
is no legal Co unist movement. When we first came hare a band of nationalists
made an armed attack on the Coiu runi.sit center and destroyed i.
8.:--Syria is a country with absolute democratic freedom. Syria has no special
interests in Albania. Because of their memory of their association with the
Albanian people under the Ottoman Empire, the Syrians have a special Sympathy
for to Albanians. Furthermore the refugee Kosovara' joins' the Syrian; people
in their fights against the drench troops, and this made a deep impression
heren
n From an international political and strategic view, Syria lies outside the
lines of the anti-Soviet front in case of a general conflict, but it is a
neighbor to Turkey and close to Greece. These states can be regarded today
as two bastions of the Western c orld in the Middle East. From this point
of view Syria is a favorable pl .ce not only for those able to bear arms, but
also for those who are unable to do so, because we shall avoid the many living
at the expense of the few. Pis regards Argentina., I flatly rejected this
country last year, because it is too far away and is outside the radius of
our political and military activity.,
10. 1 do not understand why an understanding with Greece should be hindered if we
come here to Syria, which has no specie2 interests in Albania,, or why it should
not be hindered if we remain., for exam, le, in Italy, which is a natural
opponent of Greece as regards her policy towards Albania?
11, official Greek circles do not realize that Italian circles regard a Greco.
Albanian understanding as a catastrophe. Greek Circles do not realize that one
of the reasons irhy :Italy fights the Baili, Kombetar, apart from membriess of the
war, is the tendency of this organization to a rapprochement with Greece.
Several Italian newspapers have stressed this in their columns, charging that
Balls. Kombetar is ltslophobe and Hell.enophile~
12. For this reason the further stay of the Albanian refugees in Italy would
probably be a hindrance to Gree k-Albanian understanding. On the other hand,
their arrival in Syria can at hinder such an understanding. It is firm
conviction that for refugees to gather here is the only way to facilitate a
Greele Albanian rapprochement, if it can indeed be achieved. 'Therefore our
arrival here is a necessity, not a handicap.
13, 1 think that as soon as we form the National Front, for which 1 am striving,
not only in Rome but also in Athens and in many important centers such as
Paris, Geneva, london and particularly Washington and elsewhere, there rmist
be centers of organization and of national propaganda-
U.S. OFFICIALS OILY
Approved For Release 1999/09/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R001800620006-2
 Approved For Release 1999/09/08: GIM 001800620006-2
U. I..'s GWdY
CENI'R.4L INTFJZTQENCE AGENCY
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3-4- The only diffemnce will be that those who speak and act today in Rome and
MGM do so independently on their oim initiative, without having any
authority or general responsibility. If, however, there is one organ i ation,
they will be selected and will be controlled in expressing the opinion of the
Whole organization. Thus will be avoided all exploitation at the expense
of the people, and there Will be no talk of ra oaing the refugees -t present
or in the future. Then only can the foreigners have confidence, when they are
faced WJLUI a group of patriots who seek nothing but the good of their country,
Otherwise they cannot know what they are promising or what kind of obligations
they can undertake mutually and responsibly,
U~3. O.E ICIAL5 ONLY
SECRET
Approved For Release 1999/09/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R001800620006-2