– Nasho Jorgaqi –
The thoughts and considerations of Fan Noli on the personality and role of Enver Hoxha in Albanian history are of great interest and value. There is no doubt that these judgements carry their weight and take on a special significance when we consider that they are evaluations expressed by Fan Noli, one of the protagonists of the Albanian people’s struggle for independence and democracy, by our distinguished historian, artist and erudite. The major evaluations that Fan Noli made of Enver Hoxha and his historical work were born under the circumstances of the great turning point that occurred in Albania with the triumph of the National Liberation War and the establishment of the people’s state power. They take on the character of objective judgements, not only because they express the socio-political essence of the phenomenon they analyse accurately and correctly, but also because time has fully verified these judgements.
Fan Noli’s great love for Albania and his constant concerns for its fate are well known. This concern would be awakened with new force with the fascist occupation of the Homeland, but it is a fact that he, living across the Atlantic, would not understand and determine in due time the true solution for the salvation of Albania. His positions and judgements during the Second World War, as is known, were contradictory and zigzagged, and only towards its end, when the National Liberation Army, under the leadership of the legendary commander Enver Hoxha, was on the verge of liberating the country, did Fan Noli greet and support the historic victory with the joy and sincerity of a democratic patriot. He addressed the Albanian people with the confident greeting that “…from the darkness of dead ends we are entering the light and the open field of action with leaders who have proven their ability on the front line. These leaders must be supported unconditionally, without reservations and without sparing, because they fully deserve the people’s trust. With these leaders, the fate of the Homeland is assured. Long live Albania!”
It is not difficult to understand that by these leaders Fan Noli meant the Communist Party of Albania, which was the organizer and leader of the Anti-Fascist War, but he saw and embodied this leadership in the central figure of the war’s epic, Enver Hoxha. These greeting words the democratic patriot wrote on November 18, 1944, to be indelibly inscribed in his work The History of Skanderbeg: “It would not be surprising if historians, when looking at the history of Albania through the lens of 100 years later, would start the genuine independent life of the Albanian people not with 1912, but with 1944.” Fan Noli gave his first consideration of Enver Hoxha in June 1944, at a meeting organized by the State Department in Boston. There, Fan Noli, continuing his erroneous stance, expressed the opinion that to save Albania’s borders, Ahmet Zogu should be supported. But as soon as he expressed these thoughts, as testified in Kostandin Çekrezi’s book The Third Plan of the Dismemberment of Albania (1951), one of the American officials announced the news that a new government had been formed in Albania under the presidency of Enver Hoxha (referring to the Congress of Përmet), the bishop’s face lit up immediately and, as if he had the answer on the tip of his tongue, he said without thinking at all: “‘Then, we abandon Zogu to support the new government.’ ‘No,’ said the American official, ‘we will not support it because according to our information, it seems like a pro-communist, if not communist, government.’ ‘No matter,’ the bishop interjected, ‘still, they are our boys!'”
From this day forward, Fan Noli supported with all his might the National Liberation Movement, the democratic government led by Enver Hoxha, as the only force that is “the great hope of a free democratic Albania.” Therefore, it was not the time to “whisper like the night wind; we must shout like the trumpet in the breeze, for we have a desire to do our duty towards the Albanian people.” At this time, Noli was engulfed by a wave of fiery enthusiasm stemming from the great events happening in Albania. The formation of the government in Berat, the complete liberation of the country, the first democratic measures of the government rejuvenated the veteran patriot. He appeared “before the people,” as the newspaper wrote, “happy, renewed and bright,” delivered speeches, wrote articles, organized aid campaigns, everywhere and always electrifying the crowd, concluding his speeches with the call: “Long live Albania,” “Long live Enver Hoxha.” When the news of the liberation of Shkodra, the last city, arrived, Noli, through the newspaper “Dielli,” which was his organ, would announce that “Albania is once again under the magnificent flag of Skanderbeg. This will be a holy day for the Albanian people. The role of General Enver Hoxha is a triumph. This truth can neither be contested by friends nor enemies of Enver Hoxha” (December 1944). At this time, among the simple Albanians of America, a folk song about Enver Hoxha was born, published in “Dielli,” where among other things it says:
Enver Hoxha, young man,
The people with love,
Entrust him with responsibility
As the guardian over all of Albania.
The hypocritical outside world
Smirks with irony
Because imperialist dreams
Find no place, but only disgust.
Fan Noli, who lived with the feelings and thoughts of Albanians in America, became their voice, the voice of patriotic conscience and the popular and democratic aspirations of his compatriots in exile. In his first telegram sent to Enver Hoxha after Liberation, on behalf of the immigrant brothers, he wrote: “We are proud of you, because you were the only leader who managed to liberate his Homeland without the help of others. Your government is one of the rare ones that, without the help of the armed forces of the Allies, managed to stand on its own feet.” From the first months of the triumph of people’s state power in Albania, Fan Noli became the most fervent supporter and propagandist of our democratic government with Enver Hoxha at the head. On April 8, 1945, in a speech to the Albanians of Boston, he said: “The situation in Albania today is much more favourable than it was in 1918… Especially this time, the strongest guarantee for the future comes from the present government of Enver Hoxha, which enjoys the trust of the people and is capable of standing on its own feet, while all the governments of the liberated territories stand in power with the support of the Allied armies.”
The truth that Albania had liberated itself, without foreign help, and stood and walked on its own feet, Fan Noli always associated with the deep patriotism and foresight of Enver Hoxha, with the high dignity and independent character of the Albanian people, embodied in the personality of General Hoxha. “Today,” he declared enthusiastically, “we have the best government since the time of Skanderbeg.”
Warm messages and letters were exchanged between Enver Hoxha and Fan Noli, in which not only mutual respect was expressed but also shared interest and concern for issues related to the progress of Albania and its affirmation in the world. Thus, in the first year of Liberation, Fan Noli was called upon to return to the Homeland, even invited to run as a candidate for deputy in the December 1945 elections. “It would be an honour,” Enver Hoxha wrote to him, “to have you among us… for the good of our people.” Fan Noli, in his response, considering it impossible to make a trip to Albania at that time, wrote to the leader of Albania that “you can be sure that you have all my support and you can use my name in the electoral campaign in favour of the candidates of the Democratic Front.” On the other hand, in a telegram sent to the leadership of the Orthodox Church of Albania, he wrote: “We thank you very much for your valuable assistance to the democratic government of General Enver Hoxha. We are convinced that you will remain loyal to him and the Democratic Front, and will help to support the government, which is with the people and works for the people.”
In his judgements about the situation in Albania and Enver’s role, Fan Noli did not speak only with the feelings of a sincere patriot but also with the sense and erudition of a historian. He knew how to grasp the historical and class essence of the events that happened and were happening in Albania. “This time,” he said, “the fate of the nation has not been taken into the hands of the beys and lords, but the common people, the people of the country. This time the beys have played the role of a zero… This is a new situation, it must be accepted unconditionally…” Highlighting the greatness of the new era opened by Enver Hoxha’s government, he found no other epoch to compare it with except that of Skanderbeg. “The work that Skanderbeg could not complete was done by the people themselves, organizing the National Liberation Front… The work that Skanderbeg began in the 15th century was completed by Enver Hoxha in the 20th century, with the superhuman sacrifices of the people.” For Noli, Albania now did not move “as it did before at the pace of a tortoise, but flies like an eagle as per its name.” Therefore, the democratic patriot not only morally and politically supported our democratic government and raised high the great figure of Enver, but also engaged in the fight against Albania’s enemies, in the furious anti-Albanian campaign organized by the Anglo-American reactionary circles and Greek chauvinists.
In the fight against the Greek chauvinists, he had great experience, knew their diabolical tactics and absurd claims over Albanian lands. But more important to him was that times had now changed, so he was optimistic and confidently declared: “Today it is neither 1912 nor 1920… Enver Hoxha has said more than once that he is ready to fight for Albania. Enver Hoxha knows what he says… The Greek people do not want war.” Fan Noli opposed with strong arguments the main protagonists of the anti-Albanian campaign in the USA, Bishop Kotoko and the American senators Pepper, Saltonstall and Wells. Quoting the words of Enver Hoxha that “our country is a small country, but it has a great army, with which we are proud,” he bravely reveals the plans of Albania’s enemies when he says: “This small country, this people with a great spirit, finds itself face to face with a series of opponents… There is no doubt that America, willingly or unwillingly, is becoming a tool of England in the Balkans. Kotoko could not come to America without the permission of the State Department.”
In addition to the articles he published and the speeches he delivered in defence of Albania’s territorial integrity, Fan Noli engaged in extensive diplomatic activities to popularize the new Albania and secure recognition for Enver Hoxha’s democratic government on the international stage. As early as April 1945, seeking to have Albania invited to the San Francisco Conference, he wrote in a telegram sent to Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill: “Prime Minister Enver Hoxha, head of the Albanian government… fully deserves your invitation, as he has bravely fought against the common enemy.”
The anti-Albanian stance of Anglo-American imperialism and world reaction would manifest itself flagrantly and shamelessly when the issue of Albania’s admission to the UNO arose. Bourgeois propaganda organized an unprecedented campaign to falsify historical truth. Senators, bishops, journalists and diplomats, messengers of reaction, tried to obscure the truth, ignoring the heroic struggle of our people against fascism and denying Albania’s right to be represented in the UNO. Supporting the foreign policy of our government and its efforts to secure the rights of the Albanian people, Fan Noli worked tirelessly and courageously on the same front. During this time, he wrote memorandums and articles in major American newspapers, the brochure “Albania Since 1939,” delivered speeches at rallies, and especially made direct efforts in diplomatic circles at the UNO. Considering the procedure, he focussed all his work on contacts with members of the Security Council, because without their recommendation, Albania could not be admitted to the General Assembly of the UNO. In this patriotic mission, Noli was aided by his diplomatic experience in the League of Nations, his acquaintances with senior diplomats, his broad preparation and erudition, his ability to argue, his command of many languages, and above all, his deep conviction in the justice of the Albanian cause he defended.
Without delving into the chronicle of this comprehensive and challenging activity, let us recall just one episode. Noli would meet with all the members of the Security Council, but a particularly significant meeting was with the head of the French delegation. According to the newspaper “Dielli” of May 26, 1946, we learn that: “Noli met and had discussions with the French representative, Alexandre Parodi, who heads the Security Council. He had previously taken an interest in the political life of the French diplomat. Parodi had been a commander of partisan units during the anti-fascist resistance. His intellectual appearance, cheerful and sympathetic, did not make you believe that he had been a military man. Noli explained to him the right that his country, Albania, has to enter the UNO and the issue of the Greeks’ absurd claims for Vorio-Epirus. Parodi listened with great attention and occasionally asked for clarification. The conversation lasted about an hour in French, which Noli speaks very fluently.” At the end, Noli handed him a memorandum. When he got up to leave, Dr. Noli said among other things, in a figurative diplomatic manner: “General Enver Hoxha personally appeals to you for Albania’s rights with these two qualities:
“First, as a comrade in arms, having fought for years against the common enemy, as the commander-in-chief of the partisans of small Albania, and you as the commander of the partisans of great France.
“Second, as a schoolmate, having studied in France and worked as a professor at the French Lyceum in Korça, spreading French culture in Albania. These two qualities give the Albanian Prime Minister the courage to ask for your support.”
Ambassador Parodi said among other things: “I am moved by this appeal as I attach great value to these qualities of the Albanian Prime Minister.” He then showed special interest and sympathy for the Prime Minister and his country, as well as for the Agrarian Reform implemented there.” A few days later, on May 30, 1946, in a radiogram sent to Enver Hoxha, Fan Noli reported: “The head of the French delegation, Alexandre Parodi, the famous hero of the French resistance, who now serves as president of the Security Council, showed a noticeable interest in my detailed explanation of your fierce battles against the common enemy and the Agrarian Reform you carried out after the liberation of the Homeland.”
Alongside his extensive diplomatic activities in favour of his reborn Homeland and his propaganda efforts in the USA, Fan Noli, although far away, followed the political life of the new Albania with great attention and continuous emotion. He hailed the proclamation of Albania as a People’s Republic as a major historical event, now being “of the people and for the people.” On this occasion, he wrote in “Dielli” (March 5, 1946): “Under the leadership of Enver Hoxha in May 1944 and January 1946, revolutionary measures were taken in Albania for the reconstruction of the country. The Agrarian Reform was carried out, and the class of beys and landlords was definitively overthrown. During this period, Albania under Enver Hoxha proved to the world that Albanians have extraordinary abilities to self-govern. This is proven by facts, not rhetoric. Everywhere else in Europe, people suffer from the terrible enemies: inflation and the black market. In Albania, neither exists.”
The veteran republican Fan Noli himself translated and published the constitution of the People’s Republic of Albania. Not only that, but he was so enthusiastic about it that, comparing it to the American constitution, he declared that his Homeland’s constitution is more democratic because it does not accept racial discrimination and guarantees women’s rights. He proudly announced that: “The Constitution of Albania protects workers and small and medium farmers.” The democratic Noli grasped the class essence of this historical document, whose ideator was a mature and far-sighted leader like Enver Hoxha.
In the years 1946-47, a new wave of slanders and falsifications against the new Albania and the people’s state power “born from the rivers of the blood of freedom” began in the USA. Fan Noli would not stand aside; on the contrary, calling this a “campaign of shame,” he defended the legitimate power in his Homeland. He wrote several articles, among which we highlight “Gradually Clearing Up” and “A Few Words About the Ballists,” where he emphasizes the figure of Enver Hoxha as the central personality of the new Albanian history. Leading a democratic government, which Noli describes as a “flaming sun,” this government, under his leadership, is strong both internally and externally: “internally because, in addition to other constructive works, it has managed to implement the Agrarian Reform thoroughly and transform Albania from a feudal land of beys into a land of peasants and workers. Externally, for the first time in its history, small Albania stands upright and knows how to respond to the bigwigs who bully it.” Therefore, Noli advises, “the entire Albanian people should gather around Enver Hoxha’s government. Every Albanian has the sacred duty not to become a tool of reactionaries but to continue working for the good of the Homeland, because,” he continues, “the best guarantee for the defence of Albania are the bayonets of Enver Hoxha.”
Openly and courageously opposing the crude propaganda of the Ballist-Zogite reaction in the USA, behind which Noli had the courage to identify the hand of the American and British imperialists, he exposed the failed policy of reaction in Albania. “The Ballists, by collaborating with the fascists,” says Noli, “not only killed themselves but also almost killed Albania, staining it before the world as pro-Italian and pro-German. As such, Albania would undoubtedly have been dismembered. Providence willed it, the partisans with Enver Hoxha at the head emerged and not only pulled Albania out of the pit of death but placed it among the living, alongside the allied states. The place of the Ballists,” continues Noli, “today is in the graves of fascism.” With a very apt comparison, he publicly declares that “the Balli Kombëtar is the muzzle-loaded gun in Albania, while the current government is the atomic bomb.”
There is no doubt that the historical events that occurred in his Homeland and the revolutionary transformations that followed did not leave Noli the patriot and democrat untouched. They not only revived him spiritually, awakening strong emotions, but also influenced his views, making him more optimistic than ever about the future of the Homeland, increasing his faith in the people’s strength and capabilities, and further democratizing some of his concepts. Never before had Noli held such advanced positions as he did at this time. Without denying the objective factors, the new historico-social circumstances created in Albania, one cannot help but notice the role of Enver Hoxha’s personality and historical work in Noli’s positive stances, his thoughts, and the renewal and evolution that some of his worldview concepts underwent.
In Enver Hoxha, he saw the main protagonist of the new Albanian history, the architect of the new Albania, the leader of the heroic struggle who accomplished “Skanderbeg’s unfinished work,” the beloved and admired leader of workers and peasants, the great statesman of a small country. This caused Fan Noli to always hold deep esteem and respect for him, so much so that until the end of his life, he called him “our commander.” Not coincidentally, a few months before closing his eyes, he wrote to his friend Milto Sotir Gurra: “We both have had the fortune to live long enough to see this (advanced Albania — N.J.). So many others did not enjoy this privilege. Thus, we belong to the group of the fortunate.”
(Translated from the Albanian original)
Published in:
