The People's Republic of Albania 733 National Liberation Council, and its executive organ, from the Congress of Permet to the day when the Constituent Assembly was convened.” Meanwhile, the question of assurances requested by the United States Government concerning the status of treaties and agreements in effect between the two countries on April 7, 1939, became linked more closely with frantic efforts by the new People's Republic of Albania to obtain membership in the United Nations. Despite its efforts, assumption of a responsible place for the People's Republic of Albania within the postwar family of nations seemed to depend upon affirmation of the continuing validity of such prewar treaties and agreements. Rebuffed in its efforts to gain sufficient support to overcome direct and indirect Anglo-American resistance to membership for the People's Republic of Albania in the United Nations, the Albanian Government in general, and Colonel General Hoxha in particular, simply ignored the suggestion of long standing made to Hoxha in a note from the United States Government delivered December 1, 1945. This was unfortunate, because the suggestion was the most sensible one made by the United States in the entire controversy and should have been advanced earlier. The suggestion was that should American-Albanian agreements or provisions thereof require, according to the Albanian authorities, modification, suspension pending conclusion of new agreements, or termination due to changed circumstances or other legitimate reasons, then the United States Government was convinced that such steps should be taken by common accord, resulting from negotiation following appropriate prior notification rather than by unilateral repudiation. On February 27, 1946 Jacobs was told by Hoxha that the Albanian Government's position remained unchanged- any reexamination of existing prewar treaties and agreements must follow United States recognition and the arrival in Tirana of an American Minister. American Support (April-August 1946) for Greece's Territorial Claims Angers Hoxha During the spring and summer of 1946, one major issue plaguing American relations with the People's Republic of Albania, was the manner in which the United States Government supported Greek Government Claims to "Northern Epirus" (Southern Albania). These claims were raised primarily at the Paris Peace Conference, where provisions of the Treaty of Peace with Italy were being hammered out. On April 12, 1946, Colonel General Hoxha sought an official explanation from the United States Government for a resolution (S. Res. 82) introduced by Senator Claude Pepper which, on March 27, 1946, had been reported out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee favorably and without amendment: Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that Northern Epirus (including Corytsa) and the twelve islands of the Aegean Sea, known as the Dodecanese Islands, where a strong Greek population predominates, should be awarded by the peace conference to Greece and become incorporated in the territory of Greece. The reply to Hoxha was in the form of a Memorandum sent out on May 11, 1946 over the signature of Acting Secretary of State Dean Acheson. The Memorandum concluded that Senate action on S. Res. 82 should not be construed as indicating the attitude of the United States Government's Executive Branch as to its merits, pro or con. In the Senate passage of S. Res. 82 came on July 29, 1946 after a short debate in which misconceptions about geography on the part of a number of Senators were on exhibition. However, it was the follow-up action on August 30 at the Paris Peace Conference which angered Hoxha. The United States vote then in favor of placing the issue of Greek territorial claims to Northern Epirus on the agenda of the Paris Peace Conference, was denounced by Hoxha in the presence of Jacobs on more than one occasion, although it was a vote not on the substance of the matter but one of procedure. Both Prime Minister Hoxha and Greek Prime Minister Tsaldaris had made statements at the Paris Peace Conference in late August, concerning draft provisions of the Treaty of Peace with Italy in the context of relations between Albania and Greece. Hoxha's Compromise Offer (August 13, 1946) on On August 13, 1946, five days before departing for Paris to become Head of the Albanian Delegation at the Paris Peace Conference, Prime Minister Hoxha submitted what was to be his Government's final offer on the subject of the continuing validity of treaties and agreements in effect between Albania and the United States on April 7, 1939. As reported by Jacobs (articles being omitted for brevity's sake) Hoxha had presented the compromise offer in these terms: Government of the Republic of Albania having always in mind friendship based on mutual respect for international and national rights as link between our two countries, as well as similar relationships with all other democratic and progressive countries, most sincerely and patiently accepts validity of treaties of international character which existed between our two countries as listed below: (here Department should insert titles of eleven multilateral treaties copies of which Department submitted to Albania authorities through this Mission in January). With respect to other treaties of bilateral character as listed below: treaties of arbitration, conciliation, naturalization and extradition the Albanian Government is ready to take them under consideration immediately with American Minister who will come to Tirana after our government is recognized. After necessary corrections have been made by two parties these treaties will enter into force at once. Then, comparing this cable text of Hoxha's letter dated August 13 with Hoxha's oral comments on that day on this subject, Jacobs noted astutely: Letter reiterates substance what Hoxha said, mentioning eleven multilateral and four bilateral treaties, but contained no reference to nature desired corrections and does not mention passport fees agreement, money order convention and, what is far more important, most-favored-nation treatment, exchange of notes beginning 1922 and completed 1925 which Hoxha did not mention orally. Hoxha's letter, equivocal as usual and with the emphasis upon treaties rather than agreements, and upon multilateral treaties rather than bilateral ones, went unanswered. Hoxha, obviously impatient, took the opportunity of discussing his compromise offer in public among his supporters on October 7, 1946, when he addressed the General Council of the Democratic Front. According to the text provided by the newspaper Bashkimi the following day, Hoxha began the presentation of his case by railing against the series of nefarious treaties concluded by the Zogu Government, and by praising the Albanian people's delegates gathered at Permet in May 1944 for rejecting those treaties. Besides impatience, another reason for this show of displeasure with the United States on the part of Hoxha, may have been his anger over the forthcoming departure of Jacobs, whose farewell call on the Prime Minister took place on October 9. Whether or not Hoxha knew that Jacobs had become head of the American survey mission with the understanding that if de jure recognition was ever accorded to the Hoxha Government, he would be the new American Minister, Hoxha must have surmised that, with the departure of Jacobs, such recognition was no longer envisaged. Withdrawal of the American Survey Mission in November 1946 Almost a month before Prime Minister Hoxha delivered his major political address, Secretary of State James F. Byrnes had reached the conclusion that United States de jure recognition of the People's Republic of Albania had become completely undesirable. He embodied his conclusion in a telegram dated September 20, 1946: I wish that no steps be taken toward recognition of the régime in Albania at this time. Regardless of what Albania may do to accept the validity of our treaties, any recognition extended at this time would be widely misinterpreted. On November 2 the decision to withdraw the entire mission was communicated to Tirana and, on November 5, an informal note was delivered to Hoxha acknowledging that "the Mission has been unable to achieve the purposes for which it was originally sent to Albania." Prime Minister Hoxha quickly placed his interpretation on this new development, incorporating it in a lengthy note delivered to the American mission on November 7 and published in Bashkimi on November 12, in which he lauded the compromise offer made August 13 and criticized the impolite Americans for their failure to respond. Meanwhile, the United States Government presented its side of the matter in dispute, setting forth the history of the mission and the rationale for its withdrawal in a State Department press release of November 8 (published under the title "American Mission to Albania Withdrawn" in the Department of State Bulletin November 17, 1946), which read in part: The proposal made by the United States Government on November 10, 1945, to recognize the Albanian regime headed by Col. Gen. Enver Hoxha specified as a condition that the Albanian authorities affirm the continuing validity of all treaties and agreements in force between the United States and Albania as of April 7, 1939, the date of the Italian invasion of Albania. The requirement of such an assurance from the Albanian regime as a prerequisite to United States recognition is in accord with the established practice of this Government to extend recognition only to those Governments which have expressed willingness to fulfil their international obligations. The Albanian regime on August 13, 1946, after a delay of nine months, indicated its acceptance of the multilateral treaties and agreements to which both the United States and Albania are parties, but it has failed to affirm its recognition of the validity of bilateral instruments between the United States and Albania. In view of the continued unwillingness of the present Albanian regime to assume these bilateral commitments and obligations, which are in no instance of an onerous character and concern such customary subjects as arbitration and conciliation, naturalization, extradition, and most-favored-nation treatment (see the appended list), the United States Government can no longer serve any useful purpose by remaining in Albania. . .. Bilateral Treaties.and Agreements between the United States and Albania Signed at Washington, Oct. 22, 1928. Ratifications exchanged Feb. 12, 1929: proclaimed Feb. 12, 1929. Effective Feb. 12, 1929. Conciliation treaty Signed at Washington, Oct. 22, 1928. Ratifications exchanged Feb. 12, 1929; proclaimed Feb, 12, 1929. Effective Feb. 12, 1929. Naturalization treaty Signed at Tirana, Apr. 5, 1932. Ratifications exchanged July 22, 1935: proclaimed July 29, 1935. Effective July 22, 1935. Extradition treaty Signed at Tirana, Mar. 1, 1933. Ratifications exchanged Nov. 14, 1935; proclaimed Nov. 19, 1935. Effective Nov. 14, 1935. The People's Republic of Albania Agreement relating to most-favored-nation treatment and other matters. 737 Agreement effected by exchange of notes for the waiver of passport visa fees for non-immigrants. Signed at Tirana, May 7, 1926. Effective June 1, 1926. Money order convention. Signed Apr. 13 and June 18, 1932. Effective July 1, 1933. On November 14, 1946 a three-minute flag lowering ceremony took place at the Department of State's survey mission in Tirana, and its American staff drove off for Durres and, on November 15, ships carrying the mission's American staff weighed anchor in heavy seas off this Albanian port en route for Naples, arriving the next afternoon. Ironic sidelights in connection with the hazardous boarding operation completed nearly ten miles off Durres, despite ten-foot waves and minimal cooperation of Albanian authorities, were a prior protest by the Albanian Government to the United Nations charging the American mission with an improper request for "two military craft," apparently UNRRA-owned but Albanianoperated cargo lighters, for transferring freight from the docks to ships at anchor, and subsequent claim of nearly $1,000 for the "loan" of the UNRRA owned tug and lighter actually used in quitting Durres. Noteworthy Developments (1955-1967) Following Departure of American Survey Mission A number of noteworthy developments have occurred since Prime Minister Enver Hoxha in his New Year's Message of December 31, 1946 castigated the United States Government, and referred to the departure of the American survey mission as good riddance. On December 14, 1955, the People's Republic of Albania was admitted to the United Nations, and, at the United Nations General Assembly's 601st Plenary Meeting of November 29, 1956, participated in the Assembly's general debate for the first time. On that occasion Minister of Foreign Affairs Behar Shtylla announced that on the basis of the five well-known principles of peaceful coexistence, the People's Republic of Albania had established diplomatic relations with twenty countries and was “ready and willing to establish normal relations with every country desiring this." At the 872nd Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly, on September 28, 1960, Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Mehmet Shehu, made the invitation more specific: We again confirm our readiness to establish normal relations with all States which wish to have such relations with us, including the United States and the United Kingdon. Three years before addressing those conciliatory words to the United |