Office of the Historian

800.48/11–644: Telegram

Mr. Alexander G. Kirk, Political Adviser, Allied Force Headquarters, to the Secretary of State

Caserta, November 6, 1944—1 p.m.
[Received November 7—3:58 a.m.]

1174. SACMED41a has recently decided that Allied operations in Albania be confined to introduction of relief and no occupational troops are contemplated. The situation now resembles that described in Department’s document H 11242 section 2 B except it is probable there will exist no effective armed resistance from rival organizations. The question of some form of recognition of FNC as the provisional government is sure to arise if present plans to invite Hoxha to send delegates to Italy to discuss future relief matters materialize. The British are already considering this locally without reference to what may have been decided recently in Moscow regarding future of Albania.43

The problem of how to distribute relief supplies in the absence of any Allied occupational troops has two alternative solutions: 1. Recognition of FNC as the provisional government and negotiation of a relief understanding with Hoxha along lines of proposed Yugoslav agreement.44 This might mean a substantial delay in the actual delivery of relief supplies which are now urgently needed; 2. Postponement of recognition question as well as of an overall relief agreement with Hoxha while introducing immediate relief on an ad hoc basis under very simple agreements with local groups on lines similar to the CCS45 directive Fan46 428 outlined in Department’s 202 of October 2, 6 p.m.,47 and my airmail despatch No. 823 of October 14.48 In view of the complications inherent in 1, which the British now apparently favor, I believe we should proceed in accordance with original directive. General Sadler49 concurs.

[Page 284]

I would appreciate having the Department’s comments as soon as possible.

Kirk
  1. Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theater.↩
  2. Not printed.↩
  3. Reference is probably to the meetings of Prime Minister Churchill and Foreign Secretary Eden with Premier Stalin in Moscow during October 1944. See vol. iv , section under Union of Soviet Socialist Republics entitled “Discussions relating to policies and problems …”↩
  4. Discussions were currently taking place at Bari between British military authorities and representatives of the Yugoslav Committee of National Liberation over the question of civilian relief for Yugoslavia. The draft agreement was drawn up on November 23.↩
  5. Combined Chiefs of Staff.↩
  6. Military communications indicator.↩
  7. Not printed; this telegram explained that the Combined Chiefs of Staff had’ informed the Supreme Allied Commander that since no group was recognized by the Allies as a government of Albania, he was authorized to deal with such local groups as he found in control. Though authorized to carry on discussions with these groups, he was cautioned to make no firm commitments on relief. (800.48/9–2344)↩
  8. Not found in Department files.↩
  9. Brig. Gen. Percy L. Sadler, Deputy Commander for Combined Operations with the British for Relief and Rehabilitation in the Balkan countries.↩