Oldal 1 [1]
OCR
XeAe%e for July 1952 REPORT FROM ALBANIA On May 27th, the Albanian Minister of Justice presented a new penal code, which, as should be expected, was accepted by Parliament, called together in special sessions The new Code is a translation of Russian legislation, but adds to the list of erimes against the State any such action that offends the Soviet Union or another of the people's demmoracies. The passage of such penal code is symptomatic of the present Albanian situation, On the one hand the absolute uniformity with the Soviet pattern is imposed on a tiny country that Russia considers its most important stratégic position on the Medéterranéan, On the other hand, Enver Hoxha, the General Seeretary of the Albanian "Iabor Party" although recognized dictator of the country, has serious reasons lately to re-enforfe his oppressive measures against still existing autonomous forees: certain party tendencies, oppositions steming from the country's economy and the Church. et strategie EZ the ougoslavia, eece and the sea, Albania is urr oO Stalin's forepost in Southern Europe. It controls entirely the straigh of Otranto, where waters separating Italy from the Balkan coasts are only about 70 kilometers large. On that point the Adriatie ean easily be blocked, thus cutting off the Yougoslay and the Eastern Italian seaports from the Western basis of Greece, Turkey, lialta, Egypt. News that that report re-enforcement of Soviet positions in Albania are consequgntly of the greatest importance. . Recently the tiny satellite State has made a tremendous military efforts: in a country that has only 1,250.000 population, the calling under the arms of 35,000 men should not be overlooked. Reliabl: sources reveal furthermore that Albanian Army has now been re-ernforee. by uniis from the outside, mostly flown down from Bastern Germany e Huge fortifieation works are carried outs the strategie Ba of Vlone and the Sazan Island which proteets it, have become extreme important air end nayal basis, In ease of a Evropean war, this will be a crucial point for Italy and Yougoslavia, Both bay and iskand are today no longer under the control of the Albanian government, It has pessed into the hands of a Soviet naval mission of 200 officers, akin ratings and technicians, most of them suomarine men, Several Soviet submarines have been flown in, in parts, and assembled in the navy yards, While sof far there has been no evidence that they have left Albanian territorial waters, they ean do so at any time. Officers and ratings en the submarines are exelvsívely Russian. Whether a few sailors are Albanian or not, we do not know. Party purges.s er the wave of anti-titoism that three and four years cleaned out the Partágd in a ae countries, today e tex nől A rl era ces ayaa ars ejh; he ep-eeteutnt ton of economies ~ the ee on o ne cient", “saboteurs", "outsiders" throu he communistie world, j — 25;
