Office of the Historian

865.014/8–945: Telegram

The Representative in Albania (Jacobs) to the Secretary of State

Tirana, August 9, 1945—10 a.m.
[Received 1:05 p.m.]

116. In view tenuous status our mission here and for other reasons hope Dept can avoid if it contemplates such action, joining British in protest to Albanian authorities concerning Saseno. (Dept’s 714, Aug 2 to Caserta and my 128, Aug 4 to Dept13). Aggressive action suggested by Brig. Hodgson in Caserta’s 3221, Aug 614 is not indicated. Both Americans and British, including Brig. Hodgson, have known since last November that Partisan troops had occupied the island and protest 9 months late is bound to come as a shock and strengthen hands of those members of present regime who do not want to cooperate with US and Great Britain in any event. Moreover, Saseno is not another Trieste,15 it is merely a small militarized island without civilian population about 3 miles off Albanian mainland at entrance Valona Harbor. Dept understands better than I how it all [Italy?] came to occupy it and I do not understand this sudden interest in the matter at AFHQ.

Rptd to Caserta as 136.

Jacobs
  1. Neither printed; telegram 714, August 2, 6 p.m., to Caserta, asked for any details regarding the alleged Albanian occupation of the island of Saseno off the coast of Albania (865.014/8–945). Telegram 111, August 4, 10 a.m., from Tirana, repeated to Caserta as 128, reported information that a small Albanian partisan force had occupied Saseno in November 1944 (865.014/8–445). Telegram 3244, August 9, 6 p.m., from Caserta, reported an Albanian press statement that Italy had seized Saseno unjustly in 1916, and that Albanian military forces occupied the island in October 1944 (864.014/8–945).↩
  2. Not printed; it reported that Brigadier Hodgson had addressed a communication to General Hoxha requesting him to confirm or deny the occupation of Saseno but had received no reply. Hodgson intended to advise the Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theater, to protest “this aggression.” (865.014/8–645)↩
  3. For documentation regarding the concern of the United States over control of Venezia Giulia, including the city of Trieste, see pp. 1103 ff.↩