Office of the Historian

875.01/10–2345: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State

London, October 23, 1945—4 p.m.
[Received 11:58 a.m.]

11079. FonOff has replied to Embassy’s letter based on Department’s 9108, October 13.44 Its letter dated October 21 states following:

“His Majesty’s Government agree that there would be advantage in granting early recognition to General Hoxha and they also agree that this might best be done by simultaneous notification by the US British and Russian representatives in Tirana.

I45 note that the US Government are in favour of obtaining pledges from General Hoxha about the holding of free elections before recognition is granted. These pledges will no doubt be given readily enough but as the Hoxha’s Government is largely Communist controlled it seems very doubtful whether they will be fulfilled in practice. In fact neither Government nor elections in Albania will ever be ‘Democratic’ in the sense in which this is understood in Great Britain and the United States of America. His Majesty’s Government consider that such development is unavoidable and we are therefore anxious that the request for assurances should not be phrased in such a way as to imply that our governments will be bound to react if the assurances are not exactly fulfilled. Subject to this provision we agree that it would be useful to obtain pledges from General Hoxha on the lines suggested in your letter.

I am afraid that the decision to recognise the Albanian Government will be very badly received in Greece where it will be interpreted to mean that our three governments have decided not to support Greek territorial claims against Albania. We suggest therefore that the Greek Government should be informed in advance and should also be told that recognition will not prejudice the future settlement of territorial questions between Greece and Albania. It would also be helpful if this latter point could be made clear publicly at the time when recognition is granted. I should be glad to learn whether the United States Government agree with this suggestion”.

Jacobs comment on above follows.

Sent Department as 11079; repeated Moscow as 362.

Winant
  1. Same as telegram 2161 to Moscow, supra.↩
  2. The letter was signed by William G. Hayter of the Southern Department of the British Foreign Office for Sir Orme Sargent, Superintending Under Secretary of the Southern Department.↩