Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, Europe, Volume IV

875.00/12–1145: Telegram

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

Tirana, December 11, 1945—2 p.m.
[Received December 12—3:21 p.m.]

224. Albanian elections for members Constituent Assembly having been held and complete returns in, I am of opinion that assurances requested Deptstel No. 106, November 8 and given in Hoxha’s reply dated November 15 (mytel 198, November 18⁷⁶) with respect to elections have been fulfilled.

Election was conducted by secret methods without evidence of threats or intimidation and, although opposition presented no candidates, it could have done so.⁷⁷ Moreover in absence of opposition candidates regime in order to give opposition opportunity to register dissent provided special ballot box for that purpose at every polling booth similar to box for Front candidates.

Of 603,000 registered voters 543,000 or 90% cast ballots 93% for and 7% against Front candidates. Assumes that all 10% abstaining voters were against regime, Front would still have 84% of all registered voters.⁷⁸

Of 111 candidates who ran, 29 of whom were Independents (without Front endorsement but in favor of Front programs) official reports give names of the Treaty of Washington [sic] members of future Constituent Assembly, 78 of whom are Front candidates and 4 are Independents. No important Front candidate was defeated. Further performance of 82 elected members reveals 79 men 3 women 56 Moslems (for 70% of population) 22 Greek Orthodox (for 20% of population) and 4 Catholics (for 10% of population).

Ten correspondents were in Albania for week before and during election and majority of them generally speaking favorably impressed with what they heard and observed.

There remains Department’s condition with respect to treaties concerning which I expect to see Hoxha and Nishani shortly and emphasize aspects mentioned in Department’s telegram 118, December 5.

Sent to Department as 224, repeated to Caserta as 263.

Jacobs

76. Not printed; it transmitted a text of Hoxha’s message of November 15 to Fultz, p. 71.

77. Telegram 211, December 4, 4 p.m., from Tirana, reported that news correspondents and Mr. Jacobs and his staff personally visited various polling booths in Tirana and the British Military Mission visited other centers on the day of the election, December 2. A majority of correspondents commented favorably on the friendly reception accorded them to observe elections in Tirana (875.00/12–445). Despatch 136, December 19, from Tirana, reported on the Albanian elections and concluded:

    “… these elections appear to have been conducted in a satisfactory manner and can, therefore, be accepted as an expression of the will of the majority of the people of Albania who took the trouble to express their views in this election. This is not only the opinion of this Mission but also of most of the press correspondents who came to Albania to observe the elections as well as the opinion of the British Military Mission here.” (875.00/12–1945)

78. Telegram 4239, December 12, noon, from Caserta, gave Brigadier Hodgson’s report of complete election returns: Total electorate—637,746; 15 percent did not vote; Democratic Front candidates received 505,842 (79.3 percent), and there were 37,024 for the opposition (5.8 percent) (875.00/12–1245).