"Free Albania" National Committee ( sq, Komiteti Kombëtar "Shqipëria e Lirë"), also known as "Free Albania" National-Democratic Committee, also National Committee for a Free Albania or NCFA, was a political organization of post-
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
n emigres based in the Western countries.
It was supported by the
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
as part of the
Albanian Subversion
Operation Valuable, also known as the Albanian subversion () or Secret Anglo-American invasion of communist Albania, was one of the earliest covert paramilitary operations in the Eastern Bloc. The main goal of the operation was to overthrow th ...
and was a member of the
National Committee for a Free Europe
The National Committee for a Free Europe, later known as Free Europe Committee, was an anti-communist Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) front organization, founded on June 1, 1949, in New York City, which worked for the spreading of American infl ...
.
The committee's aim was organizing the Albanian diaspora and cooperating with western powers in overthrowing
Enver Hoxha's
Communist regime in Albania.
The committee's creation was initiated in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
and was completed in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
in the summer of 1949.
Background
With the triumph of communism in Albania after the end of World War II, many of the political actors in Albania during World War II had to flee the country. Many of them collaborated with western governments and their secret services in seeking to overthrow the communists, and thus changing the form of the regime in Albania. The members of the committee were heterogeneous. Most were former
Balli Kombëtar
The Balli Kombëtar (literally ''National Front''), known as Balli, was an Albanian nationalist, collaborationist and anti-communist resistance movement during the Second World War. It was led by Ali Këlcyra and by Midhat Frashëri. The move ...
(Albanian National Front) members including
Mithat Frashëri,
Abas Ermenji,
Vasil Andoni,
Hafëz Jusuf Azemi and
Ali Klissura
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
. There were also
Legaliteti
The Legaliteti ( sq, Lëvizja Legaliteti; en, Legality Movement) were an Albanian royalist and pro-monarchy faction founded in
1941. It was led by Abaz Kupi.
Ideology
The Legaliteti sought the return of King Zog, who had fled the country o ...
members including their leader
Abaz Kupi
Abaz Kupi (6 August 1892 – 17 January 1976) or Abas Kupi. He was also known as Bazi i Canës. He was an Albanian military officer.
Kupi was born in Krujë. He served as commander of the gendarmerie of the town of Kruja, and later of the to ...
, the "Blloku Indipendent" (Independent Block) of pro-Italian and/or
collaborationist elements who had been involved with Albanian puppet governments during the war, (e.g.
Ernest Koliqi
Ernest Koliqi (20 May 190315 January 1975) was an Albanian journalist, politician, translator, teacher and writer.
Biography
Born in Shkodra, where he also attended his first lessons at the local Jesuit College. In 1918 his father send him ...
,
Mustafa Kruja,
Gjon Marka Gjoni,
Shefqet Verlaci) anti-fascist and anti-communist guerrillas (led by
Said Bey Kryeziu
Said Bey Kryeziu (10 April 1911 - 16 May 1993), also known as Seit Bey or Seit Beg, was a Kosovo Albanian anti-communist resistance fighter.
Biography
Said Bey was born in Gjakova, Vilayet of Kosovo, Ottoman Empire. He was a member of the influen ...
) who cooperated with British-American emissaries during the war, other independent anti-communists, e.g.
Muharrem Bajraktari
Muharrem Bajraktari (15 May 1896 – 21 January 1989) was an Albanian Muslim guerrilla fighter from Lumë in northern Albania, and a political figure during World War II.
Family and early life
His father was Nezir Bajraktari, and he had a b ...
, as well as other political factions including the "Peasant League" ( sq, Lidhja Katundare).
Creation
Preparations for the Committee started in Rome in 1948, at the initiative of Legaliteti. After the rejection of Balli Kombëtar (due to political antagonism against them in place since World War II), Balli's leader Mithat Frashëri took the initiative. However, strong confrontations took place between Balli members and "Blloku Indipendent" members who decided to stay out of the committee.
The US State Department did not want any of the Blloku members involved in the committee due to their pro Italian/German stance during the war, but there was support for guerillas like Ismail Vërlaci of Gjon Markagjoni to join as unaffiliated individuals.
An office was opened in Paris on 1 July 1949.
The "Free Albania" National Committee was officially constituted on 7 July
(although some Albanian sources place it later in time, on 26 August 1949
). Mithat Frashëri was its chairman, with other members of the Directing Board being: Nuçi Kotta (son of the Albanian former Prime Minister
Kostaq Kotta
Kostaq Kotta, also known as Koço Kotta (5 May 1886 – 1 September 1947), was an Albanian politician and twice prime minister during the reign of King Zog, who took a pro-Italian right-wing stance.
Biography
He was educated in Greece and Ital ...
), Abaz Kupi, Said Kryeziu, and Zef Pali.
There was also a national committee consisting of Eqrem Telhai of the "Peasant League" (Albanian: ''Lidhja Katundare''), Hysni Mulleti of the "Agrarian League" (Albanian: ''Lidhja Agrare''), Muharrem Bajraktari from the "Independent Fighting Group" (Albanian: ''Grupi Luftëtar i Pavarur''), Ihsan Toptani (independent), Gaqo Gogo, a pro-monarchist and former
King Zog I
Zog I ( sq, Naltmadhnija e tij Zogu I, Mbreti i Shqiptarëve, ; 8 October 18959 April 1961), born Ahmed Muhtar bey Zogolli, taking the name Ahmet Zogu in 1922, was the leader of Albania from 1922 to 1939. At age 27, he first served as Albania's ...
's secretary, Myftar Spahiu and Gani Tafilaj from Legaliteti, with Halil Maçi, Vasil Andoni, and Abaz Ermenji from Balli Kombëtar.
Gaqo Gogo served as Executive Secretary, while Abaz Kupi was appointed chairman of the
military junta
A military junta () is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the national and local junta organized by the Spanish resistance to Napoleon's invasion of Spain in ...
, with Ermenji and Kryeziu as his deputies.
On 6 September 1949, the committee announced its creation in a
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
radio transmission. In the following days, Mithat Frashëri organized a press conference, which created a conflict with pro-
", stating that he should speak about only those territories that were part of the Albanian state.
Soon after, the British intelligence officer
and Robert Low. They had a meeting with King Zog trying to persuade him to recognize the committee. The former King of Albania,
, opposed the committee even though his supporter Abaz Kupi was one of the founders, arguing that he was the only legitimate representative of Albania.
.
. After Frashëri's death on 3 October 1949,
who had settled in the USA.
continued to work in France, where he published the journal "Qëndresa Shqiptare" ( sq, Albanian Resistance).
The committee collaborated with the CIA in forming the
in 1950. The "company" consisted of trained military units, supporting the
, though it was never effective.
in 1955, the committee's activities diminished over the years, but it continued to organize political gatherings, conferences and seminars. Over 15,000 Albanian refugees were resettled in the United States through its efforts. Krasniqi published the newspaper "The Free Albanian" ( sq, Shqiptari i lirë) from November 1957 to 1970. The committee was one of the nine national representative bodies which were used by US
(ACEN).
in Eastern Europe, the board of directors of the NCFA decided that its functions would no longer be needed, and it was disbanded in 1992.
Recently (2013) CIA documents became public, which showed the CIA's sponsorship and deep involvement in the committee's creation and activities.