SECRET CONTROL U.S. Orme, at ft ONLY ()debar 1949 KIDIC44AliDUIA TOI Assistant Director for Special operations ?ROM$ Chiefs Foraign Division P 8U/1410T (Weems, wit/C.- _lon 16 and 17 September 1949 ro Albanian Operation ma following momorandum is based on notes taken by c_ . ] and _Din the course of a oonferenee wiwith C: at the NotaiiStatler on the morning and aftarnoon of 16 Ssptembar sad the nom ing of 17 September 1949. rhose attampulinz this sentsrsnoe inaluded C__ ,] Angletov C _For your assistanos in reading this menorandum, we are attaching joppy of this questionnaire which served as a basis for discussion. 1. In reply to tho question as to what had been told the Greeks with regard to the Albanian operationsC jatated that Anbassador Grady had advisod Foreign Minister Tsaldaris in general term of the formation of the Albanian Oasmaittoa, and that Mt. Burton Y. Berry and Mr. Reber G. Miner had also infonsod Permanent UndarSeorstary of Foreign Affairs Pipinelis. So far as .C. jknew. this was the only official word Joh had been given to the Oreeks. Onoffisialtyl j know of no information which had been passed to thaws and he lf had had no contacts with any Groeks on this subjeart. 64 was uncertain an towhatC- ]Xight or might not have indiostod to Greek contacts. e _jhad himself advised Gametal Van Float and General Jenkins of the operation. and General Van Met planned to brief his U.S 0MB, whom. arrival was expected shortly, and his Chief of Staff. General Tan Float had no contact with the Greeks in re. a• C j]does not believo that the British diplomat in Athens told the Greeks anything more speoifie about this operation. After Ambassa dor Grady had briefed Tmaldaris. the British Asi seador. Sir 011-recod Norton, aloe spoke with Tsaldaris along the sant lines. opposite nuabor) and C __1(a sort if Assistant ASO from London and chief of the opora ion for the British) arranged to set up a British base on Oorfuj this natter was oloared by _Dwith General Alexander Papaw and the Governor of Corfu. So far as _:l knee. thero had been no other British discussion Of the Operation with the Greeks. I • CI _ Ostated that he had never approached any Italian officials and said that he believed the British hadnt either. Be commented that the British wore always reluctant to ask the Itaiiians for anything and loft it to DECLASSIFIED AND RELEASED BY C CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY SECRET SOURCESMETNODSEXEMPT ION 362B R4t0 TON Tit at NAZ I WAR CR IMES 01 SCLOSURE ACT U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY GATE 2007 IIIISECRET CUNTROt O . AnPIM 011. OWILY the Unitod State tido overything in Italy* in eentrast to their attitude in Frans., where they handled overything theasolvos. However, in the end they node the same tort of oppress to Semi in the Italian Foreign °also as madsby the Amo0ean ooprosentativos0 In the Amerioen Ishasey in Ramos both jand L, 1Dhad soon Loppi and disowned with him the fonoation of the Committee, an entry via for Abas ramie tho relator of Abu, Preoni frea prisons end permits slfor members of the C ite.. to re. ointer Italy* On c request, a umber of :1 obtained a penal sortifloate for Sajikryosiu about the begiling of Auguiis be did this, howover„ only through a safe cutwo rm and did net go btasolf to the qtspotura. 4 C said that Midhat Fraabori had naintaiaed eontent oath tho Italian ForOig0 Office ter Illems time and OVA riessmsblY be Presumed to he still in contact with it. is for foof Pali, Vasil Andoni and Main Meet, _71believed that they did not go near the Italians because of their dislike-14r mad opposition to thew. S. As a possible explanation of certain Ore. notion. in Italy which might appear to indicate oonsiderablo knowledge of the operationsC :7 pointed out that a roommendation had been made to the Snooks to issue a statement that * on the condition of the oxistoneo of a fro, and deamoratie Albania* they would moms any tains against Albania exeopt through VP or ether legal bonnets and by peaceful mesas. the proposed text of this statement was submittod to the Greek Foreign Offieo two or three weeks o- hm the announcement of the formation of the Albanian Committoe was mad. Greek Mini star Copsalis in Hone may then halm Gusted on his own in approach. ing fl el loadors and Narks °Joni and urging support of an orgonisstion for a free Albania. 6 0 It was decided that a joint Amorioan.British approach would be made to the French Govornments on the service level, to permit the members of the Committoo to enter From, in order that the announcement of the formation of the Committee might be made in Forts. (2 ._ jiaid that he bad Wimp soon Ho said that Mibiore e s office apparently obtained visesIOr the molter of the dammittoe without advising the others, got in a Map as a result of obtaining the wrong kind of vises *and then went to the British. Mr* Matthews, a Britimhors took oars of this matter. Sines _joss worried lest the Committee be a sour., of anent to the Friona Government/ AL was prevailed upon to see _:7and brief him en questions whisk were expiated to to put to tits dammitt0e. E not t in the Pritish Mohassy, at which tinek 2brought up the question of Mani imeivi oho, be said, had arrived in Memo that Tuesday ofternoon. C: DesPritsmid great surprise sod said he did not this Titowoud l wait Omni Kryesiu to ioavo the country., said that he had Hie s Addys. in Rom, and inquired about the Lieweetiet the t with Yugoslavia. It later appeared that C ahad been in touch with certain royal Yugoslays. who apparently had expressed their views or fears to him. Two days later :jasked to see the Committoe and SECREI , C TWO:. U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY IPPIPSECRET CONTROL atompral cay volunteerod to take them to an apartmont, an altar Usk .00 tly declined, Ihosbulah as 4: _Jhold to so to Raw* he IiiNCedL the address of Osai tryesiu therefr -:luas embarrassed and was umabla (or =milling) to Oro him the addilles. C: _:Ialso said that Xing Mar wished to LINA statement of support of the Albanian Oemaittea, an offer ahioh Dhastily deolined with thanks. Y. C., jtried hard to pump( ._Dgin the relationship of C., to Leon B. Sherman inquiring ifr was handling the natter as a representative of the hate Departmeni-er as a 01A repr.sentativo. protested his ignorance of this question and toldC_ jthat he movid imanubtodiy be able to have this question answered by Sherman him. solf L- ; said that he slither should haw liaison in the Quid dOrsay or that he sho d establish a now branch of hie orrice which would correspond to the ono handling tho Albanian operation 8. With regard to ths question of security of reoruiting and train Lug of Albanians intended for operations inside the eountry,C._ .3 stated that, so far 41 he knew, no British Wisers had gem to IRO maps. Be said that HIM Mani and nail Andoni had don the recruiting in the soaps, in order to cover the departure of Albanian agents tram Italy the British had chartered a plan for Cyprus. The Albanians wars offloadod at Malta elan dostinoly and the plane continued en to Cyprus, where the ships passengor manifest was checked in such a way as to indicate that the Albanians had actually arrived and been discharged at Cyprus. In the event that, attar their arrival in Albania, any of those Albanians should be picked up and in. terrogated, too British Government would may that they had boon taken to Cyprus for training for jobs in baurttius but had boon found uneatiefaotory and discharged, and that it did not know hat had bosome of them, attar that. The first group of Albanians from Malta entered Albania about 18 September 1948 8* In connection with The above Mr. Angloton commented that the British had betrayed their operational plans by asking the Creeks for forty Albanian identity cards * c- J agreed that this did oonproaise tho operational plan, to a degrees 100 With roference to Mak Major Berbirt, ilasaid that his father was a wealthy man, not oonneetodwith wi the BIS, who served in Albania during the Balkan wars, and eho was subsequently scheduled to be mad King of Albania* In fact he became British Minister to Albania, and had estates thong* Major Norbert and his mother have been proainent in an AagleAlbanian society and have maintained lose oontaot with Albania, partly through eaten. taming Albanian contacts in the villa of Major . Norberts mother at Genoa, Italy* For the past 18 to SA months Major Herbert hag been octavo in effort to persuado the Albanians to organise * Bowiveri-( L 7stated that the British were =willing to use Herbert in any way this-oOrstion. lit"SETCR.RET.or U.S. OFT"1416 ONLY 1111SECREI CONTROT U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY U. In late April and oarly MAy 1940 Pitsroy Waft saw Tito in Belgrade and, in the sours, of oonvorsation with Mao railed the poetics of Albania,. Tito said that ha would not oppose a hangi in the goewroment, but that ony new government would have to b a pooptablo to him and that log maid not b. aseoptabl•. This mooting took place beforoC , 0 SOW to fterliston. 12. Tho only thin thing doh J know about Tugoslav upsets of tit question was that ths British Ambassador to Bel grade wt.O la I:WAS About Si .