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Extract from Report of Operations for the Quarter Ended 30 June 1951.

BGFIEND

1. Approved on 22 June 1949, this Project was originally con-ceived to have as its minimum objective the reduction of Albaniancapabilities for supporting guerrilla activities in the Greek civilwar, and as its maximum objective, the overthrow of the Hoxha regime.On 6 September 1949, it was agreed that the maximum objective shouldbe temporarily abandoned. The purpose of the Project as it nowstands is the maintenance of popular resistance through covert media,the development of NCFA political strength and OPC underground netsinside Albania in order to be able to exploit effectively any large-scale resistance movement against the Hoxha regime. The necessaryassets for clandestine wartime operations in Albania are also to beestablished in the event of a Soviet-Satellite aggression in theBalkans. Due to the complexity of international factors involved,the maximum cold-war objective of the Project is under continuousreview.

2. This is a direct OPC undertaking, whose program comprisessubversive paramilitary, PW-propaganda, political, economic warfareand support operations. Policy is coordinated with the BritishServices, but operations are determined and conducted independently.

3. During the second quarter of 1951, the following progresswas made in each program category:

a. Subversive-paramilitary operations

Recent letters from the survivors of the originalthree teams sent into Albania in November 1950 indicatethat all of the "Kukes" team are still operating on theAlbanian-Yugoslav border.

On May 18/19, following a series of unsuccessfultries due to adverse weather conditions, a two-man resupplyteam was dropped in the area of Kukes, and it is hoped thatthese reinforcements will be able to contact the originalteam. One of the members of the Dibra team also remainsin letter contact with the NCFA via Yugoslavia, but hereports that the team ifloVAdly ,m)lered and that he remainsthe sole operati-ye c)0,-)

. •MCA .4t.1:7,1YThe 4.epeceivmd,Apveate indicate a positive reac-

vcrtion o WPa IfjT Albanian people toward the NCFA,reports that NCFA propaganda has had a

Iplf on the morale of the Albanian people.DECLASSIFIEDIPCENTRAL INTELLIGEACE AGENCYS0URCESMETNOOSEX6FTION3O2Bliii •

LkiNAZ I WAR CR IMES DISCLOSURE ACT

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The agents

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The agents report considerable good will towards them-selves in their contacts with the local population, aswell as a willingness to provide recruits. in thisconnection, the NCFA received in May an offer from anAlbanian Army Captain to defect with 60 of his men to jointhe "forces of the NCFA I " but the Captain has beenencouraged to remain in the country where his servicesmay be of greater ultimate value. The reporting agentsparticipated in the spring disorders which evokedcounteraction by Pursuit Brigades led by Mehmet Shehu,Minister of the interior.

A fifth and final attempt was made on the night ofJune 6/7 to contact the two-man resupply team infiltratedon 18/19 May by ground-air radio failed. No furtherattempts are scheduled, inasmuch as there was only slight hopethat the Motorolas being used by the team would prove success-ful as a means of communication. New infiltrees are to begiven URC-4's for ground-air communication, and W/T transmis-missions will be possible as soon as the operators now intraining are infiltrated late in the summer (September).

On 18/19 June, the first effort to resupply this two-man team failed because of an inability to establish contactthrough prearranged signals. On the following night, asecond attempt was made and also failed due to an improperground fire pattern, which was probably set out incorrectlyby the team. Another attempt is scheduled for July.

The OPC covert aircraft was again used on 23 June toinfiltrate seven 40 agents into the Peqin area.

b. PW and Propaganda Activities

In conformity with the State Department ban on leafletdrops over Albania early in the second quarter of 1951, nosuch operations were undertaken. However, during theresupply mission of 18/19 May and again during the bodydrop on the night of 23 June, permission was granted to dropseveral thousand leaflets on each occasion as a deceptivemeasure. Some of the leaflets which had been speciallyexecuted following the bombing of the Soviet Legation inTirana in February were included in the deceptive drops.A cartoon leaflet labeled "Our Government Holds a Meeting"was completed in June and sent to Athens. in view oC thelarge number of leaflets waiting in Athens to be dropped(2,500,000) after the ban has been lifted, additionalfinal tezts have not been sent to ,Washington for processitv,but trieLjis continuing to

produce material

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produce material for future use. The two man resupply teamsent in on 18/19 May was provided with propaganda materialto be mailed inside the country.

Due to technical difficulties, the BGFiEND RadioVessel did not go into operation in June as originallyplanned. it is hoped, however, that in July regularclandestine broadcasts in Albania can be initiatedsuccessfully.

The National Committee for a Free Albania has con-tinued to issue its newspaper Shqiperia on a fortnightlybasis as scheduled. Five thousand copies of the newspaperhave been printed in small format and are being sent tothe field with the manner of distribution as yetundecided. The format and substance of the Albaniannewspaper are being studied with a view to its markedimprovement.

The BGFIEND! are closelycooperating witInidio Free Europe, wnicn-Oegan itsAlbanian broadcasts on 1 June 1951. Arrangements havebeen made for the contiquQus exchange of informationbetween RFE and the OPCC,

c. Political Activity

Cn 24 May 1951, the Executive Council of the NCFA waspresented with an NCFE aide-memoire, drawn up in accordancewith the views of EE-1 Headquarters stressing the necessityfor broadening the Committee to achieve a more representativecharacter. Although the three members of the Councilpresently in New York (Mr. Hasan Dosti, Mr. Said Kryeziu,and Mr. Nuci Kotta) expressed complete agreement with theaide-memoire in principle; the Committee Chairman, Mr.Dosti of the Balli Kombetar, asked for a delay in whichto consult his party in Rome. The meeting scheduled for15 June to vote on the issue was subsequently postponedin order to permit further consultation between SE-I, itsfield representatives, and the British Services regardingthe composition of the enlarged Committee. A brief tourhas been arranged. for Mr. Kryeziu, whose current trip tothe U.S. was apparently made in order to add lustre to hispersonal prestige among the refugees, and for Mr. Kotta.Hasan Dosti's suggestion that Abas Kupi and Zef Pali beinvited to the U.S. to participate in the vote on broadeningthe Committee is under consideration. Former King Zog hasplanned a "non-political" trip to the U.S. in July,reportedly to establish permAppipt residence in the UnitedStates. SENS1Init

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The formation of a IUgoslav-sponsored League oflabanian Refugees in Prizren early in May represents aserious potential threat to the NCFA and is under closesurveillance. The League is reported to have between threeto five thousand refugees organized into militant groups,and a recent report claims that it has up to 100 activeagents in Albania. Preliminary steps have been taken toparry the threat. The NCFA has been instructed to adoptan attitude of scepticism towards the Prizren Proclamationcalling for a "Free, independent and Republican Albania,"without launching into an exchange of polemics with theYugoslav League. The feasibility of a meeting at Triestebetween Abaz Kupi and Nik Sokoli, a leader of the Yugoslav-sponsored League (at which EE-I would be represented in thebackground) is under consideration, primarily with a viewto obtaining some light on the intentions of the Leagueand possibly to lay the groundwork for a limited form ofcooperation. Although such cooperation with the Yugoslav-sponsored group would offer certain obvious advantages,the inherent opportunities for ultimate Yugoslav dominationof the liberation movement necessitate extreme care inapproaching the problem. At OPC's request, the StateDepartment has instructed Ambassador Allen in Belgrade topoint out to the Yugoslays the inconsistency between theGovernment's alleged concern over the Soviet reactionto subversion of Albania and its own activities in thatrespect. It is anticipated that the Yugosla ys, withoutattempting the overthrow of the Hoxha regime for thepresent, will continue their organizational, subversiveand espionage activities in Albania as a counterforce toNCFA successes. The preponderance of potential andtangible assets available to the Yugoslav Governmentindicates the need for continued strengthening of the NCFAwith BGFIEND support.

d. Economic Warfare Operations

Interference with the transiting of goods between theCentral European Satellites and Albania is,stili largedependent on the establishment of an ofq_

L,e. Support Operations

(1) Training and Recruitment

During the month of April, the CIA field assessmentteam screened over 200 men in the Albanian Guard

Company in

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Company in Germany and selected 66 individualsjudged best qualified for agent infiltration. inMay the assessment team paid a visit to the IROLavrion Camp in Greece, where it selected 63prospects for operational training. Also duringMay a list of candidates for the next trainingclass was approved by the National Committee forFree Albania, but training was delayed because ofthe presence of Bulgarian trainees in the center.Since 11 June, 16 Albanians have been undergoingguerrilla warfare training in the BGFIEND covertschool in Germany. Following completion of thetraining, which is scheduled for about 12 July,these agents will be moved to Greece. FourteenAlbanians are currently undergoing WIT trainingfor operations in the late summer.

(2) Assignment of Personnel

A number of personnel are in training and processfor immediate assignment overseas. Their addition tothe BGFIEND staff, which was augmented in June tostrengthen the BGFIEND Broadcasting Vessel staff andthe training staff of the covert school in Germany,will virtually complete the BGFIEND Table ofOrganization.

(3) Facilities and Installations

With the acquisition on 3 April of a new trainingcenter in Germany as an addition to the HambuechenEstate, EE-I training facilities have been considerablyimproved. The training center has been placed underthe administrative control of EE-3. Albanian andBulgarian training classes must alternate in using theavailable facilities, but it is considered that theseare adequate for BGFIEND purposes. Some considerationhas been given to moving the BGFIEND training centerto Greece, but as yet no decision has been made.

The BGFIEND Radio Broadcasting Vessel, Juanita,was forced to delay trial operations until mid-Maylargely as a result of damages incurred during thetrans-Atlantic crossing. After fifteen days of

_test cruisirw: in the ionian sea, it , was decided by theto suspend opera-

tions until a number of technical -difficulties couldbe overcome and a system of operation evolved during

the visit

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jundertook in une an extensi46-field survey"trip wit'A the aim of discussing policies and the 1951operation schedule with our representatives in thefield and to improve further coordination betweenHeadquarters and the Field Stations. BGFIEND activiticomprised an important aspect ofagenda.

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he visit to Athens of[7. jancc- 3jate in June.

(4) Agreements with Friendly Powers

In April, a general plan for the infiltrationof Albanians over the Greek border was agreed uponby British, Greek and OPC representatives in Athens.

-1During( recent stay in London,

he discusA.1-with the British rvices on an exploratorybasis the entire Albanian situation and in particularthe question of broadening the Albanian National Com-mittee. These conversations will be renewed on hisreturn visit from the Eastern Mediterranean in the hopethat early agreement regarding our future joint policyon Albania will be reached.

(5) Coordination

On 7 April a meeting of key BGFIEND field officersin Germany was called by the Branch Chief to exploreavenues of action regarding Albania during the comingmonths, it was decided to extend considerably theoriginal plan for the infiltration of eight to tenfour-man teams plus several smaller teams for specialtasks.

A conference of BGFIEND personnel was held inAthens on 7-8 May to review the present status ofactivities between the Rome and Athens stations.

During the period, EE-I Headquarters strengthenedits coordination with the NCFE with respect to thelatter's direction of the National Committee for aFree Albania through a number of visits to New Yorkby Headquarters personnel. The necessary prerequisitethat Headquarters guidance for the NCFE must bedependent on close policy coordination with both theDepartment of State and the British Services represents

a serious

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a serious difficulty in establishing smooth and rapidcoordination hetween Washingt 41 .1 the NCFE. Estab-lishment of the NCFE Washington office in June hasalready resulted in some improvement in controllingthe NCFE's understandable impatience.

(6) Planning

A study on the implications of Yugoslav maneuversin Albania with respect to our own policies was pre-pared in June by the Branch Plans Section to serve asa basis for a current evaluation of Yugoslav intentionstoward the Hoxha Government and the NCFA.

An exchange of views took place in June betweenthe State Department and EE-i regarding the possibilitythat an UNSCOB investigation of subversive operationsagainst Albania from Greece might cause embarrassmentto both the U.S. and Greek Governments. Although agrowing interest in such activities on the part ofcertain members of the UNSCOB team in Greece consti-tutes a real dancer to opc operations, it is theopinion of L, that the situation isnot yet critical. The State Department has beenasked, however, to block any serious investigationand to consider the possibility of discontinuingUNSCOB.

A detailed study on the nature, functions, andcontrol mechanism of the National Committees, withspecific reference to the Albanian National Committee,was completed during the period and is now serving asa guide with respect to Committee matters.

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BGSPEED

1. This is a subproject under BGFlEND and calls for thepurchase, equipping and operation of a vessel to be used for radiobroadcasting beamed at Albania.

2. This is a direct ()PG undertaking, whose program comprisesthe preparation, editorial processing, and transmitting of blackpropaganda to Albania.

3. As indicated under BGFIEND, the BGSPEED vessel has beenforced to delay operations until further trial runs are conductedand a number of technical difficulties are eliminated. It is stillhoped that the vessel can begin regular broadcasts in July.

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