Opinion/Kritike

An International Mandate over Albania!?
Altin Topi
Alb-Club Janar 2000

Surprisingly as it may seem the idea of an international mandate(UN-USA) over Albania is as old as the creation of modern Albania itself. At the time a considerable number of Albanian-Americans looked at the US as the Power which could fulfill this role. This view was conveyed explicitly in Vatra's statement of March 15, 1918:

...[Albania] shall be assigned to them the assistance and cooperation of some great nation with no political ambitions to subserve and no desire for territorial conquest...the United States seems to be the nation to which the Albanians can look with perfect confidence. If an American commissioner or commission were to be designated by the United States to assist the Albanians in forming constructive and successful state, every loyal Albanian would be satisfied... The word "mandate" surfaced up and a confidential document of the State Department circulated under the title: "Brief recommendation regarding Albania" suggesting that United States Government might support:


...assignment of this territory to a mandatory, which must be a Great Power and should preferably be disinterested.

...the United States appears to be the only Power satisfying the ideal and which might accept the mandate.

At the beginning of 1919, the United States General Consul in Turin, Joseph Haven reported to US State Department:

"The first choice and the universal demand throughout all Albania without exception is for American administrative control."

A year later in spring 1920 after his mission in Albania, the US Vice Consul in Rome, Robert Hammond reported:

"Albania is a splendid field of development...as it has good natural resources...

The Albanians as a whole worship and love the United States and American ideals to a fanatical degree...I have gathered the following idea from every class of person within the country... They want an American mandate over them."

This idea was accompanied by a modest boosting press campaign. The idea was conveyed by William Howard, Secretary of Albanian Relief Fund and published in "The Christian Work" in NY under the title:

AN AMERICAN REPUBLIC IN EUROPE

Proposing the Proclamation of Republic of Albania, the United States to give Albania the same measure and character of guidance, help and protection as it has given to Cuba and the Philippines, etc. The Albanian Delegation in the Peace Conference in Paris proposed an alternative plan which suggested the League of Nations to assume the Mandatory over Albania and appoint a High Commissioner to administrate the territory. He should have been for obvious reason an American, whether the civil, military or police - could have been made of personnel drawn from other members of Great Powers. The Albanian Delegation reaffirmed a strong Albania is the best possible security for peace in Balkans...the moral support of such power as America, or a guarantee... by the League of Nations would make for stability and peace. All the great figures of Albania national awakening and later patriots supported the wide-spread conviction that Albania need the supporting arm of some great power. This was not an opportunistic direction considering the deep-rooted lack of confidence in the capacity of the Albanians to govern themselves.

Faik Konitza referring in specific to the help of Austria at the time wrote on La Nuova Albania:"...Were it not for Austria, the Slaves and Greeks would take Albania over within 24 hours, for our enemies have large armies, career military officers, and cannons. We, brave individuals as we are, have no strength as a nations because we are not united, do not have sufficient weapons, and do not have professionals to direct a war. Fear of Austria keeps our enemies at bay, those who do not understand this are idiots. Austria has proven and is still proving that she wants the Albanians to learn their national language and to open their eyes."

Today, almost a century later his words sound prophetical and if today we replace the word Austria with America we have found the Big Brother – the Protector. But for half a century instead of calling America our Big Brother. we used America's name as the freighting Goliath to scare away ourselves and our children.