Daily Mirror - Flora Sandes - Enver Hoxha - Document: Radio 4 2017 - Bettany Hughes TV -
Albania: A Nation Mourns. Daily Mirror 6th October 2010, re death of comedian Norman Wisdom
I had always pictured the Albanian peasants as a very fine picturesque race of men wearing spotless native costume, and slung about with fascinating looking daggers and curious weapons of all kinds, but the great majority of those I saw, more especially in the small towns, were a very degenerate looking race indeed. Flora Sandes, An English Woman-Sergeant in the Serbian Army
The US and British imperialists have accused us Albanians of being ‘savage and warlike’. This is understandable, for the Albanian people have dealt telling blows at their repeated attempts to put us under bondage and have smashed the heads of their agents who conspired against the Party of Labor of Albania and our regime of people’s democracy. Tito’s gang, that of the Greek monarcho-fascist chauvinists, the rulers in Rome have accused and accuse us of being ‘warmongers’ and disturbers of the peace in the Balkans, because, without hesitation, we have always, and will always hit them hard, for their intentions have been, remain, and will always be to chop up Albania among themselves, to enslave our people. Enver Hoxha, November 1960
It was one of the most dramatic aggressive operations of the early Cold War. A daring attempt jointly run by Britain and America to overthrow a communist regime by infiltrating resistance agents. Document: The Albania Operation, BBC Radio 4 2017
So if it wasn’t the evil genius Philby, why did it fail? … The capabilities of the Albanian secret police. ibid.
Albania: An exciting enigmatic country that’s been described as the Pearl of the Balkans. Closed to outsiders by a communist dictatorship for much of the twentieth century, Albania’s history and culture is rich and complex. Bettany Hughes’ Treasures of the World s2e6: Albania
My first treasure, rescued from an advancing sea, shows how Albania’s long absorbed the influence of outside forces. I’m heading to this fantastic ancient site: Butrint. ibid.
Butrint always had problems with the sea seeping in. ibid.
Albanian Alps: The village of Theth … The highlanders’ tribal origins are becoming clearer. ibid.
Gjirokasta: A jewel of the Ottoman world. ibid.
Byron loved Albania comparing it to his native Scotland. ibid.
Under communism, Albania’s population became one of the poorest in the world. ibid.