FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
In the cold January of 1968, from a modest apartment in Elmhurst, New York, a 65-year-old man named Harry Rondos wrote a letter that would never be answered. The letter was addressed to Enver Hoxha himself, with the humble tone and simple hope of a son who wanted to help his mother at the end of her life. “I have an old mother, over 90 years old,” Rondos wrote, “and every letter I send her by check comes back to me!”
In the envelope, along with the letter, he had included a check for $100 for Sofia, the woman who had been left alone in Himara, in an isolated and frightening Albania, where connections with the outside world were considered a sin.
But the state saw neither the love of a son nor the mercy for a mother on the verge of death. In the official file, "comrades from the Ministry of Internal Affairs" defined his request as "unacceptable."
Harry Rondos could not enter Albania because he had three brothers who had escaped, and one of them was labeled a “saboteur.” For this reason, his mother was interned and every dollar sent to her was returned.
At the end of the bureaucratic document, a cold sentence seals the fate of his prayer:
"I think that whatever he sends should be returned to the interested party through the State Bank and no response should be given."
Today, that letter remains as a small, but poignant testament to that time when an exiled boy sought mercy from a system that knew neither love nor mercy.
And perhaps, somewhere in Himara, in a house that no longer exists, mother Sofia waited until the end for the postman to bring her news from America. But the letter, along with her son, never arrived.
Letter from immigrant Harry Rondo, originally from Himara and residing in the USA, sent to Enver Hoxha in 1968
Harry Rondos (Harilaos Rondo)
85 – 14 Broadway
Elmhurst NY (USA)
January 26, 1968
Comrade ENVER HOXHA
Tirana RPSH.
Dear friend:
I apologize for the audacity I take in addressing you personally on the following matter:
I have an elderly mother, over 90 years old, Sofia N. Rondo in Himara, RPSH. I constantly sent her money for her upkeep, but unfortunately, for the past 9 months, every letter I sent her by check was returned to me and I didn't know what to do.
I hear here that a law has been made for those who flee on their own, but I am not in that category. I have left Albania since 1923 and have only returned once in 1937, for a 7-month visit. I have not been troubled or agitated in political matters.
I am sending you a check for $100, enclosed, in the name of my mother, Sofia N. Rondo, and I kindly ask you if it is possible to deliver it to her in Himara.
On this occasion, I would like to ask you about another matter. I have requested many times through the Embassies of the Republic of Albania in Paris and Rome, for a short visit to my homeland, to see my elderly mother before she dies, but unfortunately I have not heard of the approval of the request.
Is it possible to instruct the Embassy in Rome to give me a visa for a month so I can come to Albania and spend time with my elderly mother before she dies?
Hoping that you will be kind and consider my request, I thank you for the honor in advance and remain;
Yours faithfully: Harry Rondos
Letter from Enver Hoxha's secretary, Vangjelo Sotiriadhi, sent to Xhafer Spahiu, deputy chairman of the presidium of the People's Assembly, regarding the problems raised in his letter by Harry Rondo from the USA
Comrade Xhaferr
Information About Harry Rondo's Letter
He is from the village of Himara and went to the USA in 1923.
In a letter he sends to his friend Enver, he writes that he has a 90-year-old mother in Albania, to whom he constantly sends money to live, but for 9 months every letter he sends with money has been returned, so he sends her a check for $100 to give to her, as he claims that he is not in the category of fugitives and has not been arrested or involved in political issues.
He also writes that he has made several requests to our diplomatic missions in Paris and Rome to come to visit Rome, but he has not been granted permission.
Friends of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who were asked about the above-mentioned person's request, announce that his request to come to Albania in 1963 was rejected, because he has three fugitive brothers, one of whom also acted as a saboteur.
His mother, Sofie Rondo, was interned. For these reasons, based on certain criteria, the money he sent was also returned to her.
I think that the money he sent should also be returned to the interested party through the State Bank and that no response should be received./ Memorie.al
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