Albanian Subversion

The Albanian Subversion is one of the earliest and most notable failures of the Western covert paramilitary operations behind the Iron Curtain.

Based on wrong assessments about Albania, and thinking that the country was ready to shake off its Stalinist regime, the British SIS and the American CIA launch a joint subversive operation, using as agents Albanian expatriates.

Other noncommunist Albanians and many nationalists work as agents for Greek, Italian and Yugoslav intelligence services, some supported by the U.K. and U.S. secret services.

A Soviet mole, and later other spies tip off the missions to Moscow, which in turn relays the information to Albania.

Consequently, many of the agents are caught, put on a show-trial, and either shot or condemned to long prison terms at hard labor.The Albanian subversion costs the lives of at least 300 men and for a long time has remained one of the most carefully concealed secrets of the Cold War.

For the West it is a humiliating operational disaster, whereas for the East, while an operational triumph, news of Western infiltration would send the wrong message throughout the Communist bloc.

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