CIA – BGFIEND and OBOPUS

The Albanian Subversion was a Western covert paramilitary operation in the Eastern Bloc. The British SIS and the American CIA launched a joint subversive operation, using as agents Albanian expatriates. Other anti-communist Albanians and many nationalists worked as agents for Greek, Italian and Yugoslav intelligence services, some supported by the UK and U.S. secret services. A Soviet mole, and, later other spies tipped off the missions to Moscow, which in turn relayed the information to Albania. Consequently many of the agents were caught, put on trial, and either shot or condemned to long prison terms at hard labor. The Albanian subversion cost the lives of at least 300 men and for a long time was one of the most carefully concealed secrets of the Cold War.To understand this mission you have to go back to its beginning. The document listed below is the very first document drafted by my father and grandfather which support the initial movements for the operation; that being the uprising against anti-communist forces into Albania. This letter is essentially an ‘order’ to members of the resistance group in exile to ‘invade Mirdita and start an uprising against the communists’. These were signed by Gjon Marka Gjoni and Ndue Gjomarkaj, the leaders of Mirdita. The letter was to be brought to Mirdita by the appointed leader, Ndue Pjeter Gjomarkj, a cousin of Ndue Gjomarkaj and was to be read to the nationalist fighters.

Letter to Mirdita 9 Feb 1949

In 2006, some 2,300 pages of documents laying out major parts of the Albania Project under its two major cryptonyms: BGFIEND and OBOPUS, were declassified by a U.S. government inter-agency working group acting under the terms of the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act. These documents are available at the National Archives in College Park, MD.

Listed below are some of the documents relating to the operations, in particular involving the BKI (Bloku Kombetar Independent) and NCFA (National Committee for Free Albania):

OBOPUS BGFIEND VOL. 13 (BGFIEND OPERATIONS)

OBOPUS BGFIEND VOL. 15 (BGFIEND OPERATIONS)_0063-BGFIEND – 1950

OBOPUS BGFIEND VOL. 15 (BGFIEND OPERATIONS)_0062-CHARITY-BGFIEND-NDUE BKI 1950

OBOPUS BGFIEND VOL. 13 (BGFIEND OPERATIONS)_0056-Scope of BGFIEND

OBOPUS BGFIEND VOL. 15 (BGFIEND OPERATIONS)_0077-Albania Operations – 1950

OBOPUS BFIEND VOL. 22 (BGFIEND OPERATIONS)_0007-Munella Fight 1952

OBOPUS BFIEND VOL. 24 (BGFIEND OPERATIONS)_0060-1-Mirakaj, Koliqi Connection – 1953

OBOPUS BGFIEND VOL. 15 (BGFIEND OPERATIONS)_0081-Resistance Leaders and Friends – BKI

OBOPUS BGFIEND VOL. 16 (BGFIEND OPERATIONS)_0016-Reconsideration of OPS-1953

OBOPUS BGFIEND VOL. 18 (BGFIEND OPERATIONS)_0011-1951

OBOPUS BGFIEND VOL. 18 (BGFIEND OPERATIONS)_0023-Supply Drop 1951

OBOPUS BGFIEND VOL. 18 (BGFIEND OPERATIONS)_0047-National League of Mountains Ltr 1951