In the Freezing january Of 1968, from a humble apartment In elmhurst, New York, a 65-year-old man, Harry Rontos, wrote a letter that would never be answered. The letter was to himself Enver Hoxha, with the tone of respect and plea of a son who wanted to help his mother at the end of her life.
In the envelope, along with the letter, he had sent a 100 Dollar check for the Sofia Rontou, the woman who had been left alone in Himara, in a Albania isolated and afraid, where relations with the outside world were considered a sin.
The state saw neither the love of a son nor the mercy for an elderly mother. In official documents, the officials of the Internal Affairs Service characterized his request “unacceptable”.
Haris Rontos could not travel to Albania – he had three brothers who had left the country, and one had been characterized "smasher"His mother had exiled and every dollar he sent, came back.
At the end of the bureaucratic document, a cold phrase sealed the fate of his request: "It's better that whatever is sent is returned to the sender through the State Bank and no response is given.".
Today, that letter remains a small but heartbreaking testimony of a time when a son abroad was begging for mercy from a system that he knew neither love nor mercy.Somewhere in Himara, mother Sofia waited until the end for news from America. But the letter, along with her son, he never came.
Haris Rondu's letter to Enver Hoxha (January 26, 1968)
85 – 14 Broadway – Elmhurst NY
January 26, 1968
I apologize for the courage I take in addressing you personally on the following subject:
I have an elderly mother, over 90 Years old, Sofia N. Rontou in Himara, Albania. I have been constantly sending her money for her living expenses, but unfortunately for the past 9 months every letter with a check I have sent her has been returned and I don't know what to do.
I am sending you one along. 100 Dollar check in the name of my mother and I earnestly request, if possible, that she be delivered to her in Himara.
I would also like to ask for something else. I have repeatedly submitted requests through the Albanian embassies in Paris and Rome for a short visit to my homeland, to see my mother before she died, but unfortunately I have not received approval.
Is it possible to give orders to the Embassy in Rome to grant me one month visa to come to Albania and see my mother before she passes away?
In the hope that you will be kind and consider my request, I thank you in advance and look forward to hearing from you.
With respect,
Harry Rontos
The letter from Enver Hoxha's secretary, Vagelios Sotiriadis, to the Secretary of the Central Committee of the People's Party, Xhafer Spahiu
To comrade Xhafer,
Information about the letter of Haris Rontos
Haris Rondos is from Himara and immigrated to the U.S. in 1923. In his letter to Enver Hoxha, he states that his mother, Sofia Rontou, aged 90, lives in Himara and that the money he had been sending her for the last 9 months was being returned. That is why he is sending a 100 Dollar check in the hope of being handed over to her.
He also states that he has repeatedly submitted requests through our embassies In paris and Rome for a short visit to his homeland, but has not received approval.
Its employees Internal Affairs Service who were asked about this issue, informed that the request had already been rejected in 1963, due to the fact that Haris Rontos had three brothers who had left the country, one of whom had acted as smasherHis mother had exiled.
For these reasons, according to the established criteria, the money sent by Rondos was returned. It is proposed that any subsequent money be returned through State Bank and no answer should be given to him.
