Recognizing Kadri Cakrani's Service to Those Fighting for Freedom in Albania and Around the World

Floor Speech

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Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and life-saving actions of Kadri Cakrani, an Albanian national who served his country in resistance to the Nazis during the Second World War. His service to the Allied war effort and his efforts at democratization afterwards are worthy of commendation.

At the outbreak of WWII, General Cakrani served as the Commandant- General of the Berat region of Albania. During the German occupation of his nation, General Kadri protected the people of Berat, including over 600 Jewish refugees, from becoming victims of the Holocaust. His heroic acts include hiding and protecting sacred 6th century biblical texts from Nazi looting and, under the threat of death, repeatedly lying about the whereabouts of Jews in the area, many of whom sheltered within his own house. After a United States Army plane crash landed, General Cakrani hid the three surviving Army nurses for over five months before successfully and secretly returning them to the Allies.

When the communist dictator Enver Hoxha came to power in 1944, General Cakrani was now labeled an enemy of the state. With the assistance of British Intelligence, he escaped, spending time in Italy and Syria before President Truman granted him political asylum in the United States in 1951. He arrived on our shores with the clothes on his back and $7 in his pocket, dedicating the rest of his life to bring democracy back to Albania. Until his death in 1972 he worked closely with U.S. Intelligence, but was unable to share his story publicly due to the danger it would undoubtedly put his family in who remained in Albania.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in celebrating and honoring the life and service of Commandant-General Kadri Cakrani. Despite the constant threats to his life, he took on the responsibility of protecting Albanians, Americans, and anybody else who were fleeing the Nazi regime. Though not an American, he spent his entire life fighting for the same things we hold dear: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I thank him for his service, and thank his surviving family, including his grandson, Lee, who lives in my district, for sharing his amazing story with the world.

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