Soviet Jamming Of Albanian Radio

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29746, 13 February 1962, Page 23

Soviet Jamming Of Albanian Radio

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, February 12. The Soviet bloc’s radio jamming stations —the most powerful in the world—had been turned on Albania, the London “Sunday Telegraph” reported yesterday.

The Russians were attempting to blot out vitriolic antiKhrushchev broadcasts beamed into Russia twice daily in faultless Russian. Moscow was hitting back with twicedaily broadcasts in Albanian. A sample Albanian broadcast was:—

“No decent person, when reading the articles in certain Moscow press organs and listening to certain Moscow radio commentaries dealing with Albania, could fail to be indignant at the means, distortion of facts and lies to which Nikita Khrushchev and his group have resorted.” The Moscow broadcasts were usually devoted to attacking the Albanian leaders. General Hoxha and Mr Mehet Shehu. Last week, for instance, they spoke about their “unparalleled savagery,” the newspaper said. Love For Audiences Both parties expressed their love for their respective audiences and pitied them for being saddled with their respective regimes. Thus Moscow says “Dear Albanian friends” and talks about “Your beautiful country.” Tirana counters with, “The great Soviet people ... so deeply loved.” Albania’s ideological allies, the Chinese, had also been subjected to concentrated Russian propaganda over the past few weeks, the report said. Radio Moscow Chinese

broadcasts hammered home thrice daily the Russian arguments in the ideological quarrel between the two countries.

The report said that while none of the broadcasts attacked Chinese leaders by name, it should be quite clear to any informed Chinese party member who it was who was being attacked. There had also been a sharp increase in Moscow broadcasts to China’s neighbours, especially North Korea and Vietnam.