Enver Hoxha's conspiracy theory

[Nevsky]

There is a passage in Hoxha's "The Khruschevites" where the albanian leader mentions the deaths of old communist figures such as Dimitrov, Gottwald and Bierut. For Hoxha, their demise was part of khruschevite strategy to take over the international communist movement:

Immediately after the death of Stalin, Gottwald died. This was a sudden, surprising death! It had never crossed the minds of those who knew Gottwald that this strong, agile, healthy man would die... of a flu or a chill allegedly caught on the day of Stalin’s funeral ceremony.

I knew Gottwald. When I went to Czechoslovakia and met him in Prague, we talked at length about our problems. He was a modest, sincere comrade, not a man of many words. I felt I could talk to him freely; he listened to me attentively, puffing away at his pipe and spoke with much sympathy about our people and our fight, and promised me that they would help us in the building of industry. He promised me neither mountains nor miracles, but a very modest credit which Czechoslovakia accorded us.

“This is all we can do,” he said. “Later, when we have our economy going, we shall re-examine matters with you.”

Gottwald, an old friend and comrade of Stalin and Dimitrov, died suddenly. This grieved us, but also surprised us.

Later came the equally unexpected death of Comrade Bierut, not to mention the earlier death of the great George Dimitrov. Dimitrov, Gottwald and Bierut, all died in Moscow. What a coincidence! The three of them were comrades of the great Stalin! (Hoxha, The Kruschevites, Chapter 5)

What do you think about Hoxha's allusions?

[Ismail]

Hoxha pointed out elsewhere in that work, in regards to Mikoyan:

It seemed that the Soviet leadership based itself on the “great economic experience” of this cosmopolitan huckster, who, as history showed, plotted with Nikita Khrushchev against Stalin, whom they had decided to murder. He admitted this with his own mouth to Mehmet and me in February 1960.There's no evidence about Dimitrov, Gottwald, etc. being assassinated though Bierut's death is generally considered suspicious. Various other sources, however, speak of Beria poisoning Stalin. Molotov even said (in Molotov Remembers) that Beria spoke of how he "saved" everyone by killing him.

One thing that probably cemented Hoxha's suspicions about Dimitrov and others was the following (told near the end of the work):

After I delivered the speech [to the international meeting of communist and workers' parties in 1960, where Hoxha openly denounced Khrushchev], Mehmet and I left the residence in which the Soviets had put us and went to the embassy, where we stayed for the rest of the time we were in Moscow. When we left their residence a Soviet security officer told Comrade Hysni in confidence, “Comrade Enver did well to go, because his life was in great danger here.” The Khrushchevites were capable of anything and we took our own measures. We sent the comrades of the embassy and the collaborators of our delegation out to the shops to buy food supplies. When the time we decided to leave came, we did not agree to go by aircraft, because an “accident” could happen more easily. Hysni and Ramiz stayed on in Moscow, as they had to sign the declaration, while Mehmet and I left the Soviet Union by train and ate nothing that came from their hands. We arrived in Austria, went down by train through Italy and from Bari returned safe and sound to Tirana on our own aircraft and went directly to the reception organized on the occasion of the 28th [Albanian independence day] and 29th [anniversary of the victory of the National Liberation War] of November.Ramiz Alia in his memoirs also tells of his suspicions about Khrushchev possibility wanting to poison Hoxha.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

A healthy man who smokes a pipe and catches a chill in Russia in early March.

Yeah, total conspiracy. Enver in a million years mate.

[AConfusedSocialDemocrat]

Heh, just reminded me that he recently got voted first in top 10 worst Czechs (http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/specialy/nejvetsicech/padouch).

[Ismail]

Heh, just reminded me that he recently got voted first in top 10 worst Czechs (http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/specialy/nejvetsicech/padouch).Molotov in his recollections said of Gottwald: "Gotvald—a good fellow, but he drank. . . . He had no decisive role in our victory, of course, but he had a positive influence on the building of socialism and the transition from capitalism in Czechoslovakia. A fine fellow, Gotvald." (Molotov Remembers, p. 83.) Stalin apparently remarked on his drunkenness as well but likewise thought him a good man.

Hoxha spoke of Gottwald in his memoirs not only to express his admiration for the man (and his suspicions about his death), but also because he visited Czechoslovakia various times and enjoyed these visits. In fact Czechoslovakia was the last country he visited (in 1959) before his 1960 Moscow visit, upon which he never left Albania afterwards. Ramiz Alia noted Hoxha's enduring interest in the Hussites.

[Invader Zim]

A healthy man who smokes a pipe and catches a chill in Russia in early March.

Yeah, total conspiracy. Enver in a million years mate.

And drank and had syphilis.