Anglo-American Covert Action in Albania: Eight Critiques of the Orthodox Historiography of Operation BGFiend/Valuable

This article presents eight critiques of orthodox historiography on the early Cold War CIA/MI6 covert action against Albania. It argues that Operation BGFiend/Valuable pursued limited subversion and harassment aims, not rollback/regime change; its deficiencies have been exaggerated and its accomplishments neglected; casualty rates were lower than commonly claimed; communist Albanian agency shaped the campaign’s execution and impact; regional actors influenced its aims, methods and outcomes; Kim Philby’s role has been widely overstated; the operation continued for longer and was more sophisticated than often recognized; and the western intelligence services were not willfully reckless, but they did mislead Albanian émigrés over their waning commitment to pursuing Hoxha’s overthrow. These findings overturn the image of a disastrous operation conducted by complacent and arrogant western intelligence agencies. They also create a broader international perspective illustrative of the crucial roles played by regional actors including the Albanian state, anti-communist dissidents, Yugoslavia, Greece and Italy.