[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 16 (Monday, January 29, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E89]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING KADRI CAKRANI'S SERVICE TO THOSE FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM IN 
                      ALBANIA AND AROUND THE WORLD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DEBBIE DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 29, 2024

  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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