765.84/4929
Memorandum by the Assistant Chief of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs (Alling)
Mr. John H. Spencer, an American citizen who for several months acted as adviser to the Ethiopian Foreign Office, called today to recount some of his experiences at Addis Ababa. He stated that he obtained his post through the recommendation of Professor de la Pradelle,48 who had been requested by the Ethiopian Government to recommend an adviser of Swiss, Dutch or American nationality. Mr. Spencer arrived in Addis Ababa early in January and immediately [Page 81] was put to work drafting the numerous diplomatic messages having to do with the Italo-Ethiopian situation. Upon being asked the reason for the apparent divergent views between the Ethiopian Government and the Ethiopian delegation at Paris on certain of these matters, Mr. Spencer said that this arose as a result of the disregard of the Ethiopian Government’s instructions by Professor Jèze, Legal Adviser to the Ethiopian delegation. He said that Professor Jèze was a very opinionated person and that on more than one occasion he had altered instructions which had been sent to him in presenting notes and memoranda to the League and to other governments.
Asked about the alleged attempts of the Italian authorities to contact the Emperor through Athens and Djibouti, as mentioned in a recent memorandum of the Italian Government,49 Mr. Spencer said that these allegations were correct. He and the other American adviser, Mr. Colson,50 had little information regarding the attempt made to arrange a meeting between Ethiopian and Italian emissaries at Athens, but they thought that efforts may have been made by the Italians to contact the son of the Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs who was in Greece during the spring. Mr. Spencer said that he knew something more of the attempt made through Djibouti to bring about a meeting between Italian and Ethiopian emissaries. Apparently the Italian agent was a certain Arab who contacted Mr. Colson at Alexandria where he was then staying to recuperate from over-work and illness. This contact was made late in March, but for some unknown reason the Arab agent was unable to obtain a visa to go to Addis Ababa. Nevertheless he evidently continued his efforts to reach the Emperor and even tried to see him after the Emperor had gone to Jerusalem. According to Mr. Spencer’s information, this Arab agent had authentic credentials to make preliminary negotiations. The basis of the negotiations was to be an Italian protectorate over Ethiopia with the Emperor nominally retaining his throne and being given a substantial civil list by the Italian Government. Both of these efforts to establish contacts ended unsuccessfully, with the results already known.
With respect to the departure of the Emperor from Addis Ababa on May 2, Mr. Spencer said that it had of course been known for some time previously that the Italians would enter Addis Ababa some time during the early part of May. Preliminary plans had been made to move the Government to Goré in western Ethiopia, and Mr. Spencer had even gone so far as to purchase animals with which to make the trip. All during the week beginning April 27 Mr. Spencer and other officials were prepared to leave on a moment’s notice, and with the [Page 82] arrival of the Emperor in Addis Ababa on April 29 it was expected that the date of departure would soon be set. Mr. Spencer made efforts several times each day during that week to find out the Government’s plans, but he was always met with an evasive answer. In this connection he said that the Ethiopian officials displayed the most appalling inertia in the face of a most critical situation. When Mr. Spencer awoke on the morning of May 2 he found that the Emperor had left by train at four o’clock in the morning. This train had been prepared for the use of the Empress, and the Emperor’s decision to accompany her to Djibouti was evidently a sudden one. Asked as to who might have influenced the Emperor to make the decision to leave the country, Mr. Spencer said he was definitely of the opinion that this was brought about by the Empress and by Ras Kassa.
At Geneva and later at London both Mr. Spencer and Mr. Colson urged the Emperor to return to Ethiopia to continue the struggle. In this connection Mr. Spencer said he felt that the British Government might be able to put forward a plausible explanation if they permitted the Emperor to return to Goré through the Sudan. Apparently no decision had been made as to the Emperor’s movements at the time Mr. Spencer left London about a week ago. To his last inquiry as to whether the Emperor would return he was told “Maybe”, which he interpreted as being “No”.
Mr. Spencer was definitely of the opinion that the rapid advance of the Italians during the last few weeks of the war was due almost entirely to their use of mustard gas and other poisons. He said that the use of this gas began about March 1st, and that thereafter the Italians had little difficulty in going forward. He stated definitely that gas was sprayed from airplanes with most destructive results. In addition, he asserted that he had been told by the Emperor that the Italian forces had poisoned the waters of Lake Ashangi near the Emperor’s field headquarters by dropping from airplanes large barrels of poison. He felt that even if the Emperor returned to Goré where there was a semblance of government he could not hope to make any headway against the Italians as long as they continued the use of poison gases.
- French citizen, member for Ethiopia on the Italian-Ethiopian Commission of Arbitration; see Foreign Relations, 1935, vol. i, pp. 594 ff.↩
- See telegram No. 242, June 30, noon, from the Chargé in Italy, p. 173.↩
- Everett A. Colson, financial adviser to the Ethiopian Government, appointed in 1930.↩