1942: Ethiopia

Ethiopia was the first victim of Fascist aggression. In May 1936 the Emperor of Ethiopia was forced to flee his country and Ethiopia was occupied by the Italians and regarded as the cornerstone of a great Italian empire. But only five years later, in May 1941, the Emperor of Ethiopia was back in his country and British troops liberated the country from the Italian yoke. The last remnants of Italian resistance were broken by the end of 1941, and very large numbers of Italian soldiers, together with their commander-in-chief, became prisoners. The Emperor now faced the task of reorganizing his administration. For that purpose he could make good use of the excellent roads which the Italians had built and which facilitated the administrative unification of the different and distant parts of the country.

Britain and Ethiopia.

On Feb. 3, 1942, Anthony Eden, Britain's Foreign Secretary, announced the conclusion of a treaty between Great Britain and Ethiopia. According to this treaty Great Britain will make Ethiopia a grant of £2,500,000 and will help the reorganization of the country by putting at the disposal of the Emperor a British military mission, British advisors and British magistrates. On the other hand the Emperor will furnish to the British army in East Africa all necessary assistance and will leave the treatment of the Italians in Ethiopia in British hands. Great Britain received also the right to use air-transport in the country and to build all necessary installations for the conduct of the war. She also received authority to maintain the railroad from Djibouti to Addis Ababa and to use the wireless station in Addis Ababa and all immovable property belonging to the Italian state. The treaty is to last for two years and is subject to denouncement by either side at three months' notice. A British minister to Ethiopia was named simultaneously, and at the end of August Professor Ayalla Gabre arrived as Ethiopian minister in London. At the same time the British troops left Addis Ababa, while a new Ethiopian army was in process of formation to include also modern technical units and artillery. There is also an Ethiopian police force being trained, so that the foundations of a true independence are being laid.

Internal Reforms.

The external modernization of the country had made some progress under the Italian administration; 4,340 miles of good roads had been built, and there is now a quite extended telegraph and telephone service. But now internal reforms are being taken in hand. Mixed courts in which Ethiopian and British judges sit together are preparing for the modernization of the judiciary. All extraterritorial rights have been abolished, and new codes of law are being worked out.

The administration of the country is in the hands of a cabinet of 9 ministers, among them the popular Ras Abeba Aregai as War Minister. The first issue of a newspaper, the Negarit Gazeta, was published on March 30, 1942. The new government wishes to combat the old decentralization which allowed practical independence to the local chiefs. The country has been divided into 12 provinces, each one under a governor general, who is under the Minister of the Interior. All revenue is now collected by the central government, a step which makes the modernization of the finances of the country possible. Most useful work is being done by the still very small group of young educated Ethiopians. They have formed a number of associations which are preparing the people for reforms and trying to create a modern civic spirit. Among them are the Association of the Warriors of Ancient Ethiopia, the Society for Welfare of Young People, and above all the Ethiopian Women's Work Association, founded by Princess Tsahai, the gifted young daughter of the Emperor, whose premature death in 1942 was a blow to Ethiopia's progress. She had been active in founding hospitals and orphanages and in training nurses. As a symbol of the liberation of Ethiopia the great bronze equestrian statue of Emperor Menelik which had been erected in 1930 and had been removed by the Italians, was again put up outside the Ethiopian cathedral of St. George.

Ethiopia and the United Nations.

Through an exchange of messages between President Roosevelt and Emperor Haile Selassie which was made public on Oct. 9, 1942, Ethiopia was welcomed as a member of the United Nations. The Emperor declared that his nation which was the first to have lost and the first to have regained its independence, wished to place its military and economic resources at the disposal of those nations, 'who gladly sacrifice all for liberty and justice.' President Roosevelt was gratified to accept the adherence of Ethiopia and to welcome her as one of the United Nations. In mid-December Ethiopia declared war on Italy, Germany and Japan. President Roosevelt announced that he had declared Ethiopia eligible to receive lend-lease aid. In reply to the Emperor's message informing Roosevelt of the declaration of war, the President cabled on Dec. 16 to the Emperor: 'By virtue of this historical declaration the first nation to be freed from the yoke of Axis oppression has joined its forces with those of the United Nations in this great struggle to preserve the freedom of mankind.'

American Arsenal at Eritrea.

The victorious British army freed not only Ethiopia, but also the two neighboring Italian colonies, Eritrea and Italian Somaliland from Italian domination. Both had been incorporated with Ethiopia in Italian East Africa on June 1, 1936. The British victory made the use of Eritrea's main port, Massawah, available for the building of an American arsenal. Massawah on Aug. 31, 1939, had 17,169 inhabitants of whom 6,098 were Italians. The port is connected by railroad with the capital, Asmara, which is situated 75 miles away in a much healthier position, 7,765 feet above the sea level. Massawah has a very unpleasant climate, hot and humid, but has a good harbor formed by a number of islands which are linked by causeway. Excellent public health measures protect the health of the Americans. For several months hundreds of American engineers and craftsmen and thousands of Italian and native laborers were building there a great American arsenal to provide the United Nations' armies fighting in the Middle East with the necessary armament.