84.113/–
The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador (Geddes)
Excellency: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Your Excellency’s note No. 136 dated February 25, 1922, calling attention to the present state of affairs in Abyssinia in connection with the shipment of modern firearms to that country and stating that His Britannic Majesty’s Government considers the importation of arms and ammunition to Abyssinia most undesirable except in the most restricted quantities and expressing the hope that the Government of the United States would be disposed to take the necessary steps for imposing effective supervision over the export of arms from the United States to Abyssinia.
In reply I beg to inform Your Excellency that a joint resolution to prohibit the exportation of arms or munitions of war from the United States to certain countries was approved January 31, 1922. The resolution provides:
“That whenever the President finds that in any American country, or in any country in which the United States exercises extraterritorial jurisdiction, conditions of domestic violence exist, which are or may be promoted by the use of arms or munitions of war procured from the United States, and makes proclamation thereof, it shall be unlawful to export, except under such limitations and exceptions as the President prescribes, any arms or munitions of war from any place in the United States to such country until otherwise ordered by the President or by Congress.”
You are no doubt aware that the United States enjoys the privilege of extraterritorial jurisdiction in Abyssinia.
However, I am not informed of the existence in Abyssinia of conditions of domestic violence which are or may be promoted by the use of arms or munitions of war procured from the United States. The American Consul at Aden, Arabia, has been instructed to investigate this matter and to report the result for the information of the Department. If Your Excellency is in possession of any information relative to this matter, I shall appreciate receiving the substance of it.
It has been noted that His Britannic Majesty’s Government considers the importation of arms into Abyssinia most undesirable except in the most restricted quantities. It may be said in that connection that as far as the Department is informed the only recent sale of arms or ammunition to Abyssinia by American interests is a quantity of six machine guns and six rifles with ammunition purchased by the Regent of Abyssinia for his own body-guard.
Accept [etc.]