884.113/13

The Consul at Aden (Davis) to the Secretary of State

No. 37

Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Department’s Instruction dated June 10, 1922, File No. 884.113/6,6 instructing this Consulate to transmit any additional information regarding the shipment of American arms and ammunition lying at Aden, and any attempt to forward it to the authorities in Abyssinia, and to report that 34 cases of cartridges and 8 cases containing guns, were permitted by the Aden authorities to be shipped to Abyssinia.

They left for Djibouti, November 3, 1922, at 6 P.M. on the British cruiser Crocus, accompanied by Paulos Manamano, the Abyssinian representative, who in 1921 visited the United States and made the purchase. The Crocus likewise carried His Highness Ras Tafari and his party, who had just made a short but formal visit to Aden.

Whether or not the arms and ammunition will be permitted to reach Abyssinia from Djibouti without trouble, it is impossible to say. The representative, Paulos Manamano, seemed to be quite confident in regard to this point, however. He indicated that it was his belief, that the French and Italians had concurred in the arrangement and that from now on, no further trouble would be experienced.

I have [etc.]

Raymond Davis
  1. Not printed.