884.04416/1
The Minister in Ethiopia (Southard) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 3.]
Sir: I have the honor to report that at a meeting of the local Diplomatic Corps which took place in December, 1930, and at which I was not present, notice was taken of a Municipal Decree published October 22nd, 1930, by the Addis Ababa City Government, entitled “Disturbance of the Peace.”
The Diplomatic Corps considered that this Decree in its application to foreigners was a violation of Article 7 of the Franco-Ethiopian Klobukowsky Treaty. On behalf of the Corps as represented at that meeting the Dean addressed a Note of Protest to the Foreign Office.
There are enclosed herewith as of possible interest to the Department (1) a copy of the Decree above mentioned; (2) a copy of the Note addressed on December 20th, 1930, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; (3) a copy of the Foreign Office reply of March 30th, 1931, to the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps; and (4) a copy of the latter’s reply of April 22nd, 1931, to the Foreign Office.7
This office has taken no active part in the discussion of the Municipal Decree and will continue only an academic interest in the question unless instructed to the contrary by the Department. The protest is, however, of special interest just now in connection with the threatened denouncing by the Ethiopian Government—as previously reported from the Legation—of the Klobukowsky Treaty of which Article 7 has been invoked by the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in the attached copies of correspondence.
Respectfully yours,
- Enclosures not printed.↩