711.00111 Armament Control/215: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Ethiopia (Engert)
78. Your No. 135, October 18, 11 a.m. Section 1 of the Neutrality Act, pursuant to which the President issued his Proclamation prohibiting the exportation of arms to Italy and Ethiopia, is so worded that the President has no authority to permit exceptions. In these circumstances, the Department has been obliged to inform the Ethiopian Consul General and other interested persons that the exportation of the airplanes intended for the use of the Ethiopian Red Cross would be definitely contrary to law.