Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1935, General, the Near East and Africa, Volume I

765.84/3405

The Consul at Geneva (Gilbert) to the Secretary of State

No. 1541 Political

Geneva, December 27, 1935.
[Received January 10, 1936.]

Sir: I have the honor to refer to my telegram No. 645 of December 10, 4 p.m., concerning the action taken by the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva with regard to the bombing of the Tafari Makonnen (American) hospital at Dessie by Italian airplanes, and to report that a communication has been received by the Committee from the Italian Red Cross in reply to the former’s request that the Italian Government investigate the charges of the Ethiopian Red Cross.

The Italian Red Cross’ reply, which is dated December 18, merely transmitted the text of the note addressed by the Italian Government to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations on December 13, 1935, stating (1) that Dessie is a large military concentration point and that “no open town has ever been bombed by the Italian air force in East Africa”; (2) that the Italian Government has received no notification, in accordance with article 11 of the Geneva Convention, of the presence of an American formation with the Ethiopian forces; (3) that Abyssinian medical formations “wishing to avoid any risk must place themselves at a sufficient distance from military objectives and remain completely isolated” and (4) that indiscriminate use of the Red Cross “subverts the whole foundation of any international convention concluded with humanitarian motives”. (Consulate’s telegram No. 650, December 13, 5 p.m.²).

It is my understanding that the International Committee will in all probability take no action in the matter beyond what it has already done, that is to inform the Italian Government through the intermediary of the Italian Red Cross that the Tafari Makonnen hospital at Dessie figured on the list of hospitals authorized to display the Red Cross, and to request the Italian Government (as it did on December 9) to investigate the protest of the Ethiopian Red Cross concerning the bombardment of the hospital in question.

The Committee believes, I am told, that it has proceeded as far as it can in the exercise of its good offices in this matter, but it points out that under the Geneva Convention of July 27, 1929 the Ethiopian Government remains free to request that an investigation be opened on the subject of any alleged violation of the Convention by Italy. The pertinent clause of the Convention is Article 30 which is worded as follows:

“Article 30.—At the request of a belligerent, an inquiry shall be opened, in accordance with whatever method may be determined by the interested parties, on the subject of an alleged violation of the Convention; once a violation is established, the belligerents will bring it to an end as soon as possible and prevent its reoccurrence.”

The Committee is persuaded that the International Red Cross’ opportunities for useful service are primarily based on its strict observance of complete neutrality and it consequently prefers not to press the matter any further on the attention of Italy. It has received an account of the bombardment from Dr. Marcel Junod, a member of its mission^* in Ethiopia which has not been made public due to its anxiety to refrain from taking any step which might in any way be detrimental to the Committee’s neutral standing. But from what was nevertheless intimated to me in this connection, Dr. Junod’s report is substantially a confirmation of the facts set forth in the protest, signed by the doctors at the bombed hospital, communicated by the Ethiopian Government to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations on December 7, 1935 (League Document No. C.474.M.250.1935.VII, transmitted as Enclosure No. 8 to List 217 dated December 11, 1935).

The Committee’s general willingness to cooperate with the Consulate has, however, enabled me to obtain a copy of a letter addressed to the Committee on December 17 by the Northern European Division of the General Conference of the Secretary of the Seventh Day Adventists referring to arrangements made “to register” three hospitals operated by the Seventh Day Adventists at Dessie, Addis Ababa, and Debre Tabor, as units entitled to Red Cross protection, and asking the International Committee to protest against the bombing of the hospital at Dessie and request that the other two hospitals be respected.^† A copy of this letter is transmitted herewith³ for the Department’s information, and there is quoted below a translation of the Committee’s reply dated December 23, 1935:

“We have received your letter of December 17 relative to the protection of your medical work in Ethiopia.

We have the honor to inform you that the Ethiopian Red Cross notified us by telegram dated October 15 (Enclosure No. 1 to Consulate’s despatch No. 1494 Political of November 19³) that the Ethiopian Government had accepted the aid of the missions operating on Ethiopian territory. We transmitted this information to the Italian Red Cross in order to have it brought to the attention of the Italian Government.

Consequently, your missions, being affiliated with the Ethiopian Red Cross, can fly the sign of the Red Cross.

Furthermore, we transmitted a first list of stationary units entitled to carry the Red Cross, to the Italian Red Cross on December 6, 1935. Your hospitals at Addis Ababa, Dessie, and Debre Tabor figure on this list.

(Signed): Col. of Div. Guillaume Favre
Vice President of the Int. Committee
of the Red Cross.”

With regard to the complaint made by the Italian Government on December 13, and previously on October 6, concerning alleged indiscriminate use of the Red Cross in Ethiopia, I am informed that this matter was brought to the attention of the Ethiopian Minister for Foreign Affairs and to the Managing Committee of the Ethiopian Red Cross (Dr. Lambie), by the two representatives in Ethiopia of the International Committee of the Red Cross. (Messrs. Brown and Junod). Mr. Brown reported to the Committee in Geneva that the Foreign Minister and the Ethiopian Red Cross officials had reminded him that the Red Cross was still new in Ethiopia and that it was to be expected that many would wish to use it to protect their own homes. They stated that a law would be drawn up to prohibit the showing of a red cross on a white background, except to designate structures “effectively under the authority of the Red Cross Society, on ambulances, etc.”. Mr. Brown added that, in accordance with the advice of Mr. de Gielgud of the League of Red Cross Societies, Dr. Lambie (Ethiopian Red Cross) had begun to keep a register of buildings entitled to Red Cross protection to be communicated to the Italian Red Cross. The first names on this register appear to have been those which were forwarded to the Italian Red Cross by the International Committee in Geneva on December 6, namely:

1. Soudan Interior Mission, hospital and buildings, Fouri.

2. Tafari Makonnen Hospital, Harrar.

3. Zaouditou Memorial Hospital, Addis Ababa.

4. Tafari Makonnen Hospital, Dessie.

5. Haile Selassie I Hospital, Debre Tabor.

6. Tafari Makonnen Hospital, Addis Ababa-Goulale.

7. Hermannsburger Mission, Addis Ababa.

8. Hospital of the Mission Consolata, Addis Ababa.

Respectfully yours,

Prentiss B. Gilbert

2. Not printed.
3. Composed of Mr. Sidney H. Brown (Dutch), member of the permanent staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Dr. Marcel Junod (Swiss). [Footnote in the original.]
4. The names of the hospitals at Addis Ababa and Debre Tabor also appear on the list of hospitals entitled to Red Cross protection which was forwarded to the Italian Government on December 6 by the International Committee through the intermediary of the Italian Red Cross. [Footnote in the original.]
3. Not printed.
3. Not printed.