701.0084/24: Telegram
The Minister Resident in Ethiopia (Engert) to the Secretary of State
[Received 5:30 p.m.]
438. Legation’s June 24.10 Departure of British and Belgian Ministers and Japanese Chargé as well as the German Minister must be looked upon as a definite move in the direction of withdrawal of diplomatic representations from Addis Ababa. None of the Chiefs of Mission of course expects to return and the Italian Government has apparently refused to permit any diplomatic officer to enter into Ethiopia for the purpose of assuming charge as recently British, Belgian, and Japanese secretaries have been unable to obtain visas to come here. The Japanese has already been waiting in Djibouti for 10 days and the Chargé informed me before his departure that Tokyo was not inclined to press the matter. The result is that the Belgian and Japanese Legations are now in the hands of Chargés des Affaires only.
The Greek Minister Resident was on leave when the Italians occupied the capital and will not return.
- Not printed.↩