701.4184/34

The British Embassy to the Department of State

Aide-Mémoire

It is gathered from telegrams sent by the British Chargé d’Affaires at Addis Ababa

(1)
That the Italian authorities have infringed the immunity of the British Legation by entering the premises.
(2)
That they have prohibited the use of the Legation wireless apparatus.
(3)
That Marshal Graziani has hinted that all communications in code may be prohibited.

The British Ambassador at Rome has been instructed to urge immediately the despatch of orders to the Italian authorities in Ethiopia with a view to assuring the full immunity of the Legation in practice, even though they may decline to recognize its status in principle.

It seems to His Majesty’s Government that such panic measures as those now introduced at Addis Ababa for military reasons hardly [Page 300] harmonize with the contention repeatedly put forward by the Italian Government that the war in Ethiopia is at an end.

His Majesty’s Government earnestly hope that the United States Government will instruct its representative at Addis Ababa to make representations in a similar sense; and they are addressing the same request to the French and German Governments who also have wireless sets in their Legations. The Ambassador at Rome has however been instructed to act immediately without awaiting the cooperation of his colleagues.