550.AD1/801
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
The Ethiopian delegates to the United Nations Food Conference, Messrs. Yilma Deressa and Brehanu Tesamma called to pay their respects. They expressed themselves as highly pleased with the proceedings and the results of the conference, saying that the entire period of the conference was very interesting and very enjoyable and that they believed it would prove thoroughly profitable.
They had a letter from the Emperor to the President20 and I said that our Protocol Division would send it to the President and, if possible, arrange for a conference.
They then said that their Government was looking forward to constant aid and cooperation on the part of this Government in every way that might be at all practical. They emphasized that they need help now in building up their country as a result of the Italian occupation and that they would need whatever additional assistance along this line as might be at all practicable, such as lease-lend aid.
They said that they had no seaport and that they were hoping that this Government would aid them in securing the right to such a port. I replied that we were conscious of the situation as they described it.
They stated that their Government at Addis Ababa desired to send a Minister to this Government at Washington. I said that was an interesting bit of information and that I would give it attention in due course.
I reminded them how this Government put on moral embargoes against Italy when she was invading Ethiopia21 and kept out in front of the League of Nations in the work it was doing to checkmate and [Page 98] impede Italy’s movements. They appeared not to know of this action on our part and expressed their appreciation.
- Dated April 30, 1943, not printed.↩
- For correspondence on the Ethiopian-Italian conflict, see Foreign Relations, 1936, vol. iii, pp. 34 ff.↩