124.841/9–1344
The Minister in Ethiopia (Caldwell) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 22.]
Sir: Supplementing my telegram No. 179, September 6, 9 AM,1 and previous correspondence, I have the honor to transmit herewith a letter from His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor, addressed to the President, giving to him “in fee absolute and in full and complete title and possession, the realty and premises, together with all appurtenances thereto and furnishings and moveables located thereon, on which is situated at Addis Ababa the Legation of the United States of America, together with certain additional realty specified in an attached document and deemed to be necessary and proper in order to provide an appropriate residence for the diplomatic representative”. A copy of this letter is attached for the files of the Department and an additional copy of the letter together with a copy of its enclosure (map of the property conveyed) is being retained in the files of this Legation. The map is referred to in the letter as “an attached document”.
There is also enclosed a copy of a letter from the Emperor’s private secretary, Mr. T. Worq, No. 1556/44, dated September 4, 1944,1 stating that the grant is “of the realty and premises, together with all appurtenances thereto and furnishings and moveables located thereon, on which is situated at Addis Ababa the Legation of the United States of America. A document, attached to the letter under reference, has also been enclosed from which it will be seen that certain additional realty has also been accorded.”
I have ascertained from oral inquiry from Mr. John Spencer, the American advisor to the Foreign Office, that it is the intention of the Emperor to include in the gift everything belonging to the Imperial family now on the property, including the buildings with their contents—furniture, furnishings, table silver and dishes. I have been informed further by Mr. Spencer that it is the intention that the [Page 72] gift shall be as of date of occupancy of the premises, August 26, 1943, and that no rent is to be charged from that time to the present; Mr. Spencer stated that a statement to this effect will be given to me in writing, but it has not yet been received.
Attention is invited to the statement in the letter to the President that the property now being presented was the “ancestral property of the royal family”. As I reported to the Department in my telegram No. 82, May 6, 9 AM,3 the Steward of the Empress informed me at that time that it would not be possible for the United States Government to purchase this property or to obtain it on a long lease as the Empress had decided to reoccupy it at the end of three years. This property had been owned by the Mother of the Empress and in view of these circumstances the action of the Emperor in presenting it to the President is the more deserving of appreciation.
The additional ground referred to in the letter of the Emperor consists of a strip of level ground adjoining the original Legation grounds and is very desirable for building sites for occupation by members of the staff of this Legation. This additional ground was added upon my mere suggestion that it would be desirable for the Legation to have that ground for the purpose indicated.
I wish to emphasize that the gift by the Emperor was purely voluntary and not due even to so much as a suggestion from me.
Respectfully yours,