Editorial Note
On April 6, the Under Secretary of State requested the Department of Defense to concur in the request for grant military aid for Ethiopia (page 442). In a letter, dated May 8, the Department of Defense agreed. On May 8, the Department of State sent a letter to the Director for Mutual Security, recommending that the President be asked to determine that Ethiopia be made eligible for grant military assistance. The final paragraph of the letter read: “For maximum effect on the negotiation of our base rights agreement with Ethiopia it is important to obtain approval in principle of grant military aid before the Ethiopian Foreign Minister leaves Washington next week; therefore rapid action on our part is essential.” A letter by the Acting Director for Mutual Security, dated May 12, transmitted to the Department of State a copy of a determination that Ethiopia was eligible for grant military assistance, which had been signed by the President that morning.
Following the President’s finding that Ethiopia was eligible for grant aid, on May 22, the Under Secretary of State signed an agreement for the aid in the presence of the Ethiopian Foreign Minister. On the same day, the Under Secretary of State and the Ethiopian Foreign Minister signed a Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement. Documentation on this topic is in Department of State files 775.5 MSP and 711.56375A. For the text of the aid agreement, see TIAS No. 2787; 4 UST 421.