Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Africa, Volume XVIII

227. Memorandum of a Conversation, Addis Ababa, March 12, 1957¹

Addis Ababa, March 12, 1957

SUBJECT

• Visit of Vice President Richard M. Nixon

PARTICIPANTS

• Ethiopian:
  • H.E. Ato Aklilou Abte Wold, Foreign Minister of Ethiopia
  • Mr. John Spencer, American Advisor to Ethiopian Government
• American:
  • Mr. Joseph Palmer 2nd, Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs

Mr. Palmer said that he would like to clarify the position which the United States had taken in the General Assembly this year with respect to the Somali border problem.² He said that our analysis of the situation was as follows:

Nationalism is rapidly growing in Somalia and the demands for a Greater Somaliland can be expected to increase. As the Foreign Minister knew, the United States has always opposed the detachment of any Ethiopian territory and this continues to be our position. We believe, however, Somalia can be expected to pursue its ambitions for a Greater Somaliland, including the Ogaden province of Ethiopia. We feel that under these circumstances it would be in Ethiopia’s own interest to make every effort to find a means of settling the border problem before Somalia attains its independence. Otherwise, the unsettled border may prove a great temptation to Somali nationalism to pursue that part of its five-point program which calls for the detachment of the Ogaden province from Ethiopia. On the other hand, a settlement of this problem while the United Nations still maintains an interest in the Trust Territory would imply a UN blessing to the border arrangement and thereby place Ethiopia in the best possible position in the event an independent Somalia attempted to violate Ethiopian territory. We had also taken into account the fact that efforts at negotiations for the past several years have proven unsuccessful. We therefore believed that the introduction of a new element, such as mediation, arbitration or some similar device might be necessary in order to facilitate agreement. We had, therefore, authorized our delegation in New York to explore this possibility with the Ethiopians, the Italians, and other delegations to see whether a basis existed for some such impartial determination of the boundary problem. When we found that there was considerable support for one further effort at negotiations before resorting to a device of this kind, we supported the resolution which had been introduced to that effect. It is therefore clear that the U.S. had no thought of taking a position opposed to Ethiopia’s interests but had regarded the explorations which it had undertaken as having been in the best interests of that country.

Aklilou thanked Mr. Palmer for his explanation of this problem which he said he understood. He went on to recount the history of the border problem and of the efforts to solve it by direct negotiation. He said that Ethiopia also was anxious to settle the matter before Somalia attains its independence but did not at all despair of doing so after independence if this became necessary. He said that Ethiopia must, in its own interest, stand on the 1908 Treaty and could not agree to any procedure whereby “hundreds of international secretariat people” would come into the area. Any solution to the boundary problem should be based on juridical considerations and not on ascertaining facts on the spot.

Mr. Palmer said that it was his understanding that the U.S. had always accepted the fact that the primary point of departure in any impartial mediatory or arbitration procedure would be the 1908 Convention and that the primary problem would be to interpret that Convention. He did not think that this principle should be applied rigidly; there might be an adjustment of the border which both sides could accept to their mutual advantage and he did not think this could be ruled out. He said he thought that it would be highly desirable if, in the event no progress is reached in negotiations during the course of the next year, the Ethiopian delegation to the UN could sit down with the interested Departmental officers in Washington prior to the opening of the General Assembly and have an exchange of views on this subject in order to insure as close an identity of views as possible and obviate any misunderstandings during the course of the next General Assembly. Aklilou expressed agreement with this suggestion.

1. Source: Department of State, S/P–NSC Files: Lot 62 D 1, North Africa (Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, NSC 5614, 5614/1. Secret. No drafting information is given on the source text. Attached as Tab D, No. 5 to Document 19.
2. Resolution 1068(XI) passed by a vote of 71–0–3 on February 26. It recommended that Italy and Ethiopia continue negotiations and report to the Twelfth General Assembly on their progress. If there were no substantial results by that time, they were urged to resort to mediation or arbitration.