Coll 25/23 'Orders in Council: Ethiopia: Repeal of the Ethiopian Order in Council, 1934; Surrender of British Consular Jurisdiction' [‎13v] (26/552)

(iii) treaty arrangements, safeguarding the tributaries of the Blue and White Niles -
(iv) the British-protected tribes in Somaliland to enjoy unimpeded use of their habitual
grazing grounds across the frontier into Ethiopian territory;
(v) minor frontier adjustments on the borders of British Somaliland, Kenya, and the Sudan
for better administration;
(vi) open door for trading;
(vii) (additional to the recommendations of the Maffey Committee), the question of the
disposal after the war of the Italian colonies of Eritrea and Somalia cannot properly
be answered without most careful consideration of the repercussions such disposal
would have on the position of Ethiopia itself and of its security from external
aggression. Broadly, it would seem reasonable to assume that a return to Italian
administration would lead inevitably to a revival of intrigues for the reconquest of
Ethiopia at some near or distant date.
Suggestions on the action needed to obtain the ends desired by His Majesty’s Government
I.— Transitory.
, 1- ( a ) ^ Military Mission is provided to organise and train the Emperor’s new army. The
Convention lays down that this Mission shall be under the orders of the General Officer Com-
manding-in-Chief, East Africa, until the British military obligations end. Thereafter His
Majesty s Government will endeavour to provide officers to continue the work, but as a Mission
to the Lin per or, who would have to p&y for it.
The directions given to the Commander-in-Chief, East Africa, are to the effect that the
Emperor s forces shall be built up only to a state which the Ethiopians themselves can keen
up attei British financial aid ceases. It also appears desirable that these forces shall not be
armed in such a manner as might render thorn a standing menace to the defence units which
he surrounding British territories desire to maintain after the war. It has been arranged that
the Emperor s forces shall, so far as possible, be equipped only from captured Italian booty.
kIi V 6 Agr “ pl '? vides that there ^a 11 be British police officials.' Their
fw, Zh u t W? up - an e , ffic,er *P ollce L force- Jt is ’ however, desirable that the number of
them shall be kept low in order to limit the friction to which foreign control of Ethiopians will
Gewoft^mmeffi-. ^ ^ be ^ —full? selected from th? ^ntt
station a^iddfslhl 6 , 6 ^! 8 !; niiUt .ahy.necessities in Ethiopia subsist, the railway and wireless
station at Addis Ababa will be maintained by the British military authorities But when the
thf rconoTlfEXomo l? 0UDtry ’ an 6 ° f the contin ^n Ce of these services, useful to
the economy of Ethiopia, will arise. The Ministry of Information are now examining the Question
^t^^tr^uS 0 r rr eed8 f f he W , ireless Th e difficult,ii of personal
of highly skilled men rennire l 6 ’' ° l e<> h nica P eo P^ e may be attracted and the number
iL % ■ d men required is small. In the matter of material, on the other hand the
ffifficulty will probably be very great indeed. Engines and rolling-stock are of French or Italian
ThT" ivi the 8 P eclflcatlons ar © to continental measurements The equipment for the
Addis Ababa high power wireless station is nil Tfolior, u i ’ i e e< l ul P meni 101 T ' ne
services will be Mmost impossible to obtain and^lta^ ^ re P lacement9 for both these
place. It might be a good thine if +he Vr g0 , d 1 ( . ea of wear mu8t have already taken
engineer at an early date to advife him ab^/the future o^th^T 8 -’' ^ t a , k ? f 8 qua , lified
run bv the Army There mav Ho ■ i r , re these services whilst they are being
sight must not be lost of the fact that Indian engineer. At the same time
clear rights, against which it is believed that the pr ° pe r t V ° f " French company with
problem and le should be wise 14 iS a ^
right lines. Nevertheless, we shairexiwcf'thV’Vd^ to l<ee P the Emperor on the
we may avoid having to use it For fh?s reolt V” f mpl ^ their skill and tact so that
prospective Advisers with the object of selecting thns'^ ' !,nlst , er , W|11 doubtless be careful to vet
ooject ot selecting those men who have shown a faculty for getting