During the occupation, his uncle and guardian "Lij" Seifu Mikael was captured and sent off to the Asinara prison in Italy. Atsede's husband "Dejazmatch" Melise Sahle submitted to the fascist occupying force. At the behest of his stepfather, he was employed in the fascists' government as a liaison between the Italian officials and the Ethiopian nobility as well as in their Department of Information, then called "Office of Propaganda". Due to the unique access he had to high-level Italian officials and his command of the Italian language, he passed on important intel to the patriots fighting for the country's liberation. Upon hearing his employment at the occupying fascist government, his incarcerated uncle "Lij" Seifu wrote: "he is an ailing, frail, weak boy who stood no chance in guerilla warfare; let him make use of his brains to assist the resistance." After repeated requests by him and "Leul Ras" Seyoum Mengesha, his uncle "Lij" Seifu was released from Asinara after about four years. He reached Addis Ababa four months before the liberation and was ordered to stay under house arrest at his own residence. Even though Kebede could not go to France and pursue his studies because of the Italo-Ethiopian War, he spent a lot of time reading in the library founded by Mr. LeMoins, one of the French instructors of Prince Makonnen. It is reported that one of the books he most frequently read was "Napoleon" because he had a great admiration for Napoleon Bonaparte. He also picked up Italian during those years of extensive reading and learning. Italian was only one of the many languages he spoke. He wrote "Berhane Helina (The Light of the Mind)", which is largely considered his debut, during these years. He also wrote "Ye Qine Wubet" ("The Beauty of Qəne)" in which he proved his command of the unique Ethiopian literary tradition of qene, a form of linguistic indirection and play.