Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-10-12
Vinci
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government, written by his own hand,
the Italian envoy declared:
Il am staying of my own free will
despite the insistence of the authori-
| ties that I leave, awaiting the arrival
of the two members of the Magalo
consulate. I also declare I submit
freely to any measures the govern
ment may take against me-"
Deliberately Creating Trouble.
Ethiopian government officials said
the Italian Minister was deliberately
trying to create an incident by COM
polling Ethiopian troops to invade his
legation and drag him out.
They said they feared that such
action would give Premier Mussolini
pretext for saying Italian sovereignty
had been violated
Emperor Selassie was enraged by
the diplomats action and Immediately
ordered the legation surrounded by
troops and the telephone lines and
private radio stations cut off.
Vinci was virtually incommunicado,
with even his diplomatic colleagues
excluded.
Position More Obscure.
Late in the day, however, Just what
Vinci's position might be became more
obscure. 1t was reported possible that
the Emperor might not insist upon
his departure tomorrow but might
grant a respite.
| At $50 pm. Vinci was permitted
to leave the legation, where he had
been virtual prisoner, and was con-
Quoted to the home of Ras Desta
Damtou, son-in-law of the Emperor.
AS he moved, he was preceded and
followed by Ethiopian troops.
| Although the Italian minister was
given every luxury at Damtou's home,
he refused to receive his diplomatic
colleagues.
Another serio-comic touch was lent
to the drama when First Secretary F.
de Grenet of the Italian Legation left
the special train provided for the le-
cation authorities and then boarded
an ordinary train departing an hour
later.
The motive for this action was not
| disclosed, but Ethiopians said they
were suspicious and directed the chief
of the special train to wait en- route
| and to take De Grenet from the alter
| train.
Throughout the morning Vinci
played game of hide and seek, not
only with the Ethiopian government
but with the diplomatic corps, men,
bers of which were indignant when
the Italian Minister failed to turn up
at the station after they waited for
him three hours under the scorching
sun.
One reason given for the Minister'S
refusal to go was that he had enor-
nous sums of Ethiopian silver thalers
in the legation which he was unable
to take out of the country.
The military attache, Col Carderini,
joined the Minister in his refusal to
depart, but other legation officials left
by special train.
Natives Join Army.
After Vinci refused to leave, the en-
tire native staff of the Italian Lega-
ton went voluntary to Emperor Halle
Selassie and offered to enroll in the
Ethiopian army. The Emperor &C
cepted their services.
The general Ethiopian impression
was that it was now necessary to pre-
pare for long war with Italy, prob
ably lasting for years
Most Ethiopians and some foreigners
credit Vinci, who has been battling
Emperor Selassie continually for the
right to remain longer with urging
Premier Mussolini on in the attempts
to subjugate Ethiopia after he saw
that diplomatic efforts to settle the
present conflict had failed.
Throughout his twc-year stay In
Ethiopia. Vinci was said to have strug-
gled ceaselessly to win for Italy an
ascendant position in the empire.
From the beginning of the trouble,
Mussolini gave his minister a more or
less free hand to deal with the situa-
ton until it became so serious that
Vinci would always inform the Ethio-
plan government that he was obliged
to refer matters to Rome.
More recently, as the conflict be-
came critical, Mussolini took the af-
fairs out of Vincis hands and dealt
with them directly at Rome and at
Geneva
Relations Never Cordial.
Italo- Ethiopian relations have never
been very cordial since the crushing
defeat of the Italians at Aduwa In
1896.
The Ethiopian government never
has lowered its guard against even
tual attempts by italy not only to wipe
out the memory Of that disaster out
to impose an italian political and
economic protectorate over the en-
pire.
The Emperor finally ordered Vinci
to leave on the grounds that his pres
ence became embarrassing after the
League of Nations pronounced Italy
an aggressor.
The Minister and his aides, first
yielding to the persuasion of other
members of the diplomatic corps, said
they would capitulate to the Emperor
and depart today. but Vinci baked
once more.
Church Appeals to Cardenas.
MEXICO CITY. October IL R.-