Category: Haile Selassie I – Testimonies

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Haile Selassie I - Testimonies Italo-Ethiopian War

The Chicago Defender, March 9 1935

The Chicago Defender, March 9 1935

“DOOM AND DESTRUCTION AWAIT ITALY IN ETHIOPIA SAY EXPERTS

MUSSOLINI’S TROOPS CAN NEVER CONQUER AFRICAN WARRIORS

ADDIS ABABA – Some of the tenseness that originally attended the break between Ethiopia and Italy has subsided in the last few days, but one can see at a glance that preparations for war are going on as usual. Day by day new troops, headed by their chieftains ride down from the mountains that almost completely hide this town from the world, and stack their arms in view of their Emperor’s castle.

In the meantime, Emperor Haile Selassie, the only absolute monarch in the world today, sits in his consultation room of the palace and discusses with his advisers the best methods of keeping he troops from far-off Italy from grabbing up his kingdom as white soldiers have gobbled up the rest of Africa. Dressed in regular European attire, the Emperor look much like an American mulatto but for his beard which he prizes highly. His street clothes, however, consist always of the native raiment of flowing robes and rich headwear.

The native costume, the Emperor says, is for he benefi of his people who would not appreciate the European wear. The Emperor, however, having been educated in Europe, has all the culture and diplomacy of the best of France and England. He speaks English, German, French and Italian fluently, edits his own newspaper and, in the opinion of English critics, writes some of the most biting editorials known to journalism.

He is kindly, considerate, and yet rules his 15,000,000 subjects with an iron hand. He speaks with a soft voice, yes with an authority that indicates that he means to be obeyed.

Those are some of the outstanding traits of the Emperor who is preparing daily to resist the invasion of his country now being openly threatened by Italy and the blustering Mussolini.”

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Haile Selassie I - Testimonies

C.F. Rey – British Civil Servant – 1935

C.F. Rey, taken from “The Real Abyssinia” (1935):

“Amid the few strong men and striking personalities brought to light during and immediately after the Great War, Tafari Makonnen, now King of Kings of Ethiopia under the style of Haile Selassie I, deserves to take a high place. I have had the privilege of knowing him since 1919, and few personalities with whom I have come in contact have made so deep an impression upon me as this remarkable man. (…)

The present Emperor is rather below medium height, slight in build, with refined, even delicate features, small and well-formed feet and hands, ‘les attaches fines’.

Ordinarily his face is almost Oriental in its calm expressionless immobility – but when really interested, angry, or amused the large dreamy eyes light up and the whole face shews the working of the alert mind and the passionate soul behind them. Courtesy and charm of manner are allied to a carriage full of dignity, and he plays his part in State and official receptions in a manner that leaves nothing to be desired.

Though kind-hearted in general, he can shew hardness and even cruelty in a manner typically Abyssinian. His thoughts are all his own, I do not suppose he has given his confidence to a single human being (…)

I think that if he had been left to administer his own vast personal estates in Harrar, and to live the life of a ‘grand seigneur’ among his own people, he would have developed into a lovable character, possibly of a dreamer. He is a very well educated man, a great and catholic reader, a fine horseman, and – a comparative rarity in Abyssinia – a good family man.

He married a very charming and cultured lady, the Wazero Manen, now the Empress, and has six children, three sons and three daughters; (…)

His outstanding ability, allied to his royal descent, marked him out as one of the forces to be reckoned with in Abyssinia even at an early age. (…)

Tafari now faced with a tremendous task. The country was in a chaotic state, owing to the years of Lej Yasu’s misrule. The great chieftains of Rases, who governed most of the provinces as quasi-Kings, were semi-independent, impatient of control from headquarters, and opposed to any kind of reform. The Treasury was empty, and revenues only slender. There was no standing army to enforce his decrees. The three limitrophe powers, France, England, and Italy, still in the throes of the Great War, could give him no help, and one effect of the War had been to reduce the external trade of the country and thus impoverish it still further.

Worst of all, Tafari was not Emperor but merely Regent; and his progressive ideas were by no means shared by his cousin the Empress, whose reactionary tendencies received strong support from the very powerful Abyssinian Church.

Nevertheless he set himself to work with undaunted courage and vigour, working from daybreak until late at night, carrying the whole burden of the State on his shoulders, undermining with infinite patience and astuteness the positions of his domestic adversaries, playing off one foreign country against another when pressed from outside.

One by one the great Rases began to be replaced as Provincial Governors by nominees of his own, revenue began to be swollen by increased taxation, schools and hospitals were built in the capital, law and order enforced, and modern ideas began to infiltrate.

In 1922 he left the country for the first time on a visit to Aden, and there he impressed his hosts immensely, for within ten minutes of seeing an aeroplace for the first time in his life Ras Tafari was flying in it, in spite of the almost tearful efforts of his suit to prevent him.

Tafari was not content with trying to develop internal resources of his country; he was anxious to establish its position in the world. Realizing its weakness, and the covetous inclinations of some of its more powerful neighbours, he strove to secure its safety by admission to the League of Nations, and after much difficulty secured this personal triumph in September 1923. He followed this up by a visit to various European capitals in the springs of 1924, and it is to be feared that his head may have been a little turned and he may have derived a false impression of things by the rather elaborate welcome he received, being indeed met at the stations of various capitals by Kings and Prime Ministers.

The shock he received in 1925 was the greater. The negotiation of the agreement between Italy and England for mutual support for their requirements in Abyssinia led him to make a vigorous protest to the League of Nations, and he expressed his feelings with much force … (…)

From now onwards he worked harder than ever for the development of Abyssinia; he took a personal interest in every form of enterprise great and small, and how he found and still finds time to do it all is really astonishing. As an example I well remember one day seeing him superintending road construction. As a survival of feudalism, it has always been a the practice when any such work was undertaked for the Ruler for him to set the example by himself placing the first stone of the road. Chiefs and Ministers followed, and so on down through the hierarchy until thousands of individuals were to be seen toiling like ants along the whole stretch of road to be dealt with, while their feudal superiors watched the progress of the work from the nearest shady spot. On this occasion the familiar scene was in full progress, men carrying one small stone each, or a handful of earth on a leaf, most of them on foot, but some on mules, riding with a minute portion of soil in a cactus-leaf on their shoulder. And every morning for a week the Regent surveyed the work in person until the road was ready; but – the modern touch – from his motor-car, while at the same time transacting business of State with his ministers and officials.

A few years later he was again watching a road being made. But this time there was no feudal army at work – just a powerful modern caterpillar tractor, and a handful of men. A significant change.

The opposition he encountered from the Empress and the reactionary party came to a head in 1928 when, after the usual preliminary intrigues, a ‘coup d’etat’ was staged and Tafari took all power into his own hands and had himself crowned King. Inasmuch, however, as the Empress’ relationship to Menelik and the fact that she had been crowned by the Abouna gave her a sort of almost semi-divine status, Tafari was wise enough to leave her her position of Empress, though stripped of all real power; and her convenient death in 1930 left him literally, as well as metaphorically, monarch of all he surveyed, albeit a monarch.

Two pictures of Haile Selassie I shall always carry in my mind. One is of a private talk I had alone with him, discussing various matters affecting Abyssinia with insight and clarity while a favourite dog lay on his knees, and his small son stood by his side, his hand on his father’s arm, staring from his father to me with wide open eyes.

The other was in Wazero Manen’s drawing-room where my wife and I were having a tea with them. Into the room came what I am bound to say I regarded as a rather overgrown lion cub, and I shall never forget Tafari’s mischievous smile as he watched to see how we should take the arrival of the latest guest. It was pleasant enough to play with, but some of the Abyssinian dignitaries present did not share their master’s enthusiasm, and the champagne trickled over the edges of one or two of their glasses which seemed to have become curiously unsteady.”

 

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Haile Selassie I - Testimonies

The Afro-American Newspaper – July 24 1954

The Afro-American Newspaper, July 24 1954:

“HAILE’S GOLD MEDAL AWARDED TO ROGERS

By imperial command of Emperor, Haile Selassie, J.A. Rogers was summoned to the Waldorf-Astoria last Thursday, presented with a gold medal and given an order for 128 copies of Rogers’ book, ‘World’s Great Men of Color, 3000 B.C. to 1946 A.D.’. After the presentation, Mr. Rogers said:

‘This ought to squelch the belief held by some that he considers himself white and is not interested in colored Americans.

I first met him at his coronation in 1930.

At 61, the Emperor is in excellent health. He underwent a physical examination at Harknes Pavillion of the Presbyterian Hospital and passed with flying colors.’

Mr. Rogers revealed he is working on two new books.

One of them is a book of amazing facts entitled ‘Astonishing Facts About the Colored American, 1512 to the Present’.

Mr. Rogers says he has enought important facts to fill several volumes.

WORDING IN AMHARIC

The gold coin given him by the Emperor, is one of a thousand minted for the Emperor’s coronation and the wordings in Amharic.

Commenting on John Gunther’s story in the Reader’s Digest in which said Gunther the Ethiopians ‘consider themselves to be white no matter what their color is’, this is an entirely false interpretation.

‘Ethiopians do consider themselves the equal of anybody, which is something entirely different’, says Mr. Rogers.

ONLY IN U.S.

‘I discussed this with many of the highest Ethiopians. They regard themselves as black people – Africans’.”

*****

“ROGERS GUEST OF SELASSIE

Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia sent for and granted private audience to J.A. Rogers, Courier editorial page columnist, on the day of his departure.

The Emperor met Mr. Rogers in Ethiopia in 1930 at his coronation and again in 1935 when Mr. Rogers was in Addis Ababa as a Courier correspondent.”

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Haile Selassie I - Testimonies

Sir Abdullah Archibald Hamilton, Muslim Community of Great Britain – 1936

Shah Jehan Mosque
Woking, UK, August 26, 1936

“May it please Your Imperial Majesty,
In according Your Majesty our heartiest welcome on your visit to this Mosque, we may be permitted to give expression to our feeling of deep admiration for the manner in which Your Majesty has faced the great trial through which your country and people have recently passed and are still passing. It must, however, be a source of consolation to Your Majesty that the sympathies of the greater part of the world, including those of the great world of Islam, have been with your country and yourself throughout the grim struggle that has just ended in a disaster for Ethiopia.

Among other noble traits of character that have elicited well-deserved praise, the one that has specially appealed to us Muslims is the faith and trust in God which has all along characterised the acts of Your Majesty and your broadminded regard for all religions, which has been demonstrated by Your Majesty’s visit to this Mosque to-day.

Standing in Your Majesty’s presence, we cannot help recalling how, brutally persecuted at home, the first believers in Islam took refuge, on the Prophet’s advice, in the then country of Abyssinia, and how they were hospitably received by the Negus of the time and benevolently protected by him from the evil intentions of their enemies, who had come there to demand their forcible repatriation. Indeed, so vividly do we recall this thrilling episode of the Muslim history that as we speak we can see in our imagination Ja’far, the leader of the Muslim refugees, pleading with hope and fear the Muslim cause, weak in material resources, before the great Negus, and the monarch shedding tears of spiritual joy at the touching spiritual enthusiasm of the speaker.

By this gesture the country of Abyssinia not only proved itself the foster-mother of the Islamic religion, but also showed its appreciation of the message of that religion for the Ethiopian race. Subsequent history, of Islam and Abyssinia, shows that none of the parties has been unmindful of the significance of this mutual approach.

Bilal, the Abyssinian companion of the Prophet was given the highest rank among the believers and had the unique privilege of calling the faithful to Prayer. In one of his visions the Prophet saw him entering the Paradise ahead of all the believers. The love between him and the Prophet has given rise to a theme of spiritual romance, the only one of its kind in Muslim literature.

On the other hand, sheltered and encouraged by Abyssinia, Islam grew into an overwhelming political and cultural force. It sent its invincible armies to all the four corners of the world and conquered most of the countries from the extreme East to the extreme West. But not once during these triumphant marches and conquests did its generals feel like invading Abyssinia.

But, though never conquered by arms, the hold of Islam on the Ethiopian race, so early effected through spiritual appeal, has successfully defied all attempts at slackening through political and economic influences and adverse propaganda from outside. The spiritual march of Islam in Africa, we are proud to recall, has been going on steadily during all these centuries.

But, while turning over these forgotten pages of history, we are painfully aware that nothing now remains of that old order. Islam has been shorn of its political glory, and Abyssinia, that old and powerful Christian kingdom – the oldest in the world – is also lying humiliated. We may say, nevertheless, that the spiritual kinship which has subsisted between the people of Ethiopia and the Islamic world is still a living reality.

Your Majesty, Islam means submission – submission of the rebellious physical self to the spiritual self in man. It also means “peace”, as peace is the inevitable result of such a submission. As we see it, it has been the religion of all the spiritual leaders of humanity. Muhammad came not to destroy but to fulfil the mission of all these religious personalities, particularly that of Jesus Christ, of whose religion Your Majesty is a devout follower – to fulfil it in the inter-racial and international relations of humanity. As we are glad to be able to say that though long averse to giving it a patient hearing, the people of the West have already begun to appreciate the Message of Islam – a phenomenon of which this Mosque, standing before you, is an indication.

Indeed, the power of Islam to unite diverse races and colours of the world in a spiritual confraternity, is now recognized even by those who are the most active in  calumniating it. Through Your Majesty we, on behalf of Islam in this powerful country of Great Britain, reaffirm to the Ethiopian race our old feelings of good-will and sympathy, at this time, when, in spite of the darkness of the political world, we have the pleasant surprise of finding the spiritual horizon of humanity brightening up with a new hope of recovery.

Thanking Your Majesty for the pleasure of your august company this afternoon, and praying for a better and a glorious future of the Ethiopian race.

We remain, Your Imperial Majesty’s humble fellow-believers in the Scriptures.”

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Haile Selassie I - Testimonies More Speeches of Haile Selassie I

The Indianapolis Star (US Newspaper) – December 25, 1955

The Indianapolis Star (US Newspaper), Sunday December 25, 1955

“HAILE SELASSIE URGES ‘CENTURY OF LIBERATION’

Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia has called upon the colonial powers to make the 20th Century a ‘century of liberation’ for peoples living under foreign domination.

The mild-mannered ‘Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah’ said in an exclusive interview:

‘We hope that all colonial and trusteeship territories of Africa will in the near future be called upon to decide freely as to their own destinies.

The striving of the peoples of Africa to this end should serve to advance the cause of freedom and world peace, in other parts of the world. The 20th Century should be known as the century of liberation.’

Haile Selassie who 20 years ago watched helplessly because of world neutralism when Mussolini’s divisions overran his country, emphatically rejected the ‘spirit of neutrality’ sponsored by India and Egypt. He declared:

‘Ethiopia, faithful to her traditions, never can be neutral insofar as questions of collective security are concerned.’ 

He suggested that the United States supply additional military and economic aid to Ethiopia because of the control his nation has over the souther entrance to the Red Sea ‘and hence over what is perhaps the most important strategic and commercial trade route in the world’.

The 65-year-old emperor who recently granted his people a liberalized constitution, received this correspondent in the imperial palace at Addis Ababa.

Following are some of the questions submitted and the emperor’s replies:

Q. ‘Do any practical means exist through which the co-operation and friendship of the peoples of Africa could best be gained?’

A. ‘Yes, through the attainment of this objective and the high ideals of nations who demonstrate a true comprehension and recognition of human rights throughout the world.’

Q. ‘Taking into consideration the existence of the two conflicting blocs and the possible danger of a third world war, what would be the role of Ethiopia as a strategically placed country holding a key position on the African continent?’

A. ‘Present international developments have emphasized the importance of the control which Ethiopia enjoys over the southern entrance to the Red Sea and hence, over what is perhaps the most important strategic and commercial trade route in the world. Ethiopia will always exercise that control conformably with the recommendations of the United Nations. Ethiopia firmly believes in collective security and in the maintenance of peace through collective security.’ 

Q. ‘What plans exist for the industrial development of Ethiopia and the modernization of its agriculture?’

A. ‘Some 10 years ago, a national planning board was established. The results today are already evident. New industries have been established and new agricultural products have been placed on the world markets, with the result that Ethiopia today is enjoying a period of unprecedented prosperity. This development is evident to any traveler who has had the occasion to visit Ethiopia more than once during the last decade. However, such progress constitutes only a beginning and by no means indicates that Ethiopia has attracted sufficient foreign capital and enterprises commensurate with the great potentialities which exist, although we have expended every effort to that end. Foreign assistance has been very limited and Ethiopia’s progress has been achieved almost entirely by her own unaided efforts. We hope, however, that the progress achieved should serve henceforth to encourage greater assistance and co-operation from abroad. We wish to assure those friendly countries which are aiding Ethiopia that in so doing they are at the same time aiding neighboring countries as well.’ 

Q. ‘In what respect could the United States be of assistance to Ethiopia ?’

A. ‘The programs of assistance which the United States of America is already carrying out in Ethiopia give an indication of the nature and extent of that assistance. Ethiopia is most grateful for this assistance. However, it is far from sufficient either in the economic or military fields in view of Ethiopia’s position and international responsibilities.’ 

Q. ‘Does the new constitution allow any provision for guaranteeing foreign private capital investment in Ethiopia ? And is the Imperial government, in principle, in favor of such investments for the development of the country’s productive prossibilities ?’

A. ‘Yes. Numerous provisions of the new constitution afford protection for foreign investments rarely found in other constitutions of the world. In addition, Ethiopia’s currency which is based on the U.S. dollar and is therefore a <<hard currency>> provides practical assistance that profits from foreign enterprises always can be exported from Ethiopia. Every month marks the arrival and establishment of increasing numbers of foreign enterprises in Ethiopia.’ “

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Haile Selassie I - Testimonies

H. Norden, Member of the American Geographical Society, 1930

“During the first days in Addis Ababa the strange goes about wondering whether his heart will stand the strain of the altitude, but he soon finds himself adjusted and stimulated by the high, dry air. There could be no better evidence of the general virtues of the climate than the robustness of the twenty European children whom I saw assembled at one of the Legation parties.

My introduction to Ras Tafari, and my first glimpse of Ethiopian court life and customs, came almost immediately after my arrival at the capital. The occasion was a dinner given in honour of the members of an expedition sent out by the Field Museul in Chicago: five scientists under the leadership of Captain White. The guests included all the American colony, which consisted of the United States Minister, Mr. Southard, and his wife, and about a dozen missionaries, religious and medical.

A line of armed soldiers outside the Gibbi saluted the guests as they entered. (…)

When all the guests had assembled we were conducted into the throne-room, where the Negus awaited us. The light was dim but adeguate to reveal the beauty of the rugs and the splendour of the gold throne standing on a dais and canopied with red velvet. The latest heir to the throne of Solomon’s son stood on the first of the four steps leading to the platform, and since he is below medium height this position brought his eyes level with those of most of the men he welcomed. His dark face is both beautiful and aristocratic, with finely cut features and great melancholy eyes. Beautiful and aristocratic too, and not easely forgotten, are his small, sensitive, and exquisitely shaped hands.

The dining-room of the palace is furnished in European fashion. The gold table-service was the work of the court jeweller, who is not Abyssinian but Armenian, and had made also the crown lately assumed by Ras Tafari. From across the table little Prince Makonnen favoured me with a boyish grin, in recognition of our meeting on the train. (…)

I was fortunately placed for conversation with the Negus. We spoke in French, and I chose my sentences with great care, lest I provoked the gesture dreaded by Legation folk, that of lifting the collar of the black silk cape to cover one side of the face; a gesture common among Abyssinian aristocrats, and which signifies weariness, displeasure, or disgust. The meaning of the action is, ‘You and your breath are offensive to me’.

This custom has come down through the centuries from a time when there was no need to resort to subtleties to express or conceal repugnance. Happily, Ras Tafari did not hide his face from me, though perhaps I was near to incurring his displeasure at the moment when I told him I should like to see a military display in Addis Ababa. (…)

That evening at dinner no mention was made of politics, either national or international. We spoke of food, of domestic matters, and of education. The Negus said he had brought a chef from Paris; that he enjoyed French food as much as he did Abyssinian. He regretted that his wife’s enforced stay at the clinic at Diredawa prevented her presence at this dinner. He spoke of the education of his son, now studying English with Mr. Russell of the American Presbyterian Mission, and who will go later to a university in England. Some talk about the prevalence of divorce in America floated across the table. I asked Ras Tafari whether it were a common practice in his country. ‘Only the rich can afford divorce’ he said. (…)

Coffee and liquors were served in the throne-room. Afterwards the lights were turned out and the great hall became a moving-picture theatre. Through the cinema a part of Ras Tafari’s empire was brought to us: mountains and valleys, rivers and villages; men on caravan and animals caught unawares by the camera, for the film had been made during a former expedition sent by the Field Museum.

Customs followed geography. The second film showed us the celebration mescal, the religious festival which occurs late in September. (…) I left the Gibbi feeling that Ras Tafari could not have offered more interesting intertainment. He had give his alien guests a glimpse of himself and his ministers; the aspect of the country over which he reigns, and its most characteristic fantasia, full of religious and social significance to his people.”

Taken from “Africa’s Last Empire: Through Abyssinia to Lake Tana and the Country of the Falasha”, H. Norden, 1930

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Haile Selassie I - Testimonies

General E.Vergin, Swedish Military, 1936

“Tafari Makonnen, grew up in the old city of Harar, where he was educated by French missionary monks and thus came to master both spoken and written French. He was an intelligent and ambitious boy with a thirst for knowledge, and at an early age showed an aptitude for statesmanship and for military affairs. When his father died in 1906, Tafari Makonnen succeeded him as Governor of Harar, and with great energy set himself to improve and develop the province now entrusted to him. (…)

From the beginning of his co-reign Ras Tafari sought to follow the principles laid down by the Emperor Menelik; that is to say, to preserve his country’s independence, to raise the material and intellectual levels of his people, and, in order to make this possible, to strengthen and consolidate the position of the central Government. In the fulfilment of this he had many difficulties to overcome. The foreign situations was disquieting. During the Great War those Powers which are Abyssinia’s neighbours tried in many ways to interfere with the nation’s politics. By cleverly playing off one against another, however, Ras Tafari was able to keep a free hand and prevent any one of his neighbours gaining too much of a hold over his country.

Home affairs were no less threatening. As in the case of Lij Yassu, Ras Tafari’s promotion aroused envy and anger among the other pretenders. His plain intention to gather the power into his own hand, and also his efforts at reform, met with bitter opposition. His position was rendered still more difficult by the fact that the Empress, coerced by powerful rases and by the ultra-conservative priesthood which feared and hated all reforms, began to mistrust her co-ruler and to oppose his efforts. (…)

On April 8th, 1930, Negus Tafari ascended the Abyssinian throne as Emperor Haile Selassie I, and seven months later the coronation took place with great ceremonial, in the presence of representatives of many foreign nations. (…)

By his wisdom, self-control, energy, courage and shrewdness the Emperor Haile Selassie had found his way round the obstacles which beset him; but in his fight for power he had also shown humanity and nobility of character. Apart from those enemies of his who fell in battle, their weapons in their hands, he had never taken anyone’s life. (…) Of the remaining former adversaries, not named here, some indeed are still in prison, but many others have been reinstated in their positions and are the Emperor’s loyal allies. The streak of hardness and cruelty, characteristic of so many Oriental autocrats, is altogether lacking in the present Emperor of Abyssinia.

When the Emperor Haile Selassie I ascended the throne of his fathers he was mature; a grown man, hardened and tried in life’s school. During his long period of regency he had accumulated experience and ability whih well fitted him for his high office. In order to increase his knowledge still further, and to absorb new ideas, he made an extensive tour through Europe in 1924, in the course of which he visited Sweden. Knowledge gained on this tour he has since endeavoured to make fruitful in his Empire, and to that end he has invoked the aid of counsellors and helpers from those European countries which he considered ranked highest from both intellectual and material points of view.

As early as 1923, in spite of great opposition, the co-ruler, as he still was, acting as his own Foreign Secretary, succeeded in obtaining recognition for Abyssinia as a member of the League of Nations. On that occasion he undertook to abolish slavery within his realm – a promise which to the greatest extent yet possible he has striven to fulfil. All slave traffic is forbidden and punished very severely. (…)

From the earliest times the imperial power has been unlimited, and varied only with the ability of the monarch to enforce it. No statutes of laws defining of modifying the authority of the throne existed until July 16th, 1931, when the Emperor Haile Selassie I gave the land a constitution. (…)

Although this constitution leaves the power in the Emperor’s hands, it is remarkable from many points of view. By it the monarch sets up the law as the highest standard to which he too must conform, and at the same time renounces the right to make that law. then also the constitution determines the freedom and privileges of the citizen, and affirms the right of all who are deserving and competent to serve the State. All these are principles which we take as a matter of course, but in a feudal State like that of Abyssinia, where noble birth has hitherto been almost the only consideration, they represent a revolution in social ideas. (…)

It is true that always in his foreign policy the Emperor has sought to place justice above force. On many occasions he has stressed his willingness to submit delicate questions of foreign policy to impartial arbitration. (…)

Another field in which the Emperor has been very active is, as before mentioned, that of education. He has called in education authorities from abroad, and, with the help of the Empress, has founded a number of schools and colleges for both male and female students. (…)

In his efforts to raise the intellectual and material standards of his people the Emperor has had two great obstacles to contend with: the lack of competent assistants and the difficulty of raising the necessary funds.

For the carrying out of reforms pioneers are needed. The Emperor Haile Selassie himself – wise, clear-sighted, clever and energetic – is an example to his people, working from early morning until late at night. Unhappily the same cannot be said of most of his officials. (…) The result is that the Emperor has been obliged to give personal attention to nearly all affairs of state, and to settle details.” (…)

A great burden of work and responsibility rests on Emperor Haile Selassie’s shoulders. When one sees his slim figure, his unusually small and well-shaped hands, his finely cut features and his melancholy eyes for the first time, one finds it hard to believe that it is this man who has striven so mightily and won his way to power with such energy and endurance and who now leads with wisdom and strength his country’s destiny. Yet when one has had the opportunity of coming nearer to him, of watching his keen intellect, his wise and unclouded thoughts, of witnessing his limitless capacity for work and his dignified calm in moments of difficulty or emergency, one finds it easier to understand how he has attained his position, and of what significance he is, not only for his own country, but also in political situations far beyond its borders. It is said that no one is indispensable, but without exaggeration it may be affirmed that there is no man in Abyssinia to-day who could fully replace the Emperor. With him rests the to-be or not-to-be of the Empire, its inner unity, its outward strength and its future. With greater justice than even ‘le Roi Soleil’, the Emperor Haile Selassie might say, ‘L’état, c’est moi!’.”

(Taken from “The Abyssinia I Knew”, General Virgin, London 1936)

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Haile Selassie I - Testimonies

N.S. Khrushchov, Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers – 1959

N.S. Khrushchov, Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers

Moscow, USSR
July 11 1959

“Your Imperial Majesty,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Comrades,

We have assembled here at a reception in honor of our Royal visitor, the Emperor of Ethiopia.

(…)

In your tour of our country you were certain to have noticed how deep – seated and sincere is that friendship and good will of the Soviet people for the people of Ethiopia. The friendship between our countries is known to have deep historical roots. But it is not just a matter of tradition. Soviet men and women respect the gallant people of Ethiopia, who for many decades were actually the only nation of Africa which had succeded in upholding the national freedom, and independence of its country in the fight against the colonialists.

They warmly sympathise with Ethiopia’s desire to make more extensive use of her natural wealth to develop her national economy. They think highly of Ethiopia’s foreign policy of peace based on the principles of Bandung.

Soviet men and women have a high personal esteem of Your Imperial Majesty as a man who, on ascending to the throne, did away with slavery in his country and carried out other reforms to develop the Ethiopian state.

The struggle of the Ethiopian people under your leadership against the Italian fascist aggressors aroused the admiration of our people, who had a high regard for the heroism of the sons of your country. They fought gallantly against the invader and upheld the national independence of their country. This is appreciated by the Soviet people especially highly because they too suffered an incursion by fascist hordes – German and Italian – and routed them in heroic struggle. The liberation struggle of our people against the fascist invader played a big part in bringing our countries closer together.

Soviet men and women are happy to welcome their Royal guests, who represent the independent countries of Africa, whose peoples are waging a struggle to root out completely the shameful colonial system…”

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Haile Selassie I - Testimonies

American Journalist and Hunter, James Baum – 1927

“There is little question that Tafari Makonnen is a humane man. Public hangings used to be the rule until recently. It was a common sight two of three years ago, to see the dried and rattling corpses of evil-doers swinging in the wind from a large wild fig tree in the market place in Addis. But the Regent has done away with such gruesome spectacles. And two persons – a man and a woman – who made an attempt upon his life a short time ago were not executed. Lidj-Yasu, the ex-ruler, deposed by Tafari for his flirtations with the Mohammedian church, was not put to death but is kept under guard in a outlying part of the country: Ras Tafari is more lenient than many other monarchs.

The power of the Regent is steadily increasing. (…) Ras Tafari, I believe, is trying to do away with the hereditary rulers of provinces and in some places a governor alien to the district has been appointed. (…) Again, it should be mentioned, Ras Tafari has one of the most difficult positions in the world.”

(Taken from “Savage Abyssinia”, James Baum, 1927)

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Haile Selassie I - Testimonies

President of the Foreign Press Association in U.S. – 1963

Press Conference at the U.N. Headquarters
New York, 4th of October 1963

President of the Foreign Press Association in U.S. :

“With deference, we are happy to pay tribute to Your Imperial Majesty, and in so doing, on behalf of many of us, I should like to express our emotion at seeing You in the United Nations. For men of my generation, particularly, brought up in our youth in the cult of freedom and dignity, you already, twenty-eight years ago, were an authentic hero of legends, namely, a man who dedicated his courage and faith to the defence of human rights, be they of His country of anywhere else in the world.

The destiny of Your Imperial Majesty was and still is a great one, and Your presence today in this great home, a distant heir of the League of Nations that was so tragically unjust to You, is one of the very few symbols of poetic justice. But You have seen the immense emancipation of Africa, and it was You who were the first and the greatest inspiration of it. It is, therefore, only fair and just that the forward of African independence be organized and decided upon in Your capital.

We, Sir, are extremely honoured at the visit of Your Imperial Majesty, and we sincerely hope the best for You, Your person and Your country, Sir.”

EMPEROR: “I wish to thank you for your kind words and I trust that all you have said will be found in history. You have repeated it, and I thank you for so doing.”