In Addis Ababa last week the German Minister to Ethiopia, Dr. Johann Hans Kirchholtes, put on a clean collar and drove down the road to the onetime Italian legation, now headquarters of Marshal Badoglio. His call on the Italian General was the first recognition of any foreign government that the conquest of Ethiopia is now an accomplished fact. Meanwhile one of Marshal Badoglio's most dapper staff officers. Captain Adolfo Alessandri, dug his Sunday inspection breeches and best white gloves from the bottom of his campaign trunk, visited in turn every foreign legation in Addis Ababa. Clicking his heels he explained politely that each envoy would enjoy "every diplomatic privilege until the time of your departure." It was Italy's first official notification to the world that henceforth Ethiopia was not even to be considered another Manchukuo, but an out & out Italian colony.
First foreigner from the capital to see the advance of Italy's troops on Addis Ababa was United Pressman Ben Ames. Slashed by a sword in the native riots fortnight ago, he and a companion were able to slip out of town before dawn in a mud-bespattered truck. Just outside the city gates a scouting plane came rocketing down from the sky. Frantically they waved white towels and a large U. S. flag, were signaled on by a wave of the aviator's hand. Thirty miles farther on roaring motorcycles and staff cars popped out of the plains from all sides.
That night Correspondent Ames spent in a field with the Italian advance guard. Early next morning came a radio message from Marshal Badoglio, bogged down miles back in the middle of his motorized column: The occupation of Addis Ababa must take place at once, regardless of squabbles over the exact order of precedence, because foreigners' lives were in danger following the flight of Haile Selassie.
"Avanti! Avanti!" Flat-footed askari scouts went padding in from their posts and the final advance on Addis Ababa started.
Proud Procession. Just inside the city gate the Italian line halted while the squabbles began again. A high priest with a war drum, a few startled natives and one lone officer of the Ethiopian Imperial Guard were waiting for the Italians. Only foreigner attending the ceremony was Secretary Balay of the French legation who arrived with a guard carrying machine guns and a tricolor flag.
After much sweating and shouting, the procession was reformed. First came a patrol of blackshirt motorcyclists, young and exuberant, followed by ten baby tanks, each one hastily named after some battle of the past seven months. Marshal Badoglio entered on horseback. Then came the cause of all the backstage commotion—a composite regiment containing detachments of as many of all the different Italian units now in Africa as possible. It was a fine show and a great pity that nobody was around to see it. Down the old Imperial Highway past the closely barricaded British legation the procession passed.
"Plizz?" chirped an irrepressible Fascist, "is dees the Italiano legation?"
"No," boomed a flat British voice, "it is not!"