Occupation

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!"

Eventually the parade reached the Italian legation where Marshal Badoglio set up his headquarters. Everywhere streets were deserted, houses burned, shops looted. Hundreds of bodies littered the roadway, stiff, stinking, crawling with flies. Some had been hideously mangled by wild dogs and hyenas, which skulked in from the eucalyptus forests every night to scavenge.

Major-Mayor-- The reason General Badoglio did not move into Haile Selassie's Imperial Palace was that it was already pre-empted by a mere major. One of the most potent of Fascist bigwigs is Major Giuseppe Bottai, 40. A War veteran with a brilliant record, he later edited various nationalist papers, joined Benito Mussolini before the March on Rome. So quick was his rise as a party politician that at the age of 34 Giuseppe Bottai was Fascist Minister of Corporations, wielding more power than Il Duce thought good for him. Soon he was kicked upstairs to be Fascist Governor of Rome. When the African adventure developed, Fascist Bottai packed his kit without a word of protest, sailed for Ethiopia as a simple major of the line. For being a good boy, he had his reward last week when he was made civil governor of Addis Ababa.

At first the major-mayor had little to do but try to make his new palace habitable. Marshal Badoglio, delegating none of his powers, went about restoring Addis Ababa's water, light and telephone services. Small bands of bandits still lurked in the outskirts. Italian patrols were busy mopping them up. One hustled around to the U. S. legation on an SOS from Minister Cornelius van H. Engert. Plucky Mrs. Engert took time off to tell reporters how during the days of rioting she sat knitting, with a loaded revolver in her overcoat pocket.

"There were four persistent shooters," said she, "whom we named George, Edward, Mabel and Bertha--she was the loudest. Whenever anyone showed himself or a light was lit, they would fire."

Marshal Badoglio caused a great stir in Paris when he announced that he was taking over the French-owned railroad from Addis Ababa to Djibouti (see col. 3). Before long normal rail service to the coast was restored.

Fall of Harar. All the excitement was not limited to Addis Ababa last week, Doggedly Italy's southern army under General Graziani plowed ahead toward Harar, Jijiga and Diredawa, key cities of the southeast. Only nature opposed them. At Harar, second city of the defunct empire, news that its defender, Ras Nassibu, had also fled the country caused another outbreak of rioting and looting almost as severe as that which shook Addis Ababa. Soon the Italians marched in, put down disorder with a heavy hand.

Lone Surrender, At Fen`aroa, 350 miles away, Italian General Bastico had set up the headquarters of the Third Army Corps, whose duty it is to protect the long Italian line back to the coast. In his tent last week he sat reading dispatches, wishing he were further south enjoying the fun in Addis Ababa. Up to his tent rode a bedraggled, bearded native on muleback carrying a twisted twig and a scrap of white cloth. Stiffly dismounting, the blackamoor bowed low to the ground in token of submission. It was Ras Seyoum, onetime ruler of Tigre Province, the "Black Fox of Ethiopia." ablest of the north Ethiopian chieftains. For six months he had held Italy's armies at bay. Alone he had arrived to surrender.

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