Italy's desire to invade Our country since forty years ago has never altered. This ambition that has been continuously manifested on several occasions in the past years became more evident during her last years winter activities and to make this a secret, the Italian Government, last year in August, without any reason, started to accumulate weapons along Our borders.

  When we discovered this, We ordered Our Charge d'Affairs in Rome to ask for explanations and what We received was a completely unfounded and baseless reply that Italy was engaged in military preparations because We were planing to declare war against the colonized Eritrean and Somali territories.

  Although We explained that this was completely unfounded, as Italy was already pursuing her premeditated plan, she kept on building up her military preparation under the pretext that she was doing this for defensive purposes, never willing to admit that she was preparing herself to execute her aggressive plan.

  Italy also wanted some camouflaged pretexts to make her aggressive plan seem justified to the rest of the world.

  Accordingly, when a certain clash of romance occurred between Ethiopian employees of national organizations and those of an Italian trade agency, in Gondar, last Hedar, although the blood that was shed was the Ethiopians themselves, the Italy legation in Addis Ababa made a big scandal of this trifling affair and strongly intervened through diplomatic channels. Our Government, being peace-loving and seeking to avoid a more serious clash, responded favourably to the Italy demand. Then followed the Walwal incident which began the cause of Our present dispute.

  In seeking to dismember some of Our territories, Italy ignored Our territorial integrity and in violation of the treaty of 1900, signed between the two governments, and which laid down the boundary, she encamped a considerable military force and ammunitions at Walwal, 100 km inside the demarcated border of Ethiopia.

  Later, as Our border with British Somaliland was laid down by a treaty, representatives from Our country and those from Britain were instructed to see and approve a grazing area, which lies in Ethiopia, for the Somalis of British Somaliland as agreed upon in the treaty.

  While the representatives of the two governments were executing their duties inside Our territory, for security reasons, Our Government had provided them with guards. And, as you already know, these guards were suddenly attacked on Dec.6th.1934, at which time they try to defend themselves against the Italian machine guns, tanks and planes but were overwhelmed. This again became another clear evidence of the pre-calculated, unprovoked action of the Italian aggressors.

  After attacking Our guards and committing all these crimes in Our own territory by its own men, Italy then wanted to put the blame on Us and to condemn Us for it, and as if her killing of Our soldiers was not enough, she even went further as far as asking for an apology and compensation.

  Ethiopia, however, had a clear conscience about her just rights. And because of this, and seeking to settle the question peacefully, We referred to and immediately proposed the application of the Italo-Ethiopian treaty of 1928 in which Italy agreed to maintain lasting peaceful and friendly relations with Ethiopia and in the event of any dispute to have it solved peacefully through mediation. The reply to Our proposal was a blunt no; instead, she announced openly that she was determined to press her demands without any further examination and just appraisal of the question.

 Since We were also determined to keep Our honour at any cost, and We were convinced that if any government, of its own accord, presented a case like this to impartial judges of governments, the judgment thus passed would not degrade but honour that Government, We openly declared that if Ethiopia was found guilty in this case, she would fully and immediately comply with the verdict.

  Consequently, although Italy did not want to have the issue solved by mediators, We always wanted to solve it by legal and peaceful means, and in pursuance of this, We found it necessary to present the case to the League of Nations and We notified Our reasons for taking this step, in detail, to the Italian government and its leader, Signor Mussolini.

  Accordingly the case was raised last month at the League of Nations and Italy had to unhappily accept the decision that it be solved by mediators.

  However, while We were following the decision reached by the League of Nations, in the same month, on Jan.21st, and while mediators were appointed and diplomatic talks were going on, the Italian Minister continued to drag the matter in trying to make Us accept crimes which We never committed, and therefore, We found it necessary to refer the case again to the League of Nations.

  While Italy was trying to press hard on Our Government diplomatically, at the same time, every day, We received the news from her daily radio broadcasts, that every day troops, weapons and amminitions were being despatched to Our borders along Eritrea and Italian Somaliland thus confirming to Us every day that war was on the horizon.