Ethiopia Presses Washington to Finance Its Red Sea Ports

In 1952, Eritrea became an autonomous unit federated with Ethiopia under the Ethiopian Crown. The arrangement gave the Ethiopian government new reason to seek investment in Red Sea ports, while trade still depended heavily on the railway to Djibouti under French control. [4] [1]

Ethiopian officials returned to the question of port finance in Washington after Haile Selassie's 1954 state visit. At a meeting on 30 June, Foreign Minister Aklilou Habte-Wold and Ambassador Yilma Deressa challenged suggestions that Ethiopia could rely on Djibouti under French control. The delegation sought financing for Assab, where it wanted two piers and a breakwater, and pressed for agreement before commissioning further studies. [1]

For the Ethiopians, port development involved control over the country's trade. Deressa argued that railway charges rose with the value of exported goods, absorbing gains from higher coffee prices. Aklilou took the dispute to Secretary of State John Foster Dulles on 2 July, warning that the responses made American policy appear to favor colonial powers. Dulles denied that French interests would determine the decision, but preferred concrete answers to a promise in principle. [1] [2]

On 7 July, Assistant Secretary Henry Byroade offered assistance with an economic analysis and support for a justified loan application. He said no grant funds were available. Aklilou remained dissatisfied with further study after the emperor's reception, although he welcomed a separate offer of educational scholarships. [3]

Related Diplomats

1. Yilma Deressa [1]

Related Reading

• Ethiopia and the United States
• Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
• Haile Selassie Visits Washington [1]