Italian Fascist War Crimes in Ethiopia - Societa italiana di storia ...

Italian Fascist War Crimes in Ethiopia 95
committed “during the present war.” The reply, doubtless to appear conciliatory,
began with this “concession” and declared:
The commission will no doubt be prepared to consider any information
which the Ethiopian Government or any other United Nations
Government may wish to submit to it regarding crimes committed against
their nationals by our common enemies during the course of the present
war. It is not, however, the intention to invite Governments not hitherto
associated with discussions on war crimes, which have been proceeding
for some time past, to serve on the Commission. 26
The question of war crimes was meanwhile gaining increased international
attention. A Moscow Declaration, signed by Churchill, Ro o s evelt, and the Sov i e t
leader Stalin, on 1 Nove m b e r, stated their determination to pursue war criminals
“to the uttermost ends of the earth,” and to “deliver them to their accusers
in order that justice may be done. ” 2 7
A Further Parliamentary Question and Mini-
Parliamentary Debate
The question of Ethiopia’s exclusion was again raised in the House of
Commons on 3 Nove m b e r, when a Labour MP, Ben Riley, lobbied by Sylvia
Pankhurst, put down a further Parliamentary Question. He asked the Fo re i g n
S e c retary “whether Ethiopia is to be included among the United Nations which
h ave already been announced as a Commission to decide about the treatment of
war criminals.”
The Government’s reply was given by another spokesman for Fo reign Affairs,
R i c h a rd Law. Hoping to slide out of the issue by referring to the previous day ’ s
a n s we r, he replied: “I would refer the hon. Member to the written reply to the
hon. Member for Shipley [i.e., Creech Jones] by my friend the Under-Secre t a r y. ”
R i l ey, who had seen such Parliamentary evasion practiced prev i o u s l y, was not
silenced. Reverting to the main issue, Ethiopia’s exclusion, he declared: “I have
not seen the re p l y, but may I ask whether it is not a fact that all the Allied
nations are entitled to be re p resented on that Commission except Ethiopia, and
w hy is Ethiopia exc l u d e d ? ”