Austrian war correspondent Ernst Wiese covered the Italian invasion of Ethiopia for The Literary Digest and filed this report concerning the goings-on behind the scenes:
“The [Mussolini] policy of buying off Ethiopian princes with pensions (at times amounting to 20,000 lire monthly) or with deluxe Fiat limousines and trips to has been a mistake. For every native prince who is on the Italian payroll, a score of minor chieftains are disgruntles because they received too little or no share of the booty. In resentment, these chieftains have turned against Italy. Since history began, the normal occupation of most Ethiopian men has been warfare or brigandage… Never before were the rewards of doing so tempting: strange European food and drink, brilliant uniforms, new and powerful guns and ammunition.
Mussolini explained why he invaded Ethiopia in this article…
