4 July 2026 / 27 ሰኔ 2018
Ethiopia and the United States have a long history of friendship that dates to 1903, when President Theodore Roosevelt sent a special delegation under Special Envoy Robert P. Skinner to explore trade possibilities. Emperor Menelik received the delegation with great pomp on December 21, 1903, and six days later, the two countries signed a formal Treaty of Commerce, establishing diplomatic relations. The United States of America established first American Legation at Addis Ababa in July 1909. Ever since that date, the United States and Ethiopia have enjoyed warm and fruitful relations. My grandfather Emperor Haile Selassie I would meet with President Franklin D. Roosevelt in February 1945 at the Great Bitter Lake in Egypt and began a new enhanced relationship that established Ethiopia as a key friend of the United States in the region. Later, Emperor Haile Selassie, accompanied by a delegation that included my father Prince Sahle Selassie, made his first state visit to the United States in 1954 and was welcomed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He would make subsequent state visits in 1963 to President Kennedy, in 1967 to President Johnson, and in 1969 to President Nixon. Ethiopia participated as one of the allies of World War II, became a founding charter member of the United Nations, and would send troops to support the U.N. effort in Korea, serving alongside U.S. forces. The United States was a firm friend to Ethiopia, providing civilian and military assistance, including the Peace Corps, who helped in the efforts towards modernization in Ethiopia.
Later, when the tumult of revolution, civil war and famine overwhelmed our country, the United States provided refuge to thousands of our people. Ethiopians settled in the United States and have worked hard to be a productive element in American society. We have been able to live in peace and harmony in this country, learning much from this society and contributing our rich culture to the tapestry that is the United States. Ethiopians and Ethiopian Americans have much to be grateful for and owe the people of the United States of America a debt of gratitude for giving us a refuge from the horrors that we have endured in our homeland. The kindness, the acceptance, and the welcoming nature of the American people will always be remembered by those of us who have experienced it.
It is therefore with great happiness that on behalf of the Crown Council of Ethiopia, that I wish the people of the United States of America a happy 250th Independence Day. May God bless the people of the United States and Ethiopia.
Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie
