Several years ago, high in the medieval fortress city of Gondar, once the capital of Ethiopian emperors, I found myself in a poker game with an unusual assortment of Americans — three Peace Corps volunteers and a pair of U.S. Army Green Berets. Somehow, the game, with its clashing Americans, has always symbolized for me the double, contradictory role of American influence and involvement in the Ethiopia of Emperor Haile Selassie. On one hand, the United States supports the traditional, authoritarian regime of the Emperor. American money helps him suppress a regional rebellion in Eritrea without his worrying about the grievances that cause it; and American money allows him to procrastinate as much as he likes in implementing the reforms that might modernize Ethiopia. At the same time, the United States, largely through its influence in education, has catalyzed revolutionary forces that threaten the authoritarianism of the Emperor, and may someday transform Ethiopia. This second role is largely accidental, and many American officials do not recognize it. Ironically, one immediate sign of it is a periodic outpouring of anti-Americanism from young Ethiopians...

Referendum Could Reflect Minority Wish Since Many Residents Aren't Citizens - The voters of French Somaliland, the last French colony in Africa, are expected to reject independence today in favor of continued rule by France. The results of the referendum, however, may not reflect the desires of the majority of the people who live in French Somaliland. The electoral procedures work in a way that benefits the Danakils, a minority tribe that fears independence and wants the protection of France. But, whether fair or not, a vote for continued French rule could ease tensions in this eastern tip of Africa, at least for a while. It is hard to believe that an independent French Somaliland would stay independent very long, for it is a little piece of hot desert land on the Red Sea with nothing productive but the busy port of Djibouti. Its two large neighbors, Ethiopia and the Somali Republic, claim it as their own and are ready to go to war over it...

Internal Trouble Weakening Empire Just as It Faces Crisis With Somali Republic - Guerrilla insurrections are growing more intense in Ethiopia, weakening the empire just as it faces a crisis that could lead to war with the Somali Republic. The internal trouble, in fact, may help avert war by making Ethiopia more cautious in its dealings with the Somali Republic. The crisis centers on Sunday's referendum in French Somaliland, a nub of coastal land between Ethiopia and the Somalia Republic. The tiny territory will decide whether it wants independence or continued French control. If the French withdraw, the territory of 82,000 people may find itself too weak economically to stay independent very long. But the Somali Republic, which claims the territory as its own, says it will never tolerate Ethiopian control. And Ethiopia, which depends heavily on the territory's port of Djibouti, says it will never tolerate Somali control...

Vote Could Bring War Between Somali, Ethiopia - The forces of Somali nationalism, Ethiopian economics and French imperialism are colliding here in the Horn of Africa. It could mean war. The catalyst may be a referendum next Sunday in tiny French Somaliland. The voters will decide whether they want independence or continued French control. French withdrawal would leave a vacuum, drawing in Ethiopia and the Somali Republic - two bitter and pugnacious neighbors. There are reports that troops of both countries have already moved toward the French Somaliland border. War could embarrass and involve both the United States and the Soviet Union. U.S. military aid props up the 40,000-man Ethiopian army, while Russian aid does the same for the Somali army of 8,500 to 10,000. In the Somali Republic, in fact, feelings against the United States are intense and strident, particularly in the north...

French Somaliland Could Become Theater of War if Citizens Vote for Independence - The prime minister of Somalia disclosed Monday that he has moved troops toward French Somaliland, countering what he called a huge massing of Ethiopian troops near there. Prime Minister Abdirazak Haji Hussein described his troops as "few - just a symbolic presence," but he also said Somalia will not hesitate to intervene if Ethiopian troops march into French Somaliland. The remarks of Abdirazak, made in an interview, raised the possibility of war in the eastern tip of Africa. However, most observers here believe the possibility is slim. Trouble is likeliest if French Somaliland votes itself independent of France in the plebiscite March 19, and even Abdirazak - who supports independence in French Somaliland - doubts that the French dependency will vote a clean break...

No other despot in the world has the romance and regality of His Imperial Majesty, Haile Selassie I, Conquering Lion of Judah, Elect of God, King of Kings and Emperor of Ethiopia. This bronzed, slight, 72-year-old man, with curled gray hair and crinkled brow, has survived a lifetime of struggle emerging as Emperor in an era of brutal court intrigue, defending his land against the mustard gas and bombers of the Fascists, trying to modernize his medieval empire without revolution. A legend has been fashioned that describes him as an absolute yet incorruptible monarch, ruling with benevolence, not fear alone. Leonard Mosley’s book adds weight - in many ways, convincing weight - to the legend. Mosley is a British newsman and novelist who has spent much time in the Middle East and East Africa. His tone is respectful, admiring but not fawning. Mosley long ago made a hero of the little man who appealed in vain to the conscience of the League of Nations. But this does not blind him to the blemishes in the portrait...