DUM-DUM ORDER

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 197, 18 May 1936, Page 9

DUM-DUM ORDER

Abyssinian Minister Allegedly Tricked REVELATION’S SEQUEL Italy Withdraws Document Sent to League By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. (Received May 17, G. 30 p.m.) London, May 16. According to the “Daily Herald,” Signor Suvich. Italian Foreign Undersecretary, lias telegraphed to Geneva withdrawing an 80-pago illustrated document containing Italian allegations of the British sale of dum-dum bullets to Abyssinia as a sequel to a revelation that Colonel Gustav Mezler, writing from a London address and posing as a sympathiser, tricked the Abyssinian Minister, Dr. Ajaz Martin, into signing an authorisation to obtain various weapons and ammunition. ineluding 3,000.000 "softnosed bullets.” Dr. Martin admitted signing tbe document, saying he did not know that soft-nosed bullets were dum-dums. He had heard no more from Colonel Mezler and the bullets were not delivered. Dr. Martin’s authorisation was reprinted in the allegations, accompanied by a photograph of a bullet Colonel Mezler obtained from a Birmingham retailer on the pretext that he wanted a sample of bullets for shooting leopards. The “News Chronicle” describes Colonel Mezler as an Italian agent provacateur. Tbe “Daily Telegraph” says that Britain will probably publish an exposure of the Italian document, which has already reached League delegations.