John Hathaway Spencer became an adviser to the Ethiopian government in 1936, when it was under attack by Mussolini’s forces. He was himself present at the fall of Addis Ababa. Later he served Haile Sellassie’s government as Principal Adviser to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs between 1943 and 1974. His years of close involvement with Ethiopia have placed him in a unique position to interpret the significance of past and present developments in that ancient and fascinating country.

A graduate of Harvard Law School, he took a State Doctorate in Law in Paris. He served with the Department of State, and was Professor of International Law and Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Dr. Spencer died on August 25, 2005 in New York State.