"I can't say what they signed or what was decided here, but everybody was smiling when they signed. You'll probably know about it within the next 90 days," an assistant to Selassie told the Herald. "Keep your eyes on Moa Anbessa ("Unconquered Lion") - the Ethiopian monarchist party. Some are saying 'the Lion may return.'"
More than 3 million Ethiopians are living in exile all over the world," Gen. Peacock said.
"Most of them would return to support His Imperial Highness Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie," he said. "Right now the biggest business in Ethiopia is Western Union. These people in exile wire money back to their families. The people in Ethiopia - like the country - are broke. It's the exiled money keeping them afloat."
Part of Sapphire's secret meeting dealt with raising funds for the terrible conditions in Ethiopia.
"His Imperial Highness - some call him Prince Ermias - has continued to support the Ethiopian people, and he said he will continue to help in any way he can - whether it's in exile or in office," Peacock said. "He has a real sense of obligation to his people."
The Herald did learn that a proper burial for Prince Ermias' grandfather, Haile-Selassie, who was killed by Dergs assassins in 1975, is planned for November.
"Haile-Selassie was a beloved leader of the people from 1930 to 1974, and it's only fitting that he be given a proper burial," Peacock said. Haile-Selassie's body was recovered from an old military base where he had been buried under the floor.
So beloved is Haile-Selassie that Rastafarians, the sect named after Ras Tafari - his given name, still call him "the everlasting God."
Haile-Selassie, which means "power of the trinity," is the line of a dynasty descended from King Solomon of ancient Israel and the Queen of Sheba. His grandson, Prince Ermias, is the 227th generation of that direct line.
"There is a great sentiment for the return of that dynasty," Peacock said. "People in the know seem to think that will happen."
Africa's oldest royal dynasty remains a tangible point of reference for Africans and their descendants everywhere, and has the political support of Moa Anbessa, the Ethiopian monarchist organization.
When his grandfather was killed, 14-year-old Prince Ermias was attending school in England. He has never returned to Ethiopia, living currently in exile in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Gelila Fesseha, and twin sons, Christian and Raphael, born in 1992.
Prince Ermias, born in 1960, was just 3 when his father died of natural cases. As the designated chairman of the Crown Council, Prince Ermias has met heads of state and diplomats around the world. He is an outspoken advocate of the preservation and defense of human rights in Ethiopia and throughout Africa.
In recognition of these efforts, Prince Ermias was honored with the 1997 Silver Star Award of the International Strategic Studies Association for "Outstanding Contributions to Strategic Progress for Services to Humanity." (A fellow recipient that year was Gen. Alexander Haig.)
Prince Ermias told those at the weekend meeting that his primary focus is the unity and sovereignty of his nation, a nation where the Ark of the Covenant is believed to have found its resting place. He also said he believes in the preservation of religious and cultural institutions and the economic revitalization of Ethiopia.
One of his staff assistants described Prince Ermias as "deeply caring. He wants to do something measurable for his people. All countries pray for a caring leader, and I think that his caring and stability is needed now in Ethiopia.
"Most people in America think of people starving when they think of Ethiopia, but actually Ethiopia is a rich agricultural country growing coffee, tea, sugar cane and oilseeds. It's just hard to harvest when you are in the middle of a war," he said.
Located in the heart of the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia is currently in a 2-year border war with Eritrea, which flared up again in May.
"(Prince Ermias) educates Ethiopians who wouldn't otherwise go to school - sending many of them to LaRoche University in Pennsylvania," said an aide who administers Prince Ermias' scholarship programs.
Prince Ermias' own degrees are in business and international relations.
"His wife, Gelila Fesseha, is a very educated and intelligent woman and has told me she would like to see Ethiopia have a constitution like we do in the United States," Peacock said.
The high degree of security this weekend was because three attempts have already been made on the 40-year-old prince's life. The secret site of Camp Jack was selected by Peacock, who owns a second home in the area. The site, Mica's Restaurant in Sapphire, was dubbed "Camp Jack" after its owner, Jack O'Connell. For his key role and support of Ethiopians, Prince Ermias presented O'Connell the Imperial Order of the Star of Honor of the Ethiopian Empire.
Jackson County Commissioner Franz Whitmire was on-hand to welcome Prince Ermias to southern Jackson County.
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Herald photo by Rose Hooper