The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-08-27
Germany's Preliminary Explanation Has Been
Received by the State Department, Show
ing Desire to be Friendly.
THE PACIFIC ATTITUDE CAUSES RELIEF
do Not Want War and That Germany,
Also, Does Not Desire it.

Ncumstances. This question was not
yet answered. The only obvious ex.
PLANTATION was that the submarine
commanders exceeded their instruc.
tions. Further light on the subject, 1t
WAS expected, would be thrown by
fuller communications from Berlin.
After formally notifying Secretary
Lansing that the United States would
be granted full satisfaction" for the
loss Of American lives and the jeopar-
dizing Of others on the Arabic, should
it prove that German u boat com.
mander did exceed instructions" In
that case, Ambassador Bernstorf re.
marked today that an offer Of full
satisfaction" was considerably farther
than Germany had gone In her conver
satfons hitherto.
The ambassador plainly considered
all danger OF German-American fric.
tion over and was In an extremely
cheerful mood.
There were reports that he had
handed the department a written
memorandum from the Berlin foreign
office guaranteeing Americans and
other neutrals against danger from
unwarned attacks on merchant ships.
This was doubted. since It seemed
unlikely that he could have received
note In writing yet, but that the
assurance had been given there seem
ed no question.
Proper reparation so far as Ameri-
cans are concerned, for the Lusitania
case. was also understood to have
been promised.
Bernstorff's stock at the state de-
partment had risen greatly. It was
believed he had brought his foreign
offlce completely to his way Of think
ing in reference to German-American
relations. He was said practically to
have dictated the first conciliatory
message the Berlin government In
structed him to submit to Secretary
Lansing.
! The dispatch which Correspondent
Ackerman of the United Press an
nounced Thursday Ambassador Ger
ard was sending from Berlin. and
which the state department did ac-
tua1ly receive later in the day, was
understood to contain an assurance
that German Chancellor Bethmann-
Hollweg's utterances to Gerard fully
bore out those made by Bernstorff to
Lansing.
Incidentally news cables said the
German press was generally deprecat-
ing break with the United States,
an attitude thought here to be largely
due to the influence Of the kaiser's
government.
I. Called on Lansing.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27.-German
Ambassador Bernstorff called at the
state department at 1905 q. m. to-
day. He would not discuss the ma.
ture of his business or say whether
he had received further instructions
from Berlin.
The ambassador left after short
talk with Lansing and returned I'M
mediately to the embassy.
The state department made no
statement. The ambassador expect
ed to receive correspondents later in
the day.
German Ambassador Bernstorff's
sole mission, when he called on Sec
retary Lansing today, it was learned,
at the embassy, was formally to pre-
sent the German governments as.
surances that II the submarine com
nender who torpedoed the Arabic
assuming this to have happened-ex-
ceeded his instructions, full satisfac-
tion" would be accorded to the Unit
ed States.
II was stated that the situation
would keep the ambassador in Wash
inpton at least today and tomorrow.
News ls Coming In.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27.-Conslder-
able confidential information from
Ambassador Gerard. Berlin, was reach-
ing the state department To-Day sec
retary Lansing admitted.
Though he would say nothing con-
.-nino its nature. nor give out the
oentents Of the message received from
the the ambassador Thursday. it was un,
derstood @ they were in the form OF
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