Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-12-16
VIENNA REPLY NOT
ACCEPTABLET0
Diplomatic Relations Between
Two Governments at
Breaking Point.
WASHINGT0N'S NEXT MOVE
WAITS ON OFFICIAL TEXT

Austrias reply to Secretary
Lansing's lfote on the Ancona is
regarded, on the basis of the un-
official reports received today
from London and Amsterdam. as
wholly unsatisfactory, unaccepta-
BILE and disappointing to the
United States.
Diplomatic relations between
the two countries may safely be
described as standing at the
breaking point.
Official Comment Reserved,
President Wilson and Secretary Lam
sing are reserving comment until they
have the official translation and text
at hand, but it is stated authoritative
that the United States will enter into
foreign office is represented as sus-
gesting, and absolutely will decline to
discuss the facts of the torpedoing and
shelling of the Ancona by an Austrian
| submarine. with loss of American lives.
No official word had reached the State
Department today that the Austrian
reply had been delivered to America n
Ambassador Penf1eld, but the news dis
patches containing excerpts were taken
in official quarters as sufficient evidence
that the rejoinder is on it's way to
Washington
Reply Deemed Vague.
From such part of the unofficial text
as is contained in the news dispatches,
| officials considered the reply vague in
| many respects. but they were not pre-
pared to. decide whether that was
caused by the translation.
The suggestion for an exchange Of
opinions. the virtual request for a bill
of particulars Of the American COM
plant against the action of the sub
for discussion of the facts were
clearly set forth, however, in the un-
official text, and officials of the State
Department. who have knowledge of its
policy in the crisis. unhesitatngly de-
clared that all would be refused. 1t
was made clear that the United States
does not propose to enter into a diplo-
! matte discussion which would have
possibilities of being prolonged almost
indefinitely.
officials Are Disappointed.
The outline of the reply was disap-
| pointing. because some American Of
| fcials have been led to believe by pre-
dictions from Germanic quarters that
! it would be favorable. or at least
would propose something which the
United States could accept.
As Secretary Lansing based the rep
resentations in his note upon the off,
| c,al statement of the Austrian admiral
| ty itself, American officials are at a
| loss to understand where there is much
room for discussion or dispute of facts
News from Vienna recently that the
| submarine which sunk the Ancona was
missing led some officials to believe
that new element had been intro
duced into the dispute, which has
promise of carrying some weight That
point, however, seems to have been dis
regarded in Austrias answer, so far as
text received here.
| No Room for Discussion.
| American officials believed that tax.
! ing as a basis the official admission OF
the Austrian admiralty that the An
coma was shelled. torpedoed and sunk
while passengers still were aboard
there would be little room for discus
sion of Secretary Lansing's contention
| that the commander violated the. prin-
ciples of international law and hu-
slaughter of defenseless non-com
batants."
| ohicials pointed out today that a
(Continued on Second PaRe)