The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-18
Constitutes Correspondence of Last Few Weeks With
 Powers in Europe
GERMANY AGREES
 TO STOP SUBMARINE ATTACKS EXCEPT
U. S. Asked England and France Whether Embargo on Commerce Be- tween Germany and Neutrals
 Was to Be Carried Out

Washington. March 17.--Six dip1o- matic notes were made public tonight by the state department, constitnssng the entire correspondence of the last few weeks between the United states and Great Britain and France, relative to the cessation of submarine attacks on merchant ships, the shipment of conditional contraband and foodstuffs to civilians, the use of neutral flags by bclligcrcnt merchantmen, the re- moyaI of mines and the proclamation of virtual blockade by the allies against Germany.
 The communications revealed that the United States, realizing the difficulties of the allies maintaining an effective blockade of Germany by a close guard of the coast on account of the newly de- veloped activity of submarines asked that
 "a radius of activity be defined Great Britain and France replied with the an- nouncement that operations of blockade would not be conducted outside of Euro pean waters, including the Mediter- ranean."
 While Germany agreed, 1t is disclosed, to abandon her submarine attacks on
 mercantile of any flag" except when they resist visit or search, provided food stuffs were permitted to reach her civil ian population, Great Britain and her allies rejected the proposal originally made by the United States in an effort to firing tue beligerents into an arrange nent which would safeguard the inter. esfs of neutrals.
 Question as to Embargo
 Fur;teI more, the documents show that the United States asked Great Britain and France whether the embargo on all COT nercc between Germany and neutral countries was to be carried out under the rules of a blockade or by interference with ships and cargoes, "as if no blockade existed" the two together presenting in the view of the American government "a proposed course of action previously un- known to international law" The an- swers from Great Britain and France re- veal for the first time tie allies officially regard their policy as a blockade" but desire to refrain from exercising the rights of belligerents under a blockade to confiscate ships and cargoes as a pen alty for breach of blockade, substituting procedure in prize courts and compensa- ton through sale of the detained mer- chandise
 The definition of "a radius of activity for the allied fleet in European waters, including the Mediterranean is the first intimation of the geographical limits of the blockade. Its limits were not given more exactly, the allies claim because Germany was equally indefinite in pro- claiming all the waters surrounding Great Britain and Ireland a war zone.'
 The restriction of the area of opera tions of the blockade to European waters. followed this observation by the United St'.tes to both Great Britain and France: While this government is fully alive to tile possibility that the methods of mod ern naval warfare, particularly in the use of the submarine for both defensive and offensive operations, may make the former means of maintaining a blockade a physical impossibility, it feels that 1t can be urged with great force that there should be also some limit to the ra dius of activity and especially so If tlis action by the belligerents can be construed to be blockade. It would cer- tainly create a serious state of affairs if, fer, example, all American vessel laden with a cargo of German origin should escape the British patra in European waters only to be held up by a cruiser off New York and taken into Halifax"
 The publication of the correspond ence cleans the slate of diplomatic notes and leaves the United States confronted with the question of wheth- CT or not it will Acquiesee in the form of blockade announced by the allies or offer protest. President Wilson has in- dicated that a strong protest will ba made.
 The notes record the failure of the United States to bring the, belligerents into an agreement on the use of sub marines and mines, the fixing of q definite rule governing shipments Of conditional contraband to the civilian population of a belligerent and the fContinued on Page Tenl