The Washington times., 1915-06-11
THE SECRETARY OF STATE AID INTERIM
TO THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR
AT BERLIN.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
Washington, June 9, 1918.


You are instructed to deliver textualy the follow
ing note to the Minister of Foreign Affairs:
In compliance with Your Excellencys request did
not fail to transmit to my Government Immediately
upon their receipt your note Of May 2S in reply to
my note Of May l5, and your supplementary note OF
June setting forth the conclusions far as reached
by the Imperial German Government concerning the
light. l am now instructed by my Government to
communicate the following in reply
The Government Of the United States notes with
qualification the full recognition by the Imperial Ger
man Government in discussing the cases Of the
Gushing and the Gulflight, Of the principle of the
freedom Of all parts Of the open to neutral ships
and the frank willingness Of the Imperial German
Government to acknowledge and meet its liability
where the fact Of attack upon neutral ships (which
have not been guilty Of any hostile act by German
aircraft or vessels of war satisfactorily established
and the Government OF the United States will in due
course lay before the Imperial German Government,
as it requests full information concerning the attack
on the steamer Cushing
U. s. Government Surprised
With regard to the sinking of the steamer Falaba,
10y which an American citizen lost his life, the Govern
ment of the United States is surprised to find the
Imperial German Government contending that an
effort on the part of merchantmen to escape capture
and secure assistance alters the obligation Of the
officer seeking make the capture in respect OF the
safety of the lives of those on board the merchant
man, although the vessel had ceased her attempt to
escape when torpedoed. These are not new circum-
Stances They have been in the minds Of statesmen
ard of international uriss throughout the develop
ment of naval warfare, and the Government Of the
United States does not understand that they have
ever been held to alter the principles OF humanity
upon which it has insisted. Nothing but actual
forcibe resistance or continued efforts to escape by
flight when ordered to stop for the purpose Of visit
on the part of the merchantmen has ever been held
to forfeit the lives OF her passengers or crew. The
Government of the United States however, does not
understand that the Imperial German Government is
seeking in this case to relieve itself of liability but
only intends set forth the circumstances which led
the commander of the submarine to allow himself to
be hurried into the course which he took.
Regarding Lusitania's Guns
Your Excellencys note in discussing the loss of
American lives resulting from the sinking of the
steamship Lustana adverts at some length to certain
information which the Imperial German Government
has received with regard to the character and outfit
of that vessel and Your Excellency expresses the fear
that this information may not have been brought to
the attention of the Government of the United States.
II s stated in the note that the Lustania was undoubt
edly equipped with masked guns, supplied with
trained gunners and special ammunition, transporting
troops from Canada, carrying cargo not permitted
under the laws of the United States to vessel also
carrying passengers, and serving, in virtual effect,
as an auxiliary to the naval forces of Great Britain.
Fortunately these are matters concerning which the
Government Of the United States is in position to
give the Imperial German Government official infor-
nation Of the facts alleged in Your Excellency's
note, if true the Government Of the United States
would have been bound to take official cognizance
in performing its recognized duty as neutral power
and in enforcing its national laws 1t was its duty to
see to it that the Lusitania not armed for often
sive action, that she was not serving as transport
that she did not carry a cargo prohibited by the
statutes of the United States and that If in fact she
was naval vessel of Great Britain, she should not
receive clearance as merchantman; and 1t per-
formed that duty and enforced its statutes with
scrupulous vigilance through its regularly constituted
officials 1t is able, therefore, to the Imperial
r German Government that it has been misnformed
: If the Imperial German Government should deem
itself to be in possession of convincing evidence thai