South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-04-22
State and Justice Depart
mentS in Dilemma Over
How to Meet BernStorff'S
Demand For Documents.
INFORMATION PROVES AN
AID TO u. S. OFFICIALS
Many Heretofore unsupported
Persons Are Found to be
Implicated in COnSpiraCieS
Against N Neutrality.
InternatIonaI - -.

international News Service
/ WASHINGTON. April 22-While
the administration waited anxiously
today for some word as 20 the Ger
man attitude toward its submarine.
warfare ultimatum. the state depart
ment and department of Justice
wrestled with the knotty problem or
what 10 90 i'm the Won lgel case. All
OF the documents seized n the for-
mer offices of capt Franz Won
Fapen IN New York are now in this
city. Pres't Wilson has asked Sec'y
Lansing 10 pass upon the renewed
demand of Am bassador Won Bern
storff thai they be turned back to
him intact as embassy documents.
Meanwhile Atty Gen. Gregory holds
the papers. having called upon L. S.
Dist. Atty Marshall OF New York
70 turn them over to him.
1t is frankly stated in official
circles that the government is en-
. barrassed az this particular moment
I'M deciding what to do in this case.
( There is no desire 10 complicate the
I German situation by injecting a new
and troublesome element into &C.. But
there is almost an absolute parallel
/ between the status OF Ambassador
Won Bernstorn i'm the present in
stance and that which was presented
! when Austrian embassy documents
/ came into possession of the United
States government through the
I British government
Similar to Dumba Case.
Tn the latter case the immediate
demand was made that Am bassador
/ Dumba be recalled and this was
done. Certain OF the papers now in
/ possession Of the United States i'm
I dictate that Ambassador Won Bern
storff must have known OF certain
/ operations carried on Boy embassy at
F taches which were i'm direct violation
Of the neutrality of the United States
4 and along the lines responsible for
I ambassador Dumbas being sent
home.
/ The plans OF the government 20
handle the new situation still are
indefinite. Up 20 the present there
has been a difference OF opinion be-
tween the secretary of state and the
attorney general over the demand
OF the German ambassador that an
Of the documents seized Boz turned
back 10 the embassy as official doc
Uments and thus not subject To-
seizure. Sec'y Lansing ordered that
the papers be turned back. The
department OF justice asked whether
this applied TO all papers. The state
department said no. only 10 Official
papers Then the department OF
justice asked the state department
O. have the German em bdssy indi-
cate which actually We're the official
papers Seeing the open trap the
embassy declined 90 inspect any OF
tho documents taking the broad
ground that an were the property
OF the embassy The president.
Secy Lansing and Atty Gen Greg
DRY now must determine what the
next step viii be.
Aids secret Service Men.
In this connection. the seizure OF
these papers has been of great ben
eft 20 the secret service and depart
ment Of justice investigators who
have been keeping n touch with the
various plots against the United
States neutrality Names of fndf-
viduals heretofore not fn amy vav
under srsnicio, have boon brorpb-
10 the surface and 10 vrfu ae nos
sible from nov on 30 watch them
CLOSELY. Even though. as matter
Of convenience II should be- found
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