Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-11
Warnings of Two Countries
Delivered Orally to Secre-
tary Lansing.
ORDER IN EFFECT MARCH |.
VESSELS MAY DISARM
State Department Sees in New Stand
Victory for Position on Subma-
rine Warfare.

The United States has been
formally notified by Germany and
Ar.e-i. tae1. Hsr::1.s March 1.
commanders OF their submarines
will consider armed merchant
ships OF the entente allies to be
war>hips and will treat them ac-
cordingly. Under such instruc-
tions commanders would be at
liberty to sink without warning
any armed vessel. whether pas
senger or freight carrying.
The notifications were pre-
sented orally to Secretary Lam
sing by Count Won Bernstorff and
Baron Erich Swiedinek. charge OF
the .Austro-Hungarian embassy
here.
Notes from their governments
are to follow
Development of q. S. Memorandum.
The intention of the Teutonic allies
is considered in official and diplomatic
circles here to be development of the
memorandum proposing the disarming
of merchant ships which Secretary Lam
sing recently sent to the entente pow
ers.
High officials of the State Department
seemed disposed to consider the devel-
opmest broad enough to warrant the
claim that the fundamental questions
involved in the conduct Of submarine
warfare. have been settled in accord. .
ance with the contention of the United
States. That is based on the belief that
with Germany and Austria giving no.
tice that they will sink without warn
ing all armed ships. the two govern
ments cannot legally claim the rlsht
to sink unarmed vessels. That is the
principle for which the United States
has so vigorously contended since the
beginning of the negotiations over the
conduct of submarine warfare
In view of that situation American
viii take passage aboard armed mer-
chant ships at their own risk and ne
entitled to no more protection from
the United States than if they had en-
barked upon bellleereht Warsnlp.
Give Ships Time to Disarm.
1t was said in Teutonic diplomatic
circles that the effective date of the in
structions was postponed solely for the
reason that the central powers desired
to give enemy merchant ships an op-
portunity 20 disarm and so that the en-
tente allies might have the chance to
make their views conform to the sug-
gestions put forward by the United
States in it's memorandum.
This memorand declared it was de-
sirable that merchant ships should be
unarmed, and contained an intimation
of an intention to regard as warships
armed merchantmen which come into
American waters.
The United States acted on the as
sumption that no war vessels of the
central powers, except submarines.
were at sea. and that a single shell. of
even small caliber. fred from a gun
board a merchant ship might sink any
submarine which attempted to warn
her 1t was recognized that subma-
rines had a right to operate in accord
manders could not be expected to
endanger their vessels and crews in
dealing with armed ships.
Little Opposition Expected.
While officials of the State Depart
ment declined to discuss the notifica-
tions received, it was admitted in va
rious quarters that the question prob
ably would receive little opposition
from the State Department. 1t was
considered that the immediate effect
of the notification would be to cause
the department to announce more
quickly than had been deemed advis-
ruling. made before German cruisers
were driven from the seas. which per-
mitted merchant ships to carry arms
for defensive purposes.
The department is known to have
hoped to secure an agreement for all
merchant ships and then to secure a
pledge from the central powers to re-
frain absolutely from attacking such
unarmed ships without warning. These
undertakings it was believed. would
be crystalliZed into a new principle of
international law.
No Replies From Allies.
Secretary Lansing said that none of
the allies had replied to his note. Other
officials sugge-ted that the announced
intentions of the German and Austrian
governments would force the hands of
their enemies.
Confronted with the virtual threat of
the United States to classify armed
Merchant ships as war vessels, and
therefore not entitled to enter Ameri-
can waters more than once in every
siy months or to remain more then
hours, it was said at one
of the emba ssies here that il the United
States, in face of the desperate need
of ships to carry its products abroad,
could afford to exclude from its ports
owning them could afford to send in
signed to themselves. There seemed
rea son to believe that the view obtain
ed at that embassy fairly reflected at
This time the position of other allied
action virtually would amount to
contended that such a course would
be far-reaching and disturbing to
American trade in general. 1t was
ships which did enter American ports
would be met outside the three-mile
limit by warships and conveyed to
their destination, or that the ships
themselves might be armed sea-