Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1916-05-14
US. WILL ACCEPT
BERLIN PROMISES
Washington Government SatiS-
fled with Assurances.
AWAIT OFFICIAL VOID
Submarines Not to Sink Merchant
Ships Unwarned if U. S. Presses
Demand on Britain for "Freedom OF
Seas"

Seas"
It was stated authoritatiVely IN
Washington that ii the ohclal text
Df Germany's note on s,.bmar. W.T.
tare bears cut the unofficial copy
transmitted in press dispatches, the
| United States will accept the as u
nnces it contains and await a fdi--''
Lent of its pr.mises.
| The unofficial text Of the note, the
answer to President Wilson's demand
laat German submarines cease the
methods of warfare which .a'e e
suited in loss of dives or noE-cOm-
| batants. came through by wireless.
The principal assurance was tha- u
| boat commanders have been instruct
ed not to sink merchant shl.s IN
warned. This and other guarantees
have been extended, the note ~aya, 10
the war zone as we'll as the n.Sl
seas.
There was doubt at first as TO the
attitude of the government on these
promises because they appear to De
coupled with a demand mat " Isl
irgton press Great Britain on its de-
mand for freedom CT the seas" Inc
announcement made, however, WI q
indicate the note is satisfactory to
President Wilson.
The president and his cabinet went
over the note carefully at their meet
ing. but no word was given out thea
as to the light in which it was regard
ed.
Later, referring to the section OF the
note in which it is declared 'err~rs
cannot be avoided in warfare, MT
Lansing said that mistakes" in sub
marine warfare were not admissible.
He reiterated that the United S.a e.
was willing to discuss the conduct OF
, submarine warfare with Germany
after the latter had abandoned the
present practices.
Still later the secretary said 1t was
possible that the United States mignt
ask Germany for an official copy OF
the previous orders to submarine COM
manders, which never have been COM
municated to the state department SO
that they might be compared with the
new orders described in the note.
The private view of officials appar-
emily was that the new orders to SUBJ
marine commanders apparently met
the demands of the United States un-
less an Interpretation were placed en-
them to lead to attack on merchant
vessels armed for defensive purposes.
General opinion decided that the
crux of the communication lies in two
sections, both near the end. One, is
a quotation of instructions recently
issued by the German government to
its submarine commanders, wien
reads as follows:
"In accordance with the genoa.
principles of visit and search and
the destruction Of vessels, recognize
by international law, such vesse.s
both within and without the area, d
clared a naval war zone, shall not b
sunk without warning and without
saving human lives unless the sh P
attempt to- escape or offer resistance.
The second, which follows immedi
ately afterward, insists that the Unl''
ed States, to show its sincerity as tnt
champion of the rights of ne tails IN
warfare and the freedom CT the sea'
must now demand that Grea. Frl.2
forthwith observe the rules OF !nte
national law as universall@' rec@gni
ed before the war" Ending this Sc
ton of the reply, the nate rcai
Should the steps taken by the g
ernment of the Unitel st t2s mt
tain the object it desires, to have
laws of humanity followed by a. b:
ligerent nations, the &c mail Vr
ment would then be facing a new sta
alton in which it must reserve to l,
self complete liberty OF acti. n"
So far as the general tone Ct the
replv is concerned, officials coacede
it's seeming unfriendiiness, but it wa
pointed out that this was to be eN'
pected, as the German government
had to take into consideration the e,
feet any concessions might have upon
the German people, who consider the
submarine the nations chief weaEoa
for offensive operations on tie sea.
One feature of the note which
aroused more than passing interest
was the admission Of the German gov
ernment that on its face the evidence
submitted by the United States to
show that the French steamship Sus.
sex was torpedoed without Warning
seemed almost conclusive. The refu'
sal to accept this evi ,ence as final
was regarded as immaterial to the
general issue.
In the preamble to the communica'
ton, Germany fatty denied many Ci
the statements which the president
made in the note Of April is, CHIEF
among them that German submarine
commanders have not observed the
laws of warfare and of humanity.
1t charged this government with
discrimination against Germany and
for the allies in its negotiations with
the various belligerents over the rights
of neutrals in the war, and asserted
that the United States itself was large
ly to blame for the accidents" to its
citizens on merchant ships attacked
bv German underwater craft, because