The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-03-09
TEXT OF BRIL- s
HlETvIORAND(D.nAS
TO u-BOATP POLICY

| Washington, March 8-The COM
p1ete text of the memorandum pre-
scented to the State Department today
I by Count Won Bernstorm follows:
''The Imperial German government,
on account of the friendly relations
which have always existed between
the two great nations and earnestly
desiring to continue them wishes to
explain the U-boat question once more
to the American government.
cat the outbreak of the war the
German government, acting upon the
suggestion Of the United States, i'm
mediately expressed it's readiness to
ratify the declaration Of London. At
that time a German prize order had
already been issued entirely without
modification, based upon rules of the
declaration of London. Germany then
proved her willingness to recognize
fully the existing rules of international
law which ensure the freedom of the
seas for the legitimate trade Of neu-
rra1 nations not only among themselves
but also with bel1igerent countries.
E'Great Britain, on the other hand,
declined to ratify the declaration of
London, and after the outbreak of the
war began to restrict the legitimate
trade of the neutrals in order to hit
Germany.
''The contraband provisions were
systematically extended on August 9Th,
10th, Sept. 21st and Oct. 29th, 1914.
On November Bird, 1914, the order of
the British admiralty followed, declar-
ing the whole North sea a war zone
in which commercial shipping would
be exposed to the most serious dan
gers from mines and men-of-war.
Protests from neutrals were Of no
avail, and from that time on, neutral
commerce with Germany was practi-
cally destroyed. Under these cir
cumstances. Germany was compelled
to resort, in February, 1915, to repri-
sails in order to fight her opponents
measures, which were absolutely con-
trary to international law. She chose
for this purpose a new weapon the
use of which had not been recognized
by International law and in doing SO
could not and did not violate any ex-
listing rules, but only took into &C
count the popularity of this new wea-
pom, the submarine boat.
1.-THE use Of the submarine natural
ly necessitated g. restriction of the
free movement of neutra1s and con-
stituted a danger for them which
Germany intended to ward off by a
special warning analogous to the warn
ing England had given regarding the
North Sea.
LAS both :beIligerents-Ge in
her note of Feb. II and Great Britain
in those of Feb. 18 and 20, 1915
claimed that their proceedings was
only in retaliation for the violation of
international law by their opponent,
the American government approach
ed both parties for the purpose of
trying to re-establish international
law as it had been in force before the
war.
germany was asked to adopt the
use of her new weapon to the rules
which had been existing for the
former naval weapons and England
not to interfere with the food supplies
intended for the non-combatant Ger
man population and to admit their
distribution under American supervis-
sion. Germany on March L, 1915, de-
c1ared her willingness to comply with
the proposal of the American govern
ment, whilst England on the other
hand, declined to do SO. BY the order
in council, March II, 1915, Great
Britain abolished even what had re-
manned of the freedom of neutral