The Washington herald., 1916-11-13
SUBMARINE PROTESTS
SECUTED BY DIPLOMAT
Believes Naval Information VIII Inau-
ence Political Heads.
BY JOHN L. BALDERSToN.
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure NewspapsT
9vndtratel

London, Oct Emo emective protests |
against the operations of German sub
marines just outside American territorial
waters can be expected from the Amer |
lean State Department, whether under
Wilson or Hughes. not because Of Ger
man influence but because of the repre- |
sentations made to the political heads
Of the United States government byl
their naval experts.
No interference by the British with |
American mails. no matter how greatly
It may contravene international law. will
lead either Democratic or Republican
administration to back Up its complaints
and demands by any form of reprisal. |
not because Of British influence, but be- |
cause of the representations made to
the political heads of the United States
government by their military experts.
These statements were made to me by
a diplomatic parsonage whose sources of
information are excellent, and I am in
clined to think that they express the
views Of the British foreign Office. The
American stan officers whose duty II
ts to look ahead and plan possible future
wars do not propose to permit their
political superiors to commit the United
States, now a neutral, to a course of
action which would hopelessly cripple
her operations II she ever became al
belligerent against a great power. Their
view is that It is better for America to
put up with affronts and indignities
which do her no real harm, rather than
use her present position Of commanding
influence to force either set Of European
fighters to agree to principles of war
fare which the United States could not
herself hold to in a great war without
serious and perhaps fatal risks. That
is the gist of the diplomats comment.
based he said. upon Information from
Washington.
Boat Power to Diminish.
The view of your naval experts as
understand It," this man said, holds |
strongly that the United States must |
not agree to any diminution of the rights |
of the submarine to be treated by neu- |
trails as an ordinary airship; at least not |
until tho success is demonstrated OF the |
measures taken for detecting the throb- |
hing of a motor under the sea at a dis |
tance of some miles and ascertaining its |
distance from the recording instruments, |
which, If perfected. will doom the SUBJ |
marine as an important weapon. The |
reason America was bound to reject the |
united note of the allies demanding that |
belligerent submarines be refused entry |
to neutral harbors is that in a war with |
a European power your submarines might |
be compelled to act on the coasts of your |
enemy, or at least in European waters. |
But It is most unlikely that such war |
fare can be effectively carried on unless |
the submarines can enter neutral ports, |
and at least once replenish their fuel |
supply sufficiently to return home across |
the Atlantic. Hence, II you adopted the |
allies view and refused submarines your |
hospitality, as Norway has done, your |
naval experts fear that in certain circum-
stances, your striking power would be |
restricted. And in the case Of the U-53. |
which annoyed Americans by operating |
just off the coast. the same considera- |
tions were urged by the experts. II you |
make Germany promise not to torpedo |
liz waters far outside your territorial |
limits, with what face could you send |
submarines over here to attack transports |
or warships IL you were at war? Any |
torpedo fired by an American submarine
on this side of the world, unless In enemy !
waters, would give some neutral state the |
opportunity to protest that operations
within 100 miles so of its coast are un-
friendly, and to cite the U-53 as an un-
answerable precedent.
German Claim Denied.
Furthermore. your Navy Department
rightly insists that no consideration must
be given the German claim that neutrals
have no right to furnish munitions or,
generally, 70 assist belligerents. For this
principle, once admitted, would make II
impossible for the great American fleet Of
the future to operate outside American
waters, unless American mercantile ma
rine of immense size grows up after the
war. Where would you get your colliers,
your supply ships, except from neutral
countries? And how could neutrals let
you have them. II you had in this war
laid down the principle that neutrals
should not help combatants, as Germany
asks you to do?
Department chiefs have urged on the
government regarding the censorship, II
understand, Il, this: In a war with 4 |
great power, they say, It would be 'leces-
sary for the United States to fnaugurate
the strictest sort of a mail censorship
The polyglot character of the American
population insures that great numbers Of
alien enemies would be at large. no mat
ter with whom the war might be; too
many of them to intern, probably, so
your case should be more difficult even
than that of Britain. The opportunities
to convey military and naval information
to the enemy from your country would
be immense unless strict censorship
were imposed upon all outgoing and in
coming foreign malls, and this you would
Immediately do; the experience Of all the |
belligerents in this has shown such a
course to be necessary. But in SO doing
you would cause the same vexations ard
grievances in neutral countries that havc
resulted from the British censorship; and
you will be careful. II your military ad-
visers have their way, how you do any
thing now while you are a neutral, that
will bind you to the fmpracticably strict
rules Of international law concerning the |
inviolability of frst-class neutral mail
Eags."
Military Necessity.
My informant here discussed possible
instances which might arise In wars be-
tween the United States and certain |
powers when military necessity wodlu
force America to break the rules upon
whose sancitity she now verbally in
sists. and he added, so you will do
nothing; even II Roosevelt were Presi-
dent he would have to bow to this mill
tary and naval opinion I have mentioned,
Perhaps the same considerations to some
extent apply to the British Black List.
though this question is more complicated, |
and my knowledge is not suficient to
enable me to discuss It. But speaking
quite personally think IL the United
States were at war with any one of
several European powers II might he |