The Tomahawk., 1916-05-11
REPUDlATEs PRESIDENTS ASSER-
TON THAT SUSSEX WAS SUNK
AS INSTANCE OF DELIBERATE
METHOD OF WARFARE.
BREAk WITH GERMANY is
BELIEVED INEVITABLE
Diplomatic Rupture Predicted In High
Official Circes-BerIin Government
Calls Attention to Britain's Acts
-ConditionalIy Guarantees Safe
ty to All Merchant Shipping

washington. May O-AS Vel Hidlly .
reply to President Wilson's latest
| not on submarine warfare was receiv-
| ed in sections at the state department,
| there was an unmistakable feeling in
! high official circles that break with
Germany was inevitable.
The German government expresses
| implicit confidence in the good faith
OF it's naval officers and submarine
commanders in carrying out submarine
Instructions. 1t admits the possibili-
| ties of errors, but declares that errors
are unavoidable in sea warfare as
| well as on land.
Text Of German Note.
Berlin, (By Wireless via SayVille,
N. " May 6.-Following is the text
of the note of the German government
in reply to the American note respec-
ting submarine warfare, delivered by
Gottlieb Won Jagow, the foreign secret
airy, to Ambassador Gerard:
The undersigned, on behalf OF the
Imperial German government has the
honor to present to his eXcellency the
Ambassador of the United States, Mr..
James w. Gerard the following reply
to the note Of April 20 regarding the
conduct of the German submarine war
fare:
Identical With Sussex.
"The German government handed
over to the proper naval authorities
FOR early investigation the evidence
concerning the Sussex as communicate
ed by the government of the United
States. Judging by the results that
the Investigation has hitherto yielded,
the German government is alive to the
possibility that the ship mentioned
in the note of April 10 as having been
torpedoed by a German submarine is
actually identical with the Sussex.
1.-The German government begs to
reserve further communication on the
matter until certain points are ascer-
tanned, which are of decisive impor-
lance for establishing the facts of the
case.
SHOULD it turn out that the COM
mander was wrong in assuming the
vessel to be a man-ofwar, the German
government will not fail to draw the
consequence resulting therefrom.
Regulates U. S. Assertion.
In connection with the case of the
Sussex, the government of the United
States made series of statements, the
gist of which is the assertion that the
incident is to be considered but one
instance of deliberate method of in
discriminate destruction of vessels OF
all sorts nationalities and destinations
by German submarine commanders.
"The German government must en-
phatically repudiate the assertion. The
German government, however, thinks
it of little avail to enter into details
in present stage Of affairs, more par
ticularly as the government of the
United States omitted to Substantiate
the assertion by reference to concrete
facts.
Has Imposed Restraint.
The German government will only
state that it has imposed far-reaching
restraints upon the use of the sub
marine weapon. solely in consideration
of neutrals' interests, in spite of the
fact that these restrictions are neces-
sarily of advantage to Germany's .ene-
mics. No such consideration has ever
been shown neutrals by Great Britain
and her allies"
The German submarine forces have
had. in fact, orders to conduct the sub.
marine warfare in accordance with the
general principles of visit and search
and the destruction of merchant YES
sells recognized by international law,
the sole exception being the conduct
of warfare against enemy trade car
ried on enemy freight ships encoun-
tered in the war zone surrounding
Great Britain.
Has Given No Assurances.
With regard to these, no assurances
have ever been given to the govern
ment of the United States. No such
assurances are contained in the declar-
alton of February s, 1916.
The German government cannOt
admit any doubt that these orders