New Britain herald., 1916-08-11
LUSITANIA CASE
 IS NOT SETTLED
Error Of Clerk Gives False In.
 preSSi0D to German Embassy

the recent request to the German Elm l
 bassy for permission to publish one l of Count von Bernstorff's notes on the settlement of the Lusitania case was an inadvertence. At first it was denied that any such request had
 been made, but an investigation of the departments files disclosed that letter prepared by a subordinate of f1cial had been signed either by Sec
 retary Lansing or Acting Secretary Polk and had been transmitted to the German Embassy. State Departm offic<ls fdeclared that too much importance had been
 attached to the request in German official quarters and that it was not,
 as interpreted, an indication that Ger many's proposals were to be accepted as satisfactory.
 When Acting Secretary Polk was told on Wednesday of the impressions gained in German official quarters of the meaning of the request he said he could not talk about the Lusitania Now both Secretary Lansing and MT. Polk declare the request was in no wise an indication that the United States was about to accept Germanys long pending representations as satis- factory; that the status of the entire negotiations still was informal, and that none of the correspondence was of a nature for publication at this time. The case is regardtl as still unsettled because of developments in submarine warfare and the attitude of the European belligerents on the subject of armed merchantmen which arose last February at the moment the Lusitania negotiations appeared point 3 S9tjSf9 conclusion.
 State Department officials broke their silence on the subject and as- serted that what really happened was this:
 A subordinate official who assem- bles the diplomatic correspondence periodically compiled and published as a white book, wrote the German Embassy a letter, which MT. Polk ad- mitted was signed either by himself or by Secretary Lansing, for pernis- sion to publish one of the Lusitania notes submitted by the German am- bassador on Dec 4. The Embassy re- piled, giving it's assent, dated Feb. 16 be published at the same time. This suggestion was not answered.
 On the other hand, the suggestion
 that any of the correspondence be
 published was dropped at once on
 the decision of higher officials that
 the circumstances which intervened to
 prevent conclusion of the negotia-
 tions had not been altered, and that
 the situation still was in a condition
 which did not warrant publication of
 any of the correspondence. The
 Embassy was not informed of the
 changed plan. Word was sent to Ber-
 lin that the note would be made pub-
 lie here.
 Thought Proposals Accepted
 When information was received here of the request to the Embassy and it's reply German Embassy off, cials were questioned and they led inquiries to believe they considered the proceeding as indication of the impending acceptance of the latest German proposals. In fact, it was stated that the diplomatic relations between the United States and Ger many never had been so satisfactory. from their point of view, since first imperilled by submarine warfare.
 This was supplemented further by characterizing as absolutely unwar- ranted recent intimations from Ber- lin that underseas warfare was about to be resumed on it's former scale There was the added impression that the United States had been convinced by the abandonment of the submarine campaign since the sinking of the Channel liner Sussex, of the sincerity of Germany's declaration of accent ance of the principles laid down. Up- on that showing they believed the state department was about to pub fish the Lus1tania correspondence with an implication, at least, of it's accepta bi1ity.
 This view of the situation was laid 1 before Acting Secretary Polk on We'd 1 nesday as having been gained in | German official circles MT, Folks re- | ply was a refusal even to discuss the l Lusitania case.
 As a sequel to the publication of | a statement of the situation as 1t had | been gained from German sources l and laid before the state department | for comment the explanation was | made as stated in the foregoing.
 The United States government, it 1 therefore appears, does not consider i the matter settled in any sense any 1 more than it was last February when | the declaration of new policy to- ward merchant ships came up to halt | the negotiations after officials had 1 admitted informally that Count von | BernstOrff'S note met the demands of | the American government and offer | ed a satisfactory basis for negotiat- a settlement the T,11Sitania