Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-08-12
Officials, However, Say. Re
quest to Publish Note
an Inadvertence.
NOT so IMP P0RTANT
German Officers Indicate
They Believe U. S. viii
Accept Proposal.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11.-State de-
partment officials today explained
that the recent request to the Ger
man embassy for permission to pub
lish one of Count Won BernstorffS
notes on the settlement of the Lusi-
tania case was an inadvertence.
At first it was denied that any such
request had been made, but an in
vestigation of the departments files
disclosed that a letter prepared by
subordinate official had been signed
either by Secretary Lansing or Act
ing Secretary Polk and had been trans
mitted to the German embassy.
State department officials declared
that too much importance had been
attached to the request in German Of
ficial quarters and that it was not,
as interpreted, an indication that Ger
mans proposals were to be accepted
as satisfactory.
When Acting Secretary Polk was
told Wednesday of the impressions
gained in German official quarters OF
the meaning of the request he said
he could not talk about the busitanla
case.
Today both Secretary Lansing and
Mr.. Polk declared the request was no
indication that the United States was
about to accept Germany's long pend
ing representations as satisfactory,
that the status of the entire negotia-
tons still was informal and that none
of the correspondence was OF nature
for publication at this time. The case
is regarded as still unsettled because
of developments in submarine war
fare and the attitude of the European
belligerents on the subject of armed
merchantmen which arose last Feb
ruary at the moment the Lusitanla
negotiations appeared to be on the
point of a satisfactory conclusion.
Break silence.
State department officials today
broke their silence on the subject and
asserted that what really happened
was this:
A subordinate official, who assem-
bles the diplomatic correspondence
periodically compiled and published
as White book, wrote the Germany
embassy a letter, which Mr.. POLK ad-
mitted was signed either by himselt
of Secretary Lansing, for permission
to publish one of the Lusitania notes
submitted by the German ambassador
on December 4. The embassy replied
giving its assent with the suggestion
that the last note, dated February 10,
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 circum-
stances which intervened to prevent
a conclusion of the negotiations had
not been altered and that the STU
alton still was in condition Whlch
did not warrant publication OF any or
the correspondence.
The embassy was not Informed of
the changed plans. Word was sent
to Berlin that the note would be made
public here.
when Information was received here
of the request to the embassy ana
It's reply. German embassy officials
were Questioned and they led inqulr-
ers to believe they considered the pro-
ceeding an indication of the impend-
ing acceptance of the latest German
proposals. In fact, it was stated that
the diplomatic relations between the
United States and Germany never had
been so satisfactory from their point
of view since they were first imperiled
by submarine warfare. This was sup
plemented further by characterzing
as absolutely unwarranted recent In
timations from Berlin that underseas
warfare was about to be resumed on
its former scale.
Today however, as sequel to pub
lication of a statement of the situation
as il had been gained from German
sources and laid before the state de-
partment for comment, the explain
alton was made as stated in the fore
going. ..
The United States government. 1t
therefore appears, does not consider
the matter settled.