New Britain herald., 1916-02-17
U. s. ASKS GERMANY FOR
 ASSURANCES NOT TO SINK
 SHIPS ARMED FOR DEFENSE
Secretary Lansing Considers Lusitania Agree ment Satisfactory So Far As It Relates
 to Sinking of British Liner
STATED SUGGESTION WILL NOT
 BE HEEDED BY BERLIN REGIME

Kaiser Also Wants Assurances Tha1
 Armed Merchantmen if Given Im4H
 musity From Attack Will Not As.a
 sauIt ubmarines-Austrian Notics6
 on Proposed Campaign Reaches
 State Department.
 Washington, Feb. 17-Secretarsa Lansing today accepted the Lusitanis agreement as acceptable to the United Z States in so far as it relates to thaH case, but asked Count Won Bernstorna the German ambassador, for assurA ances that Germany will not carry IA policy of sinking merchandising with out warning to liners even if thea carry defensive armament.
 The question of what constituteA defensive armament Is to be deterH mined later in a way not yet agreed upon. It is suggested that the United States may propose that guns mound ed on the stern of ships and capabId of being swung from Is to 30 degreei in either direction might come withS in that class.
 Germany Not to Accept.
 It was stated authoritatively thaa Germany, because of it's unusual poB sition, cannot and will not accep1 the suggestion of the United StafeH as it now stands that liners carryiu X guns shall be immune from attac under previous assurances.
 Germany Wants Assurances.
 Germany is prepared to inform thS United States that if passenger linerE leaving Americans ports with defcnN Y sive armament are to be immune froa submarine attack without warning, a E the German government promised lag September in the Arabic case, th & Berlin government expects some as surances that the liners will not arM tack the submersibles. Count Von Bernstorff, the Germa am bassador, has an engagement H confer with Secretary Lansing todaA and he is expected to convey thi& view in reply to the secretary's stateI x ment of yesterday, and that it wa8 desirable that the German governM ment make declaration that i# carrying out it's new submarine cam 8 paign of sinking armed merchantme # without warning after Feb. 29 it inM tended to abide by the assurances
 gave in the Arabic case that liners N would not be attacked without warn & ing unless they attempted to resis 8
 Apply to Italian Ships. M
 Such assurances as it is indicate M (tc... r-T- !. III would apply only to Italian ships, q K British passenger liners hay & not been armed. even with the smsil M guns allowed for defensive purposes since the outbreak of the war.
 President Wilson and Secretar E Lansing were considering today nerN German proposal designed to settFM Lusitania controversy to detern1fn N whether its terms would be nullifiesN by announced intention of the TeuN tonic powers to sink all armed en E emy merchant ships without warnIn N after February 29. M
 American officials expressed tn opinion that the submarine contro H versy with Germany cannot be close until assurances are given that tn k safety of neutrals and n-combatant Na at sea has not been altered by tn sM8 latest Germanic declarations. The M fear that the United States is con E. fronted with a long series of diplo M matic exchanges and state that th
 situation is where 1t was several Week @ ago, when it was described as grave
 Bernstorff's View.
 Count Von Bernstorff told Secre
 tary Lansing yesterday it was hls pefN sonaI opinion that in the new subma 4 rine campaign his government intend
 ed to abide by it's promise not to sin
 unresisting Timers" without warnin given in the Arabic case and referres to in the Lusitania agreement. Mr Lansing informed the ambassad0 W that such a declaration from his gov S ernment would be highly desirable.
 The ambassador suggested the pos w sibility of postponing the effectiv date of the new submarine campaia1 if it would give time for negotiation to clarify the confused situation bu W the secretary did not commit him self. This is the situation now.
 Cover Past, Not Future. 8
 As q result of the colrespondencs& & in the Lustania and Arabic eases the United States had rested secure 8 in the belief that the future conduc @ of submarine warfare on humans# lines and in accordance with the es MA ta blished principles of internationa @ law, modified somewhat by the new # conditions developed during the war had been assured. The state depart 8 ment had been proceeding lately upor H the theory that all that was necessary 8 to be done in the Lusitania case wa 8 to cover the past; not the future.