Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-05-05
HISTORY OF NEGOTIATIONS
OF u. S. ON U-BOAT WARFARE
Correspondence With Germany Has Been
Going On Nearly Year and Break
Has Seemed Unavoidable.

seemed to have come to such an inn
passe that the exchanges OF notes be-
tween Washington and Berlin were
stopped and the controversy was
brought into the realm of INFORMAL
| conversations between Secretary Ian
sing and Count Won Bernstorff. the Ger
! man ambassador. 1t was thought that
much could be accomplished by per-
sonal contact which was lost in
| cold exchange of documents
| Sinking Of the Arabic.
Meanwhile the Arabic was sunk Au-
gust 10. Coming close on the unsuc-
cessful Lusitania negotiations and a
continuation of submarine attacks in
which Americans had suffered. it seem
| ed that the United States and Germany
had at last reached the point of a
break. Then. on September !, came the
hrst rift in the threatening situation.
Count Won Bernstorff presented this
written assurance to Secretary Lans-
ing:
Liners will not be sunk by our sub
marines without warning and without
safety of non-combatants. provided that
the liners do not try to escape or offer
resistance
The United States had agreed all
along that ships hailed for visit and
| search by a war vessel took a risk if
they attempted to fee, but 1t contended
not for the safety of liners alone,
but for the immunity of all peaceful
merchant vessels. The word liners
was the completing point in Germany s
| assurances. and a complete agreement
| on what it actually meant never was
| finally reached.
More hopefulness was added to the
| situation when on October the Arabic
| case was disposed of by Germany dis
| avowing the sinking and giving re-
| neWed assurances that submarine COM
manders had agan been instructed to
avoid repetition of the acts which pro-
| Won Bernstorff delivered to Secretary
Lansing this communication:
Germany Expresses Regret.
The orders issued by his majesty
| the emperor to the commanders of sub
| marines-of which I notified you on a
previous occasion-have been made SO
stringent that the recurrence of Incl
dents similar to the Arabic case is con-
sidered out of the question. The impe-
| rial government regrets and disavows
| this act and had notified Commander
Schneider accordingly"
With that, the negotiations reverted
/ to the Lusitania case. Germany already
had agreed to pay indemnity for Ameri-
can lives lost. but the negotiations were
delayed by a seeming deadlock over the
words in which Germany should ac-
knowledge the illegality of the destruc-
ton of the liner. Germany. unwilling
| to use the word Illegal" substituted q
| declaration that 'rreprisals must not be
| directed at others than enemy sub
| jects." formal communication in
| Guiding such a declaration and express
| ing regret for loss of American lives
assuming liability and offering repara-
ton in the form of indemnity, was sub
mitted to Secretary Lansing.
| A favorable settlement of the long
and threatening controversy seemed to
| be in sight when all the progress that
had been made was reduced to nothing
| by Germany's declaration of a new sub
marine policy Of sinking without warn
ing all armed merchant ships. That
precipitated a new situation so vitality
interviewer with the whole structure OF
| the Lusitania case that President Will
son declined to close the Lusitania set
Element while the other issue was pend
| ing, and there the whole matter rested
while German submarine warfare was
/ continued and new cases involving loss
| Of American lives piled up.