Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-05-05
GERMANY HOLDS
u. S. RESPONSIBLE
Sharply Repudiates Charge Of
Deliberate lndiscriminate De-
struction of Ships of Ali
Nationalities.
BLAMES THIS GOVERNMENT
For Dangers to American Citizens in
Not Accepting Germany's Proposal
to Forbid Them Sailing On Ships
of Belligerent Nations.

Germany'es reply 10 President VIII
sons demand that the submarine at
tacks on merchantmen. armed for de-
fense, must cease if the United States
is To continue diplomatic relations
with Berlin is a fiat denial OF he
charge that U-boats have followed a
deliberate method of indiscriminate de
struction of vessels and a request for
more time in which to investigate and
discuss the matters in question.
The answer declares that the Amer
lean charge of "indiscriminate destruc-
ton" of merchant ships of all sorts
and nationality is not substantiated
by reference to concrete facts and en-
phatically repudiates the assertion
While making some concessions. the
note is regaried as failing to meet the
demands of the United States for i'm
mediate modification of it's submarine
warfare and a break in diplomatic re-
lations is imminent.
Berlin. May (By Wireless. via Say
vile, n. Y)-Following is the text of
the note of the German Government i'm
reply to the American note respecting
submarine warfare delivered Thurs
day by Gotlieb Won Jagow. the Foreign
Secretary 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. Ge-
rard, the following reply to the
note of April 20 regarding the con
duct of German submarine warfare.
The German Government hand
ed over to the proper naval author
tiles for early investigation the
evidence concerning the Sussex as
communicated by the government
of the United States
Judging by the results that the
investigation has hitherto yield
ed the German government is
alive to the possibility that the
ship mentioned in the note of
April 10 as having been torpedoed
by German submarine is actual
ly identical with the Sussex.
The German government begs
to reserve further communication
on the matter until certain points
are ascertained, which are OF de
cisive Importance for establishing
the facts of the case. Should il
turn out that the commander was
wrong in assuming the vessel to
be man-of-war. the German
Government will not fail to draw
the consequence resulting there
from
I'm connection with the case Of
the Sussex the government of the
United States made a series of
statements. the gist of which is
the assertion that the incident is to
he considered but one instance Of
a deliberate method Of indiscrimi-
nate destruction 70 vessels of all
sorts. .nationalities md destinations
by German submarine command
ers
The German government must
emphatically repudiate the asser-
ton. The German government
however. thinks it of little avail
to enter into details in the pres
ent stage of affairs. more particu-
larly as the government of the
United States omitted to substan-
tiate the assertion by reference to
concrete facts.
The German government has
made several proposals 10 the
government of the United States
in order to reduce to a minimum
for American travellers and goods
the inherent dangers of naval war
fare. Unfortunately the govern
ment of the United States decided
not TO accept the proposals Had
it accpeted. the government of the
United States would have been in
strumental in preventing the
greater part of the accidents that
American citizens have met with
in the meantime.
THE German government still
stands by its offer TO come to an
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