Evening star., 1916-05-27
Notifies Great Britain and
France of Losses Inflicted
by Seizure of Mails.
WILL NO LONGER SUBMIT
TO "VEXATIOUS ABUSES"
Methods Employed by the Two Gov
ernments Declared Arbitrary.
Text of the Note.

Great Britain and France have been
officially notified that the United States
can no longer submit to the serious
and vexatious" abuses which have been
perpetrated by the British and French
governments in seizing and censoring
neutral mails and soon will press
claims against those governments for
the losses which already have been
sustained.
Text Of Secretary Lansing's Note.
The text of the communication, which
is signed by Secretary Lansing and
addressed to the British and French
am ssad6rs here. follows:
| 1 have the honor to acknowledge re-
ceipt of your excellency's note of April
l3 last. transmitting memorandum
dated February Is. 1916, and communi
Gated in substance to the American
ambassador in London on February 2s,
in which are stated the contentious of
the British and French governments in
regard to the right to detain and ex-
anime parcel and letter mails en- route
| by sea between the United States and
Europe.
| After a discussion of the use of the
mails for the transmission of parcels"
and of the limitations to be placed on
"inviolable mail" the joint memoran-
dunn of February Is closes with the fol-
lowing assertions:
Il. That from the standpoint of their
right of visitation and eventual arrest
and seizure, merchandise shipped in
post parcels needs not and snail not
be treated otherwise than merchandise
shipped in any other manner
"2. That the inviola bility of postal
| correspondence stipulated by the elev-
enth convention of The Hague of 1907
does not in any way anect the right OF
the allied governments to visit and, If
occasion arise, arrest and seize mer-
chandise hidden in the wrappers, en-
tvelopes or letters contained in the mail
bags.
"3. That true to their engagements
and respectful of genuine CORE
spondence,' the allied governments will
continue, for the present, to refrain on
the high seas from seizing and conf1s-
eating such correspondence. letters or
dispatches. and will insure their speed
lest possible transmission as soon as
the sincerity of their character shall
have been ascertained.
q. S. Governments Reply.
In reply the government of the Unit
ed States desires to state that it does
not consider that the postal union con-
vention of 1906 necessarily applies to
the interferences by the British and
French governments with the oversee
80 L. - ich ho
government of the United States com
plains. Furthermore, the allied powers
appear to have overlooked the admls-
sion of the government of the United
as merchandise subject to the exercise
of belligerent rights as recognized by
international law. But the government
of the United States does not admit
that such parcels are subject to the
exercise of the rights of police su
pervision, visitation and eventual
| seizure which belongs to belligerents
| as to all cargoes on the high seas. as
asserted in the joint note under ac-
Acknowledgement.
1t is noted with satisfaction that the
| British and French governments do
| not claim. and, in the opinion of this
government, properly do not claim, that
their so-called blockade measures are
| sufficient grounds upon which to base
right to interfere with all classes
/ of mail matter in transit to or from the
central powers. On the contrary, their
contention appears to be that, as
ventionaI stipulation ''inviolable' mail
matter of other classes is subject to
detention and examination.
Object of Search Specified.
| While the government of the United
States agrees that genuine corre-
| spondence" mail is inviolable. it does
not admit that belligerents may search
| other private borne mails for any
| other purpose than to discover whether
| they contain articles of enemy owner
| ship carried on belligerent vessels or
articles of contraband transmitted un-
der sealed cover as letter mail. though
! they may intercept at sea all mails
! coming out of and going into ports of
the enemy's coasts which are effec
lively blockaded. The governments of
| the United States, Great Britain and
stantial agreement as to principle. The
method of applying the principle is the
chief cause of difference.
Though giving assurances that they
be 'fnvioiable." and that they will.
true to their engagements" refrain
ION tho high seas" from geizing and
conhscating such correspondence, the
allied governments proceed 10 deprive
neutral governments of the benefits OF
| these assurances by seizing and con-
| hscating mail from vessels in port in
stead of at sea. They compel neutral
| ships without just cause to enter their
own ports or they induce shipping
| lines. through some form OF duress. to
| send their mail ships via British ports.
| or they detain all vessels merely call
| ing at British ports, thus acquiring by
| force or unjustif1able means an Illegal
! jurisdiction.
Acting upon this enforced jurisdic-
| ton, the authorities remove all mails
| genuine correspondence as we'll as post
parcels. take them to London. where
| origin and destination, is opened and
| critically examined to determine the
| sincerity of their character" in ac-
| cordance with the Interpretation given
| that underlined phrase by the British
| and French censors. Finally the ex-
purgatel remainder is forwarded, fire.
| quently after irreparable delay, to its
| destination.
| Protracted Detention of Ships.
! Ships are detained en- route to or
| from the United States or to or from
, held and delayed for several days. and,
| in some cases. for weeks and even
| months. even though not routed to
| ports Of north Europe via British ports.
I This has been the procedure which has
been practiced since the announcement
| of February Is, 1916. To some extent
the same practice was followed before
that date. calling forth the protest of