Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1917-03-01
GERMAN PLOT AGAINST
THE US. IS FRUSTRATED
Conspiracy to Line Up Both Japan and Mexico to Make
War on America in Case Of Hosdiies Between
Germany and U. 5. Fails Of its Object

attempt to align Mexico and Japan in
hostile conspiracy against the
United States, has been frustrated.
Al the state department today, 1t
was intimated that so far as Ia
known. the letter OF German For
eign Secretary Zimmerman. the au-
thentlcity OF which was youched for
by President Wilson personally. TO
the senate today, never reached Pres
ident Carranza. Being thus inter
cepted, It was never passed on to
Japan.
Attention Is called to the fact that
In his instructions Zimmerman stip-
ulated that Eckhardt should only
broach the matter TO President Car
rama AS soon as II is certain that
there will be an outbreak OF war
with the United States" II Is point
ed out that this certainly bad not de-
veloped at the time Ambassador Won
Bernstorff left this country.
Doubt as to the authenticity OF the
Zimmerman letter. voiced in the sen
ate early today. because OF It's text
having first become public through
the press. was quickly dispelied By
Senator Swanson. who made form
al statement announcing that the
president had authorized him to say
the published text was substantially
correct.
That the Japanese government
would not consider any proposition
such as that advocated by Secretary
Zimmerman in his Mexican-Japanese
plot" note, was the conviction cx-
pressed by Secretary Lansing today.
Lansing authorized the following
statement:
THE department does not believe
that Japan has had any knowledge OF
this. or that she would consider any
proposition made by an enemy"
Lansing also expressed belief that
the Mexican government would also
ignore any such proposition. He
said
I'VE have confidence that Mexico
would not become party to 1t in
view OF the friendly relations between
this country and the de facto govern
ment."
While Withholding discussion OF
the sources OF the governments in
formation on the plot, lest some
ones life be endangered, the state
department did admit that II has full
evidence of the plot, that the zim-
norman note had reached Ambassa-
dor von' Bernstorn here and that II
also had reached the German min
lister In Mexico,
Doubt was expressed that General
Carranza himself had ever seen the
communication or been informed OF
Its contents owing to the fact that
the plot was not actually to take form
except In the event Of actual hos
tilities between the United States and
Germany.
japanese Ambassador Sato was
called to the department yesterday
and told Of the information which
had been secured as to the threatened
plot.
while Lansing would not discuss
In any way what Sato had to say
about It, the fact that he used the
statement quoted above, indicates the
Japanese ambassador must have de-
MED any knowledge of Il, and scorn-
ed any possibility of his government
being In any way interested"
This theory is also borne out by
the statement Ambassador Sato made
through the United Press this morn
Ing,
In connection with tho revelation
of the German -Mexican-Japanese sit.
uoton, It was strongly hinted today
the government already has informa-
tlon, or has lines out to get Il. con-
corning the recent Cuhnn uprising.