The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1917-09-11
.SWEDES moved
LUXBURG Notes
State Department Believes
Messages Passed Through
Neutral Foreign Office.

The Luxburg notes passed through
the Swedish foreign Office on the way
TO Berlin from Buenos Aires. This
was set forth as the confident be-
lief of the State Department yes
terday.
The declaration was made at the
same time that Swedish official cir
cles in Bucnos Aires and Swedish un-
official circles in Washington were
protesting first that the advice of the
German charge to sink Argentine
ships without mercy and calling the
Argentine foreign minister an lass"
had been innocently transmitted by
the swedish diplomatic corps, and
second. when the unneutrality of the
transmission of any message for
belliEerent was brought out, that the
Swedish minister's name had been
forged to the German code messages
which contained these offensive terms
and that the message had been pluck
ed from the wires in Sweden and
smugElcd TO Berlin by a German spy.
Attitude of L. $.
Neither of these suggestions meet
the attitude Of the United States, au-
thoritatively outlined yesterday as
follows:
1t was an unneutral act for the
Swedish diplomatic corps under any
, circumstances to use the cable facin
ties of one Combatant to transmit the
messages OF another cOmbatant uudIr
the guise of neutral matter.
The State Department is satisfied
! that such a message was transmitted
in the manner told of in Mr.. Lansing's
statement.
1t was further stated by an Argcn-
tine official here that il would be
practically impossible under the Ar
gcntinc telegraph and cable rules to
. file a message with a forged signature.
q All messages are required to bear
when hled tho autograph signature Of
I the sender These signatures, in the
case of diplomatic agents. are as care
fully protected as the signatures to
check would be protected by a bank.
Sweden thus stands indicted at the
allied bar. Her representatives here
continue to maintain that the skirts
of the Swedish government are clear.
Minister Eckengren changed his plans
/ last night and decided not to return
! to Washington. He is remaining at
/ EdgartOwn, Mass, with his family.
Outwardly the Swedes are endeayoriny
| to regard the matter as of little i'm
\ pOrtanCe.
! >But steps were taken yesterday TO
4 force upon the Swedish government
and the Swedish people the necessity
I for a fortnight answer to the charges
IL f.r. FTEtz
State Department further made plain
the attitude of the United States to
| the seffect that the UnitcG States does
/ not consider the Swedish people =
blame for the misuse of the privileges
} Of their diplomatic agents.
| Accordingly steps were taken to
! ma the embargo against Sweden
even more tight than it has been.
Effect of Notes.
/ The first desired effect of the pub
I iic"tiOn Of the LuXhurg notes has ap-
I pare1tly already been attained. Senior
Naon, the Argentine Minister was
yesterday confined TO his bed win q
severe attack Of illness. Yet it was
made very plain at the legation as
well as in press dispatches from
Rucnos Aires that Argentine is
thoroughly aroused and will brook no
evasion of either German or Swedish
responsibility for the notes.
Allied observers of the situation pro-
f5ss to see great hope in it for the
allied cause. The United States, it
is considered. has assumed a position
. where she may force the breaking of
( commercial relations between Sweden
and Germany. All that Germany can
. offer to sweden is coal. II the United
, States and England can supply coal
i IS considered more than probable
that Sweden will see the light and
turn all OF her future trade to the
allies and cease to furnish Germany
with the fats, the iron, copper and
timber which have done much to help
keep Germany's soldiers well fed and
in lighting trim.