South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-03-03
Zimmerman, Secretary of Ger
man Foreign Affairs Com
ment on British Re-
port OF Conspiracy.
MOVE NOT INSPIRED
BY UNFRIENDlINESS
Refuses to Admit Such a Plot,
But Says Nation Was JUS
titled if She Feared
War With the u. S.
international News Service

International News Service:
BERLIN. via Sayville wireless.
March s.-sec'y of Foreign Affairs
Zimmerman was asked by a staff
member of the Trans Oceanic News
agency about the English report
that "a German plot was revealed
to get Mexico TO declare war against
the United States and secure JapaniS
aid against the United States"
The secretary answered:
You understand that it is i'm
possible for me to discuss the facts
of this revealed plot at this moment
and under these circumstances
therefore may be allowed to limit
my answer TO what was said in
English reports. which most certain
~ were not inspired by sympathy
with Germany
The English report expressly
states that Germany expected and
wished to remain on terms OF
friendship with the United States
but that in case the United States
declared war against Germany we
prepared measures OF defense. 1
fail TO see how such plot is in
spired by unfriendliness on our
part. II would mean nothing but
that we would use the means uni
versalIy admitted in war in case that
the United States declared war.
All Depended on War.
THE most important part of the
alleged plot is conditions and form
the whole plot falls fiat 10 the
ground in case the United States
does not declare war against us.
and if we really. as the report al
Ieges. considered the possibility of
a hostile act of the United States
against us. then we really had rea-
sons 10 do So"
AN Argentine newspaper printed
a short while ago really revealed
the plot when telling that the
United States last year suggested to
other American republics common
action against Germany and her al
lies. This plot apparently was not
conditional i'm the least. The news
as published by Prensa well agrees
with the Interpretation given for
instance by the American news
paperman Edward Price. in Berlin
and London. who said that the
United States only waited for the
proper moment in order 10 assist
the entente opportunely. The same
American stated that Americans
from the beginning OF the war real
" participated in il by putting the
immense resources of the United
States at the entente's disposal ana
that Americans had not declared
war only because they felt sure that
assistance by friendly neutrality
would be during that time much
more efficient for the entente than
direct participation i'm the war.
At Loss TO Judge.
whether this American news
paeprman reported the facts exact
" we we're at loss TO judge in sat
isfactory fashion since we we're
more or less completely cut of from
real communication with the United
States. But. there were other facts
which seemed TO confirm this and
similar assurances. Everybody
knows these facts and 1 need not
repeat them.
The entente propaganda services
have sufficiently heralded all these
pro-entente demonstrations In the
United states. and If you like cap
parent the word take was meanp
with the actual attitude Of the
United states. then il is obvioHs that
the consideration was not frivolous
on our. part what defensive meas
ures We should take were We al
tackled by the United States.