The Washington times., 1917-09-29

relations by America The lunch was
far from cheerful The Germans
looked very sad and said virtually
nothing, while tried to make polite
conversation at my end OF the-tabIe.
Demanded His Passports.
The next day I went over to see
Zimmerman. having that morning
received the official dispatch from
Washington, and told him that had
come to demand my passports.
i OF course, Zimmerman by that
time had received the news and had
had time to compose himself. The
American correspondents told me
that when he saw them on the day
before he had at FIRST refused to say
anything, and then had been rather
violent in his language and had
| finally shown great emotion. am
sure from everything / observed that
the break Of diplomatic relations
came as an intense surprise to him
and TO the other members OF the gov
ernment; yet / cannot imagine why
intelligent men should think that the
United States OF America had fallen
SO low as to bear without murmur
this sudden kick IN the face.
+, about our embassy since the COM
| mencement of the war, were now
| greatly increased In numbers, and
guarded not only the front of the
house, but the rear and the surround
ing streets. But there was no demon
| stration whatever on the part OF the
| people OF Berlin. On Tuesday after
noon went out for a walk, passing
through most of the principal streets
OF Berlin absolutely alone.
On my return to the embassy II
found Count Moptgelas, who, with the
rank OF minister, was at the head OF
the department which included AmerI- !
can affairs In the foreign office.
Feared for BernstOrfI.
I asked Montgeles why / had not
received my passports, and he said
that l was being kept back because
the imperial government did not
know what had happened to Count
Bernstorn and there had been rumors |
that the German ships in America had !
been conhscsted by our Government |
l answered that / was quite sure that |
Bernstorff was being treated with |
every courtesy and that the German |
ships had not been confiscated, and |
said:
do not see why have to dis
prove your idea that BernstorfI is
being maltreated and the German
ships confscated. It seems to me
Il Is for you to prove this. and,
at any event, why don't you have
the Swiss government, which now
represents you, cable to their min
lister in Washington and get the
exact facts?
He replied: swell, you know the
Swiss are not used to cabling"
He then produced a paper which |
was a reaffTmAtion of the treaty be |
tween Prussia and the United States |
Of 1909, with some very extraordinary |
clauses added. He asked me to read |
this over and either to sign II or to |
get authority TO sign il, saying that |
II It were not signed It would be very |
difficult for Americans TO leave the |
country. particularly the American |
correspondents.
read this treaty over and then |
said: "Of course, / cannot sign this |
on my own responsibility and ] will |
not cable my Government unless I
may cable in cipher and give them my |
opinion of this document" He said:
That is impossible"
Gerard'E Defiance.
then said: Il shall not cable at all.
Why do you come to me with a proposal |
treaty after we have broken diplomatic |
relations and ask an Ambassador who Is
held as a prisoner TO sign IL? Prisoners
do not sign treaties and treaties signed
by them would not be worth anything"
added: After your threat TO keep
Americans here and after reading this
document even II l had authority to
sign it, l would stay here until hell
freezes over before I would put my
name TO such a paper"
Montgelas seemed rather ratified and
In his confusion left the paper with
me-somethinG. l am sure. he did not
Intend to do In case of a refusal
Montgelas was an extremely agree
able man. and I think at all times he
had correctly predicted the attitude OF
America and had expressed himself
against acts OF frightfulness such as the
torpedoIng of the Lusitania and the re-
sumption OF ruthless submarine war. l
am sure that a gentleman like Mont
Eelas undertook TO carry out his orders
In the matter Of getting me to sign this
treaty with great reluctance.
/ must cheerfully certify that even the
most proGermRn American correspond
ents in Berlin, when ! told the corre-
spondents OF Montgelas' threat, showed
the same fine spirit as their colleagues.
All begged me not to consider them or
their liberty where the interests of
America were involved.
Communications Cut on.
AS soon as diplomatic relations were
broken, and broke them formally not
only in my conversation with thinner
mann OF Monday morning. but by send
ing over a formal written request for
my passports on the evening Of that
|