The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1917-03-06
ZIMMERMAN ADMITS PLOT
AGAINST UNITED STATES
Basing Assertion on alleged News.
paper Report, Declares Washington
Guilty of Plotting Against Germany.

Berlin, March '3.-(Via Sayville.)-
the Overseas News Agency (the off,
cial German news bureau:
Foreign Secretary Zimmerman was
asked by staff member Of the Over
seas Agency about the English report
that a German plot had been revealed
to get Mexico to declare war against
the United States and to secure Ja-
pans aid against the United States.
; Secretary Zimmerman answered:
You understand that it is impos-
sible for me to discuss the facts OF
this revealed plot just at this mo-
! ment and under these circumstances.
|, therefore, may be allowed to limit
my answer to what is said in the Eng
lish reports, which certainly are not
inspired by sympathy with Germany
The English report expressly states
that Germany expected and wished 70
remain on terms of friendship with
the United States, but that we had
i prepared measures of defense in case
the United States declared war against
Germany. l fail to see how such u
plot is inspired by unfriendliness OH
our part. 1t would mean nothing but
that we would use means universally
admitted in war, in case the United
States declared war.
Conditions OF "PIOt.o
''The most important part Of the al
f! legged plot is its conditions. The whole
plot falls fat to the ground in case
, the United States does not declare war
against US. And if We really, as the
report, alleges, considered the posi-
bility OF hostile acts of the United
States against US, then We really had
reasons to do 80.
can Argentine newspaper short
while ago really revealed plot when
it told that the United States last year
suggested to other American repun-
lies common action against Germany
and her allies. This plot apparently
was not conditional in the least. The
news as published by La Presna CBus-
nos Aires) agrees we'll with the inter-
pretation given for instance by an
American newspaper man, Edward
Price, in Berlin and London, who said
that the United States was waiting
only for the proper moment in order
opportunely to assist the Entente.
Amtrica's Attitude.
"The same American stated that
Americans from the beginning OF the
war really participated in it by put-
ting the immense resources OF the
United States at the Entente's dlspos-
al, and that Americans had not de-
clared 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 in the war. Whether
this American newspaper man repre-
sented the facts exactly we were at
loss to Judge in satisfactory fashion,
since we are more or less completely
cut off from communication with the
United States.
'But there we're other facts which
seemed to confirm this and similar as
surances. Everybody knows these
facts and l need not repeat them. The
Entente propaganda services have
sufficiently heralded all these pro-
Entente demonstrations in the United
States. and if you link these dem
onstrations with the actual attitude
of the United States then it is obv!-
Gus that it was not frivolous on our
part to consider what defensive meas
ures we should take in case we were
attacked by the United States.