The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-03-03
PLOT FLAT IN
CASE No WAR
IS DECLARED
Zimmerman Declares South Am
erican Paper Hinted at Con-
spiracy Against Germany
CITES SYMPATHY HERE
FOR ENTENTE CAUSE
German Official Declares That the
Whole Affair Was Merely One
of q Defensive Nation
(ASSOciated Press. }

Berlin (by wireless), March 3.-The
following was given out today by the
Overseas News Agency (the official
German news bureau)
Foreign Secretary Zimmerman was
asked by a staff member OF the Over
seas News Agency about the English
report that a German plot had been
revealed to get Mexico to declare war
against the United States and TO &C.
cure JapAn's aid against the United
States. Secretary Zimmerman's an.
SWcr:
In Case Of War.
You understand that it is in,pOs-
sible for me to discuss the facts of this
revealed plot just at this moment and
under these circumstances. therefore
may be allowed to limit my answer to
what is said in the English report.
which certainly are 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, hut that we had prepared meas
ures Of defense in case the United
States declared war against Germany.
j fail to see how such a plot, is i'll
Spired by unfriendliness OH our part.
1t would mean nothing but that we
would use means universally Admitted
IN war in case the United States de-
clared war. ~
Condition and Form.
The most important part OF the
alleged plot is it's condition and form.
The whole plot fq lis fiat to the ground
in case the United States does not de-
lclare war against US. And five really,
as tile report alleges considered the pos
sibility Of hostile acts Of thei United
States against us, then we really had
reason to do SO.
An Argentine newspaper Il short
while ago really revealed a plot when
it told that the United States last year
suggested to other American republics
common action against Germany and
her Allies. This plot was not condi-
tional in the least. The news as pub
lishcd by La Prensa, (Buenos Aires)
agrees we'll with the Interpretation
given, for instance, by an American
ncwSpaperman, Edward Price, in Ber-
lin and London, who said that the
United States was waiting only for the
proper moment in order OpportuncIy 10
assist the Entente.
Assist With Resources.
. 'Thc same American stated that
the Americans from the beginning of
the war really participated in it by
putting the immense resources of the
United States at the Entente's disposal,
and 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 participa-
tiOn III the war. Whether this Ameri-
can neWspaperman reported the facts
exactly, we were ut loss to judge in
satisfactory fashion, since we were,
more or less, completely cut off from
communication with the United States.
s. But there were other facts which
seemed to confirm this and similar as
surances. Everybody knows these facts
and need not repeat them. The En-
tente propaganda services have suffi-
cicntly heralded all these pro-Ententa
demonstrations in the United States
and if you link the demonstrations with
the actual attitude Of the United States,
then it is obvious that it was not friv-
OlOuS on our part to consider what de-
fensive measures we should take in
case we were attacked by the United
State"