The Washington times., 1917-09-20
MLlMTTON TRADE USED BY BERLIN
TO STIR HA AIRED AGAINST AMERICA

neutral states are not called upon
to forbid their subjects a COM
merce which, from the point of view
of the belligerents, ought to be con-
sidered as unlawful. Conference In
ternationale de la Paix, La Haye, Is
Juin-18 Octobre, 1907. Vol. III,
p. S59.)
During our troubles with General
| Huerta arms and ammunition for
HuertR's forces from Germany were
landed from German ships in Mexico.
| During the Boer war the Germans,
who openly sympathized with the
Beers, nevertheless furnished great
quantities OF arms and munitions ex-
pressly destined to be used against
the Beers to England; and this al
though it was manifest that there
was no possibility whatever that the
Beers could obtain arms and muni-
tons from German sources during the
war. For instance, the frm Of Eber-
hardt, in Dusseldorf, furnished 100
cannon, complete with wagons, cais-
sons and munitions, etc, to the
English expressly designed for use
against the Beers.
At one time the imperial foreign
office sent me formal note concern
ing a paragraph in former Ambassa-
dor Andrew d. Whites autobiography
with reference to the alleged stop
page in a German port Of a boat
laden with arms and ammunition for
use against the Americans in Cuba
during the Spanish war. OF course.
former Ambassador White wrote
without having the embassy records
at hand, and these records show that
the position he took at the time of
this alleged stoppage was evidently
correct.
The files show that he wrote the
letter to the State Department in
which he stated that knowledge
came to him of the proposed sailing
of this ship, but he did not protest,
because he had been advised by a
naval attache that the UNITED States
did not have. the right to interfere
The Department OF State wrote to
him commencing his action in not
filing any protest or otherwise inter
fering.
Germany ReVerses Position.
It seemed as il the German gov
ernment expressly desired to stir up
hatred against America on this issue
In order to force the American Gov
ernment, through fear OF either the
German government or the German
American propagandists at home, to
put an immediate embargo on export
OF these supplies.
Zimmerman showed me in the
autumn OF 1914 a long list sent him
by Bernstorfr reporting quantities Of
saddles, automobiles, motor trucks,
tires, explosives, foodstuffs, and so on
exported from America to the allies,
and he intimated that this traffic had
reached such proportion that It should
be stopped.
In February, 1915. in the official
communique of the day appeared the
following statement: Heavy artillery
fire in certain sections OF the west
front, mostly with American ammu-
nition;" and in April, in the official
communique, something to this effect:
Captured French artillery officers
say that they have great stores OF
American ammunition" I obtained
through the State Department in
Washington a statement from the
French ambassador certifying that UP
to that time, the end OF April. 1915,
no shells whatever OF the French
artillery had been furnished from
America
Nothing, however. would satisfy the
Germans. They seemed determined
that the export OF every article,
whether OF food or munitions, which
might prove OF use to the allies in the
war should be stopped. Newspapers
were filled with bitter attacks upon
America and upon President Wilson,
and with caricatures referring to the
sale OF munitions.
Could Not Change Rules.
1t never seemed to occur TO the Ger
mans that we could not violate The
Hague convention in order to change
the rules OF the game because one
party, after the commencement of hos
tilities, found that the rule worked
to his disadvantage. Nor did the
Germans consider that America could
not vary it's international law with
ehe changing fortunes Of war and
make one ruling when the Germans
lost control OF the sea and another II
they regained It.
From early in 1918 until left Ger
many do not think l ever had a con-