Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-02-13
GERMANY WILL
HOLD AMERICANS
TAKEN BY RAIDER
They Will Be Detained Until
Answer is Received to
Question About In
termed Germans.
TWO CLASSES OF MEN HERE
Crews of Warships in U, s
Ports Will Be Held Until
End of the War.
OTHERS ARE FREE TO GO

Berlin, Feb. ll.-(By Wireless to
the Associated Press, Via Sayvlllc,
Feb. l2)-Forcign Secretary Ilm-
norman today informed the Asso-
ciatcd Press That he had requested
the Swiss government to make IN
quiry in Washington regarding the
status of the crews OF interncd Ger
man ships in American ports
Pending an answer, the seventy
two Americans taken by the German
raider aud brought in by tho Yarrow-
dale, whose release had been agreed
to, are being held III Germany, the
foreign secretary stated,
Hears Crews Interned.
'in regard to the larrowdalc pr,s-
oners." the foreign secretary said,
these men had been taken of armed
merchantmen and their status haG
been established They will be lib
Grated Just as soon as we learn the
fate of the German crews in American
ports"
During the last week recurring
rumors have reached Berlin by way
of London, in which it was announced
that the United States government
had sequestered the German ships
and inteyned their crews. No definite
official denial having been received,
the government was prompted to ask
the government of Switzerland to OBJ
tain specific information.
The release of the Yarrowdale priS-
oners was agreed to with Ambassador
Gerard on the eve of the break III
relation, but the possibility Of the Ger
man crews being interned in the
United States prompted the admiralty
to rescind the orders liberating the
Americans held with the rest of the
Yarrowdale prisoners.
Status of Men Explained.
Washington, Feb. l2.-There arc
two classes of German ships N
American ports. Those interned
are war vessels such as the commerce
raiders Prinz Eitel Friedrich, kron
prinz Wilhelm, and such naval vessels
as the gunboats Cormorant, at Guam,
and Geier, at Honolulu The crews
of these vessels, as well as the ships,
being part of the German naval
forces which have taken refuge in
neutral harbors, are interned as pris-y
oners for the duration of the war un-
der provisions OF international law
and The Hague conventions,
The status Of the war bound Ger
men is different and so is the status
of their crews. The merchant ships
are not interned in any sense of the
word but are remaining in harbor
of refuge. They are free to put to
sea at any time and take their chances
with the enemy warships, Their
crews are in the same status as any
other aliens coming to the United
States. Any one of them may be ad
mitted to the country upon fulfilling
the immigration requirements. While
they are in the status of liens they
are for the present confined aboard
their ships by the immigration author
tiles in accordance with the steps
taken against the obstruction. of prop
erty or menace to navigation in Amer
ican 'harbors.
1t is believed that Germany's in
quiry is TO clear up misconceptions
widely circulated there that Germans
in the United States have been inr>
prisoned and that German property
has been conhscated President Will
son has announced that all foreign
rights are to be respected in every
sense.