The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1917-02-14
nation from Count Won Bernstorf, and

| count I3FHONShi Won dlUON. re
spectively German and Austro-Hun-
garian ambassadors 10 the United
States, of their concept of armed mer-
chantmen and their liability TO at
tack as warships.
The final decision on an Out-and-out
submarine campaign OF a so-called
ruthless type apparently was taken at
| the grand Austro-German conference
| at German headquarters on the Ger
man emperor's birthday, though the
Associated Press heard the statement
that submarines departing several
days earlier for stations on the sub
marine hunting grounds were provided
| with contingent orders FOR this eventu-
atty.
The censorship, however, shut down
| tightly on any definite statements or
| predictions of the approaching crisis
| the Associated Press being then in
formed from usually reliable sources
that it was desired for marine and
technical reasons TO have the decision
| come as surprise.
| Gerard Hears Gossip.
This intimatiOn was conveyed con-
| tidentially to the German newspapers
All dispatches going into the subject in
detail, however, were either suppressed
entirely or references to coming events
censored out of them, and the only re-
source was to use again and again the
| word Blockade" in discussions of sub
marine possibilities.
| Ambassador Gerard, of course, was
also aware of the current gossip and
| probably was able to advise the state
| department of the possible turn in
| events, even while the echoes of his
banquet speech were still resounding.
Threaten to Hold Writers.
As TO the attitude of the German
| government toward the possible hold
ing of American newspaper men as
| hostages iE TIE event of The faiiuFe of
the United States to act on the propo-
| Sition for the renewal of the old trea-
ties between the governments, it is
| known that the protocol, which Count
! MOntgelaS, head Of the American de-
| partment of the German foreign Office
| submitted to Ambassador Gerard on
| the part of Foreign Secretary thinner
! mann contained besides a formal re-
ratification of the treaty provisions of
149" and 1923 regarding mutual treat
ment of nationals caught in q belliger-
| ent country in the case of war, num-
Der of important additions and expan-
siOns.
Ambassador Gerard's refusal to
sign the treaty after he had ceased
| TO perform his ambasSadorial func-
tons or TO telegraph for instructions
| unless he was permitted to use code
led Count MOntgelas to hint that a
refusal to sign the protocol might
| materially affect the status of Ameri-
cans in Germany and the privilege of
| departure, mentioned specifically, Of
/ the American correspondents whom
| Ambassador Gerard desired to take
out with him and whose fate ap-
parently was thought to carry par
ticular weight in American public
| opinion.
Won't Be "Sandbagged."
This intimation of the possibility Of
| OBTAINING Americans, even under the
status of rupture of diplomatic re-
| IationS not war, and the use of news
paper representatives as supposedly
| important pieces upon the diplomatic
| chessboard, caused Mr. Gerard TO
declare rOundIy that he could not be
| q party to 'any such pressure" and
that he doubted whether any of the
| newspaper men could be sand
| bagged" or influenced in any way by
considerations of personal safety or
convenience, and that he must per-
sist in his earlier expressed stand
point regarding these negotiations.
From that point nothing further
was heard Of the protocol or of the
possibility of OBTAINING Americans.
Influenced by Dispatches.
The German governments attitude
undoubtedly was Influenced by the
press dispatches with which the Ger
man newspapers were then Hooded
asserting that German ships were be-
| ing seized and their crews interned in
| the United States, these dispatches be-
ing virtually the only news which the
government was then receiving, no Off
cial communications from Count Won
Bernstorff having come since time
several days before the rupture of re-
| lations.
AS soon as authoritative infOrma-
| ton was received in direct dispatches
| that the reports of the cOntiscation
OF ships and the internment of sailors
were incorrect and that no obstacles
were being placed in the way of
Count Won Bernstorff's departure under
a safe-cOnduct, arrangements for the
issuance of passports to the ambassa-
dor and his suite began to proceed
with marked acceleratiOn.
Had they been in possession of di-
rect authoritative information on the
true status of affairs in America, Off
Gals declared repeatedly to the Asso-
| ciated Press correspondent instead Of
being forced to depend upon alarmist
press reports of extreme measures TAX
en- by the Washington administration,
the German government would have
been in far different position-far
| less concerned about the necessity of
protecting it's own interests in a situa-
| ton which, as it turned out, had been
! incorrectly reported.