South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-03-02
Foreign Secretary thinner
man Tells ReiChStag Ger
many Does Not Intend
to Abandon Policy.
TELLS OF EFFORTS TO
SETTLE CONTROVERSY
Two Nations More or Less
Depend on Each Other
and Should be ECOnO-
mic Allies, He Says.
international News Service

/ international News Service:
BERLIN (via Sayville wireless),
March Germany will not back
down. Maintenance of her new sub
marine policy must be a condition of
any understanding reached with the
| United States TO prevent a widening
I of the present breach.
Foreign Sec'y Zimmerman made
! this assertion in the reichstag in the
| course of his discussion of the ef-
| forts of the Swiss minister at Wash
| ington 10 bring the two nations into
agreement.
obviously our wish TO come TO
an understanding only can be ac-
compiished so far that we do not
conflict with our declaration Of
barred zones which we are firmly
decided TO maintain against our en-
emies under all circumstances, the
| foreign secretary declared.
Sec'y Zimmerman first detailed to
the reichstag the negotiations at
tempted by the Swiss minister at
! Washington.
Gets Note from Minister.
I'm the affair of our Negotiations
with the United States. the underly-
! ing facts are these he said "On
Feb. rs We received by the good Of
| fees of the Swiss federal council a
| telegram of the Swiss minister at
Washington. who. after the breaking
of Of relations with the United
States. represents our Interests there
The telegram had the following con-
tents: If the German government
would now show inclination 10 nego-
tiate with the United States about
| the blockade then ne (the swiss
minister) would be gladly willing to
take further care of the affair
"AH the speakers yesterday de-
clared that the breaking off of re-
| lations with the United States was
/ regrettable. No doubt it would be
still more regrettable if there would
be war with the United States. Be
tween both countries there exists
the old friendly relations. There is
no political antagOnism between
these countries. and the economic
! domain more or less depend on
each other. one could even say
that they ought TO be economic al
| lies
Therefore. it is easy to under
stand that the government took
care to avoid everything which
might intensity the conflict and
cause war with America From the
standpoint of these considerations
we examined the suggestion.
From the very outset we were
| absolutely certain that our part in
/ the submarine war ought in no way
TO be limited by concession. OBJ
viously our wish to come TO an
| understanding with America only
can be accomplished so far that we
do not conflict with our declaration
OF barred zones which we are firm
/ ly decided 10 maintain against our
enemies under all circumstances.
only after long consideration We
/ decided 20 use our sharpest weapon.
/ You know the course Of our nego-
tiations with America and our hon
| est. sincere peace offer and the
jeering rebuke by our enemies. To
our attempt at reconciliation. our
adversaries opposed their viii TO
annihilate and thus nothing was
left us but 10 take the last and best
weapon.
If we took this decision obvious
" no backward step was any longer
possible. We regret that neutrals
I have 10 suffer by il. but We can't
help that. From the standpoint Of
these considerations in my answer
to America. I only said that Ger
many. nov as before. is ready 10
negotiate under condition that the
! esta Adjustment OF barred zones
/ against our enemies be not impair
ed.