Norwich bulletin., 1917-02-12
Berlin Regards
 War as Inevitable
LITTLE HOPE OF REcoNcItINa
 POLICIES WITH U. 8.
OVERT ACT IS EXPECTED
Neutral Merchantmen Are to be
 Warned to Keep Out of War Zone
 Prescribed by Germany = Enemy Merchantmen to be Sunk on Sight.


 !. Merchantmen to be Sunk on Sight.
 Copenhagen. Feb. II, via London, 5.2s D. m.-LittIe hope or expectation pre- yails in Berlin that war with the United States is avoidabIe, or that a modus viVendi reconciling the policies of the two governments can be found.
 To Warn Neutral, Merchantmen.
 The authorities and most of the peo- pie now desire to avoid actual hostili- ties in any way consistent with the general lines of the present submarine policy, but only in such. Accordingly instructions were given, so The Asso- ciated Press has been reliably inform ed. to submarine commanders before they start on their February mission to take the safe side when neutral vessels, particularly Americans, were in question, whenever possible. Enemy merchantmen, when recognized as such, were ordered to be sunk at sight, but neutral merchantmen were to be warned when such action. in their judgment, was consistent with the ob- ject of the campaign and the safety of their own ships.
 Overt Act Sooner or Later.
 It was realized. however. after the prompt and resolute stand taken by President Wilson, that these orders
 
 not avoid, an ultimate break, and that if President Wilson stood by his an nounoement, that the destruction of American lives or ships would be re- garded as an act of hostility, a casus belH must come sooner or later-prob- ably sooner, on account of the number of Americans on enemy ships, and the discretionary nature of the instruc- tions to submarine commanders, who were informed that while the above course toward neutrals was recom- mended and desired, they would not longer be subjected to punishment for departing from their former procedure of warning, if they found this advis- able.
 No Modification of Warfare.
 It is considered that the only possi- biIfty of the avoidance of hostilities would result from a modification of it's and so far as could be judged from the positive declarations of Alfred Zim- hermann, the German minister of for eign affairs, and other officials before The Associated Press correspondents departure from Berlin, there was no probability that Germany would give way this time or abandon the ruthless campaign now started. German-Amer- ican relations again and again have passed through crises apparently all most hopeless, but this time the crisis is more difficult than the former ones and even the optimistic can scarcely see any PedSSIui eBESSS AEOAh InS lLh- passe.
 Development of Present Crisis.
 From a neutral cable office it is now possible to tell the story of the de- Velopment of the present crisis on which the most rigid censorship has been applied in Germany.
 To the observer in Berlin the ap- proach of the crisis had been plainly and definitely evident since the rejec- finn nf a nv formation as to Gernany'S definite de- cision to start a sharpened submarine war, and even the form it would take, namely, a blockade of specified regions zone" was later substituted for that of a blockade at the request of the naval authorities, who anticipated pos sible formal objections under the The Associated Press almost on the morrow of Ambassador Gerard's speech on German American good relations, delivered at the banquet of the Ameri- can Association of Commerce and Trade early in January.
 A week later it was stated that a full decision on the situation had not been reached and that the campaign would not be launched until after further consultations with Germany's allies and the receipt of certain information from Count von Bernstorn and Count TarnoWslki won TarnoW respectively
 
 bassadors to the United States, of their concept of armed merchantmen and their liability to attack as warships.
 Ruthless Warfare Decided Upon.
 The final decision on an out-and-out submarine campaign of a so-called ruthless type was taken at the grand Austro- German conference at German headquarters on the German em- peror's birthday, though The Associat- ed Press heard the statement that submarines departing several days earlier for stations on the submarine hunting grounds were provided with contingent orders for this eventuality.
 Close Censorship.
 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 a surprise. This intimation was conveyed conhdentially to the German newspapers. All despatches going into the subject in detail, how ever, were either suppressed entirely or references to coming events cen- sored out of them, and the only re- source was to use again and again the word blockade in discussions of sub- marine possibilities.