New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-04
German Foreign Secretary
Says 1t Was Legitimate
Defensive Measure
Charges America
Was Kaiser's Foe
ue Asserts Hostility Was
Shown in Plan to Unite
Latin Republics

Berlin. March 8 Coy tcireless to
c.,n;u,).-The follo,cing tcos giceII
~, to-dag By the Orerseos Ne~s
A., aeercy, the official German "e''s
bureau; noe
..tsd BY staff member Of the over
90. News Agency about the Enghsh
~ ,bat "a German plot had been
Isp'. '.,.d 70 get Mexico 70 declare war
- the United States and to secure
1snsn,s aid against the United States
Sarr.tsrv zimmerman answered.;
@you understand that it is impos-
.;us for me to discuss the facts of this
r.vealed plot just at this moment and
nrder these circumstances therefore
nov be allowed to limit my answer TO
chat is said in the English reports
wb;cb certainly are not inspired oY
sympathy with Germany.
nTbe English report expressly states
that Germany expected and wished 10
,,us;n on terms Of friendship with the
United States, but that we had pre-
,.,ed measures of defence IN case the
United States declared war against
c.-,erv fail 20 see how such
.,lo,, !, inspired By unfriendliness on
ro,t Il would mean nothing but
hat We would use means universally
admitted in war, in case the On''eu
States declared war.
is. Action Chief Factor
The most important part Of the al
le,sd plot is its conditions and form.
TIE whole plot falls fiat to the grouno
/, ,., the. United States does not de-
.l,,.v against us. And if we really,
As The report alleges. considered the
possibility Of hostile acts Of the Uniteu
States against us. then We really hSu
reasons TO 10 So. Lor4
AAn Argentine newspaper a snoIe
wb1e AGO really revealed plot "he"
IL told that the United States last year
sgggested 70 other American repuolicS
common action against Germany anu
her allies. This plot apparently was
not conditional in the least.
"Tte news as published by La
Prensa' Buenos Ayres) agrees wen
with the Interpretation given, Tor IN
stance. By an American newspaper man
EDWARD Price. i'm Berlin and London,
who said that the United states was
waiting onlv for the proper moment III
order opportunely to assist the En-
,ente. The same American stated tnaU
American from the beginning OF the
var really participated in II by putting
the immense resources Of the UnlteGl
States A. the Entente's disposal, ana
tbat Americans had not declared war
only because they felt sure that as ,
sistance BY friendly neutrality wouiu
be during that time much more ehicient
for the Entente than direct partlcipa-
ton in the war.
Sees Confirmation of Story
whether this American newspaper
nan reported the facts exactly we were
a. loss 20 Judge in satisfactory lash-
ion, since We we're more or less com
pletely cut or from communication
with the United States.
"But there were other facts when
seemed 70 confirm this and similar as
sursnces. Everybody knows these facts
and I need not repeat them. The In
tente propaganda services have sur
herntly herslded all these pro-Entente
denonstrat.ons in the United States.
And If you link these demonstrations
with the actual attitude Of the United
States, then 10 is obvious that 1t was
not frivolous on our part 70 conslde r
what defensive measures We snould
take in case We were attacked by the