The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-06-26
Allies Notify Germany That
Sinking of Ships Was a
Violation Of Armistice
DELIBERATE BREAK
OF PEACE CONDITIONS
Allies Will Investigate and
Exact Necessary
Damages

titled in note sent to-day by the allies
that they possess right to punish the per-
sons responsible for the destruction Of
the German ships and to collect repara-
tion for the loss. The sinking of the
fleet is denounced as violation of the
armistiee and a deliberate breach in adj
vance of the conditions of peace.
When the Investigations have been
completed, the note states, the allies win
exact "the necessary reparation."
The note reads as follows:
'June 25, 1919.
"Mr. President: The terms of the ar
missice signed by Germany on the llth
of November, 1918, provides as follows:
"'Article 20 The German surface
warships which shall be specified by the
allies and the United States shall forth.
with be disarmed and thereafter in
termed in neutral ports or, failing them,
in the allied ports designed by the al
lies and the United States. They shall
there remain under supervision by the
allies and the United States, only care
and maintenance parties being left on
board
"0n June 81, the German warships,
which had been handed over to the allied
and associated powers and were at an
ehor in the roadstead at Scapa Flow
with the German care and maintenance
partiess on board as provided in the ar
mistice, were sunk by these parties un-
der the orders of the German admiral in
command, according TO the information
which has been collected and transmitted
by the British admiralty The Ger
man admiral in command of these par
ties of the German forces has alleged
that he acted in the belief that the armi-
stice expired on June 81 at midday, and
consequently, in his opinion, the de.
struetion in question was no violation of
its terms.
In law, Germany, by signing the
terms Of article 23, set out above, en-
tered into an undertaking that the ships
handed over by her should remain in the
ports indicated by the allied and asso-
eiated powers, and that care and main
tenance parties should be left on board
with such instruction and under such or
ders as would ensure that the armistiee
should be observed.
THE sinking Of these ships instead of
their preservation as had been provided
for, and in breach OF the undertaking EN-
bodied in article 81 OF the armistiee
against all acts of destruction, consti-
tuted at once a violation of the armi-
stice, the destruction of the pledge hand
ed over, and an act of gross bad faith to-
wards the allied and associated powers.
The admiral in command of the care
and maintenance parties belonging to the
German naval forces has, while recogniz-
ing that the act was breach of the ar
mistice, attempted to justify it by alleg-
ing his belief that the armistice had come
70 an end.
This alleged justification is not we'll
founded as, under the communication ad-
dressed to the German delegation by the
allied and associated powers on the 10th
Of June, 1919, the armistice would only
terminate on refusal to sign the peace,
or ii no answer were returned on the
23d Of june at o'clock According to
international law, a. embodied, particu-
larly in article 40 and Al of the regua-
tions annexed to the fourth Hague con-
veption of 1907, every serious violation
of the armistiee BY one of the parties
gives the other party the right to de-
nounce ii and even in case of urgency to
recommenee hostilities at once.
"a violation of the terms of the ar
mistiee by individuals, acting on their
own initiative only confers the right of
demanding the punishment of these of
tenders, and if necessary, indemnity for
the losses sustained 1t WILL therefore
be open to the allied and associated pow
ers to bring before a military tribunal
the persons responsible for these acts of
destruction, see that the appropriate pen
alties may be imposed. Furthermore,
the incident gives the allied and asso-
ciated powers right to reparation for
the loss caused, and in consequence.
right to proceed to such further meas
ures as the said powers may deem APP
propriate.
Lastly, the sinking of the German
feet is not only violation of the ar
mistice, but can be only regarded by the
allied and associated powers as delib-
crate breach in advance of the eondi-
tions communicated to Germany and now
accepted by her. Furthermore, the in
cident is not an isolated act The burn
ing or permission for the burning of the
French dags which Germany was to re-
store constitutes another deliberate
breach in advance of these same condi.
tions.
"In consequence, the allied and assoc-
ated powers declare that they take note
OF these signal acts of bad faith, and
that when the investigations have been
completed into all the circumstances they
viii exact the necessary reparation 1t
is evident that any repetition of acts
like those must have very unfortunate
effect upon the future operation of the
treaty which the Germans are about to
sign. They have made complaint of the
Is years period of occupation, which the
treaty contemplates They have made
complaint that admission to the league
of nations may be too long deferred How
can Germany put forward such claims if
she encourages or permits deliberate vio-
lations of her written engagements She
cannot complain should the allies use
the full powers conferred on them by
the treaty, particularly article 400, if she,
on her side, deliberately violates its pro-
visions.
(Signed) &c Clemenceau.'
Mrs. Eva Higgs and daughter Mildred,
Of Prospect avenue, and Edwin Keast of
6 Prospect avenue, accompanied Fred