Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-06-26
Deliberate Breach of Ar
mistice, Says Note
Of Allies
PREPARATION TOBE
FIXED BY INQUIRY
Also To Be Responsible
For Any Moves
Against Poles

PARIS, June 26.-(By Associated
Press .)-Germany was notified to-
day by the Allies that they possess
the right to parish persons resFon-
sible for the recent destruction of
German ships and to colIe:+ repara.
ton for the loss.
The sinking of the Grman feet
was denuoAced as a violation of the
arnlistice ali a delibecAoe breac1 IN
advance Of the signing of t:1a cord!
tions of Ieace When in teAtlgatioHs
have bee1 CO completed, the note states,
the Allies will exact necessary Yep
aration."
The Ga1nlan delegation has also
been inf )rtaad in more from Pie
mier Clemenceau that the German
government v i'll be held scrict.y ic-
sponsible for the unofficial support
of any movement against Polish au-
thority IN che territory given to Po-
land in Posen and West Prussia.
Text of Letter
The text of the letter to the Ger
man peace delegation follows:
"June 25, 1919.
"Mr President: The terms of the
armistice signed by Germany on the
eleventh of November, 1918, pro-
vided as follows:
"'Article 23: The German surface
warships which shall be specified by
the allies and the United States shall
forthwith be disarmed and thereafter
interned in neutral ports, or failing
them, in allied ports designated by
the Allies and the United States.
They shall there remain under su-
pervision by the Allies and the Uni
ted States only care and maintenance
parties being left on board.
"On June 21 the German warships
which had been handed over to the
allied and associated powers, at an
chor in the roadstead at Scarpa Flow,
with German care and maintenance
parties on board, as provided in the
under the orders of the German ad
miral in command, according to the
information which has been collected
and transmitted by the British Ad-
miralty. The German admiral in
command of these parties of the
German naval forces has alleged that
he acted in the belief that the armis-
tice expired on June 21 at midday
and consequently in his opinion, the
destruction was no violation of its
terms.
Entered an Undertaking
"In law, Germany, by signing the
terms of Article %, set out above
entered into an undertaking that the
ships handed over by her should re-
main in the ports indicated by the
allied and associated powers and that
care and maintenance parties should
be left on board with such instruc-
tions and under such orders as would
ensure hat the armistice should he
observed.
ne SlIhIlS VI CIlSoC ollApo lhslSau
of their preservation as had been
provided for, and in breacn of the
undertaking embodied in Article 81
of the armistice against all acts of
destruction, constituted at once
violation of the armistice, the de-
struction of the pledge handed over.
and an act of gross bad faith toward
the allied and associated powers,
"The admiral in command OF the
care and maintenance parties belong
ing to the German naval forces has
while recognizing that the act was a
breach of The armistice. attempted
to justify it by alleging his belief
that thes armistice had come to an
end.
"This alleged justification is not
we'll founded, as under the communi-