Evening star., 1939-10-24
Denies American Lives
Were Lost on Sussex
Says Confusion Arises From
Erroneous Statement by
President Wilson t..

SSyS SNubSSS uVubU
Erroneous Statement by
President Wilson
To the Editor Of The Star:
Your attention is directed to factual
error made yesterday in an editorial
entitled Ruthless U-Boat Warfare"
You made the following statements: "On
March "a, 1916 the British cross
channel steamship Sussex was sunk by
U-boat without summons or warm
ing Lives of several Americans hav-
ing been lost, the United States on
April 18, 1916, made a vigorous protest
to Germany" Although you have the
authority of President Wilson for max
ing these statements and although the
President had free access to all the
official documents on the Sussex Incl
dent, he presumably was confused and
excited when he made unguarded state
ments at variance with the established
facts Of the case
The facts are essentially as follows:
On March "a, 1916, the Sussex, with
load of passengers, few of whom were
Americans, started across the militar-
ized zone of the English Channel for
Dieppe. France, distance of approxi-
mately 60 miles. For some reason the
Sussex had recently changed her color
and had added an extra mast, thus
materially altering her usual appear
ance. Furthermore she was off her
course and off her schedule and carried
no flag or insignia to indicate her nom
military character. From her general
appearance, behavior and location she
was mistaken by U-Boat for a mine
layer and attacked without warning.
While the Sussex was badly damaged
by this attack she was not sunk she
was towed into Boulogne with a major
ity Of her passengers, most of the others
having taken to life boats when it was
thought that she would likely sink.
\ During the rescue some of the passen-
gers became scattered. Consequently
some of the American passengers were
unaccounted for for a while, but after
every one had survived. This fact was
amply noted in the press at the time.
On April l8, soon after the last Amer
ican passenger had been thus accounted
for, President Wilson, apparently under
the mistaken notion that the Sussex had
actually been sunk and the lives of
several American passengers lost, sent
Germany an ultimatum stating that If
she did not Immediately declare and
effect an abatement of such submarine
warfare that the United States would
have no other choice than to sever
diplomatic relations. In her note of
May 4, 1916, Germany agreed to COM
ply with President Wilson's demands.
The permanence of this compliance was
contingent upon our success in per-
suading Britain to comply with certain
demands we had recently made of her,
demands relating to her illegal actions
on the high seas. Britain finally failed
to comply with our demands. so about
nine months later, January 81, 1917,
Germany availed herself of this free
dom of action she had most definitely
reserved in her note of May 4, 1916, and
announced that on the following day,
February !, 1917, she would resume un-
restricted submarine warfare around the
British Isles, and in certain other places
as we'll In some curious manner Presi-
dent Wilson took this action on the part
of Germany to be not only contrary to
the demands in his note of the previous
April, but also a breach of her sacred
promise. AS a consequence the United
States severed diplomatic relations with
Germany February 3, 1917. On that
same day the President, in the presence
of the Congress, the cabinet, the Supreme
Court, the diplomatic corps and the
press, informed the country of his recent
drastic action and of his reasons there
for. In this address which was ap-
parently most hurriedly and carelessly
composed he made the statements which
form the basis for the foregoing state
ments in question. His statements are as
follows:
Let me remind the Congress that on
the 18th of April last, in view of the
sinking on the Oath of March of the
cross-channel steamer Sussex by a Ger
man submarine, without summons or
warning. and the subsequent loss of the
lives of several citizens of the United
States who were passengers aboard her,
this Government addressed a note to
the Imperial German government in
which it made the following declara-
ton: y"
This awful error on the part of our
President was not noted by the press or
by the Bryans or the La Follettes or the
Norrises. The public had apparently
forgotten the important points in the
Sussex incident. However, two months
later, on the 5th of April-three days
after the President had asked the Con-
gress to declare war on Germany-Sec-
retary Lansing, according to Tansill's
America Goes to War;" in a most
secret and confidential memorandum,
apprised the President of his gross mis-
conceptions relative to the Sussex affair.
The Secretary informed him that the
Sussex had not been sunk and not a
single American had lost his life.
The President in his confusion not only
passed these misconceptions on to q
poorly informed Congress and public,
but apparently he had been acting on
their validity through those hectic days
of neutrality particularly when he sent
his ultimatum to Germany on April 10,
1919 ond aUaip uhep ho cavorad dio1o.