Unless the Imperial Government should now
immediately declare and effect an abandonment of its present methods of
submarine warfare against passenger and freight-carrying vessels, the
Government of the United States can have no choice but to sever
diplomatic relations with the German Empire altogether."
In reply to this declaration the Imperial German Government gave this
Government the following assurance:
"The German Government is prepared to do its utmost to confine the
operations of war for the rest of its duration to the fighting forces of
the belligerents, thereby also insuring the freedom of the seas, a
principle upon which the German Government believes, now as before, to
be in agreement with the Government of the United States.
"The German Government, guided by this idea, notifies the Government of
the United States that the German naval forces have received the
following orders: In accordance with the general principles of visit and
search and destruction of merchant vessels recognized by international
law, such vessels, both within and without the area declared as naval
war zone, shall not be sunk without warning and without saving human
lives, unless these ships attempt to escape or offer resistance.
Pages:
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330