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Show GERMAN REPLY TO AMERICAN NOTE FRIENDLY Berlin Government An nounces Willingness to Cease Molestation of j Neutral Shipping ANCHORED MINES TO BE RETAINED Floating Explosives Will Be Abolished, Food Imports Will Be Used for Civil Population Only ( LONDON' March A dispatch to Beuter s Telegram company from Am Eterdam gives the contents of the American note of February 22 to Great Brita n and Germany s reply thereto The notes were received in Amsterdam in a dispatch from Berl n The American note expresses the hope that Great Br tain and German may ' by means of reciprocal conces ons d s -j co er a bas s of understanding the Te suit of wh ch -would tend to free ships engaged in neutral and peaceful com merce from the senous dangers to which they are exposed in passing ! through the coastal -waters of the bel f Jlgerent countries I This suggestion the note proceeds to t say should not be considered as a pro posal by the American government to -rcjiom it naturally does not behoove to propose conditions for such an agree-J agree-J ment though the question at issue has g $ direct and far reaching interest for W .the, government and people of the l pmted States fM. IT. S Takes Liberty gSit The note says the United States fU (ffntures solely to take a liberty which Sw& i is convinced, can be conceded to a iaS Isincere fnend who is actuated by a de EE- ifere to causa inconvenience to neither of lap- fne two nations and possibly seTve the i ""TBe common interests of humanity if 'The suggestion is made that Germany I jfeid Great Britain should agree, first f t f"at isolated drifting mines should be $ t flaid bv neither party that anchored li vjpines should be laid exclusively for de iff-1 jfinsive purposes within gun range of V piarbOT and that all mines should bear the market of the government of Origin and. be so constructed as to be ipme harmless after breaking loose from t, t their anchorage It Is suggested sec ond that the submarines of neither of the two governments should be employed to attack merchant vessels of any na ' tionahty except for the purpose of carrying out the right of holding them up and searching them and third that Jnereantile ships of neitther of the parties should employ neutral flags as a war ruse or for the purpose of conceal mg their identity Agreement Planned Great Britain It Is suggested should agree that foodstuffs shall not be placed on the list of absolute contraband and that the British authorities shall neither disturb nor hold up cargoes of such goods when addressed to agencies In Germany i the names of which are communicated I by the Lnlted States government for the purpose of receiving such goods and handing them over to licensed German retailers for further distribution ex cluslvelv to the civil population Germany It Is contended should de Clare here agreement that foodstuffs from the t.nlted States or another neutral country shall be addressed to such agen les Finally the American government says It wishes to safeguard Itself against the -idea that it either acknowledges or re pudlates any right on the part of belUg a e ens e P P e m v a e en1 11 e s n on German INote Mild Th p o e o t e Un ed S es s spa ed n da I beg s a o t The je a go men as e no e o he ime a ges o 1 e n e es and ees he e n n iv p oof of the rtend fee ng ae u e proa ed b Ce nan The dug s n o esponds e Ge a es a a a na s o d bo age a o a o u es w c o ub e e or t e o e be fee e pon o o s del e r on of n e h (is fare w u d a e n o ons on the nee s of neu ra s a w as he a of h n an In t s sense e Ge n a o e ol Februa y 6 a ead as po n ed ou tha he obse vance of e Lon on de a a on Ce n an enem s wou d c ea e a new s a on on w lc Ge n an wou d e ad tie p e pared o d -aw one us on Star ng from th s con ept on he Ge an go ernmen ha subm e he n e an ges on o en e e an nat on and be e es a t a e ogn ze e an eff t e abeba oapa a ouo I e ques o s at issue ' i Concessions Offered On particular suggestions contained in the American note the fol owing remarks are made Germany would be prepared to make the suggested deciarat on con. cernlng the nonemployment of drttt ins mines and he construction ot anchored mines and further agrees with the suggestion to attach a gov ernment mark to any m nes wh h may be laid On tl e other and it appears to Germany not to be p ac cable for the be ge ent powers f u 1 to renounce the emplov ment or anchored mines for offens e p r poses Second German submar nes would employ force against mercant e ves sels of whatso ere flag only n so far as t s requ red for the purpose of carrying out the right to ho d up and search If the hostl e nationa of a ship or the presence Of contraband were pro ed the subma ine wou d proceed accord ng to the general n te nat onal rule Th rd As the American note pro Ides for the abo e mentioned re striction n the emp o ment of sub marines it follows that enemy mer cantile vessels should absta n from the use of neutral flags and other neutra s gns In this connection t is obvious that hostile mercant le ves sels should not be armed and should refrain from offering vlo ent resist ance since such conduct, which Is opposed to lnternat onal law renders It impossible for submarines to pro ceed in accordance with international law Food Rule Acceptable Fourth The regulat on of the le gitln ate Importation of food suppl es to Germany as suggested by the American government appears n general to be acceptable This regu latlon would or course be restricted to importation by sea but on the other hand it would also nclude lndi rect mportatioiu via neutral ports. Germany would therefore be pre pared to make declarations such as are provided for in the American note so that the emplo-ment of Impo ted food supplies would be guaranteed to be exclusively for the peaceful, civil popvJation In this connection Germany must however emphasize that the impor tatlon also of other raw materia s for peaceful economic purposes ncludlng fodder should be made pos sible For this purpose the host! e governments would ha e to allow free passage to German of raw ma terials ment oned In the free list of th& London declination and to treat In the same man er as foodstuffs those materials contained In the list of conditional contraband Waits for England The note concludes as fol ows The German government hopes that the understand ng suggested by the I American government wil regard be lng paid to the foregoing remarks be realized and that therebv peacef 1 neutral shipping and peaceful neutral commerce will not have more o suf fer than is absolutelj necessary from the effects of the naval warfare Sucn effects moreover would be substant ally diminished if as al ready pointed out n our note of February 16 means and ways co H be found to exc ude the mportatlon of war material from neutral to belligerent states on sh ps of whatso ever flag The adoption of a delln e att tude must of course be postpond ntil the German government on the bas s of further communication from he American government s In a pos tion to see what obligations the Brit Ish government on ts side la pre pared to assume lng to M a "a and to Horxhe e In disorder and hat o ha e a ead ft more than 10 000 pr ners a d a orn, us amo nt of materia boot n he ands of the Russians h e f es p es are being made e er ho On e we e eve across tneir own froB e Go n w be In touch wltl t e I Mj fro ralwijs which na o e t c f h sis of all their stra eg a I a end e got tl om out of se rn nasi s rep |