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Show eFBEHLIH While No New Demands De-mands Have Been Made Upon Germany, Former Notes Have Been Emphasized and Have Now Approached Nature of an Ultimatum. Ultima-tum. PEACE PROSPECT SEEMS BRIGHTER United States Will Be Satisfied if the Impe- I rial Government Abandons Aban-dons Her Illegal Methods Meth-ods in Conducting Her Submarine Warfare Upon the Seas. LONDON, April 21, 3:01 a. m. The American not to Germany was handed in at the G-erman foreign office Thursday evening by James Gerard, the American embassador, according to the Us change Telegraph's Tele-graph's Amsterdam correspondent. The chancellor, the correspondent adds, has not yet seen the note, as he is at army headquarters, but he has communicated with the foreign office by telephone. There is little comment in the German newspapers as yet, but what there is is violent against the American cabinet and the president. presi-dent. The Eerlin papers will publish pub-lish the text of the note Friday morning. A majority of the papers eay they will withhold comment un- i til the text is published. The foreign office has ordered the press, both of Berlin and of the provinces, to exercise the greatest great-est care in expressing views on the ! American situation. By International News Service. ! WASHINGTON, April 20. While the threat of a break in the relations con- . tinues, conditions seemed brighter to- i day in the relations between the United ; States and Germany. j The stare department made it plain that no new demands have been made ; upon Germany. What has been done is i to renew the former demands in a form approaching an ultimatum. At the same time, it was officially brought out that the United States is ready aud willing to negotiate with Germany for peaceful settlement of the controversy. High officials today presented pre-sented the situation as follows: First, the United States demands only of Germany that she declare and put into effect an abandonment of illegal methods of submarine warfare. There is no demand that she shall abandon her ; x.bmarine warfare entirely. Will Accept Pledges. Second, that the United States will be satisfied if Germany puts Into operation oper-ation in the British war zone thj? same submarine methods employed in the Mediterranean, and will accept pledges to do so as a means of avoiding a break. This leaves tlie decision up to Germany ns it was before, but it clarifies clar-ifies the situation by making plain the fact that the door is still open for diplomatic dip-lomatic negotiation. The explanation came after a visit to the state department today of Count von Berust orl i, tho German embassador. embassa-dor. The embassador is understood to have told Secretary Lansing that the president's pres-ident's note to Germany could be interpreted inter-preted either as demanding an end of subma rine warfare against all vessels of commerce or as demanding abandonment abandon-ment only of illegal warfare. tt wae Inter authoritatively announced at the state department that the note CCoutiuued on Page Two.) Kl IS 1IIIIG FOR REPLY OF BERLIN (Continued from Page One.) meant what it said that "present methods meth-ods ' of submarine warfare be abandoned. There was no warrant, it was declared, for the interpretation placed on the note by some preys associations and newspapers, newspa-pers, which const rued it as meaning- a demand de-mand for the cessation of all submarine warfare. "The 1'nlted States Is contending for the conduct of submarine warfare in conformity con-formity with international law," it was stated at the department. "This has been our position from Die first." It was added that legai submarine warfare war-fare would require Germany to exercise the right of visit and search and would rcuiiire submarines to make absolute provision pro-vision for the safety of passengers and crews before attacking any vessel. State department officials made It absolutely abso-lutely clear tha t the United States has not changed one iota from the position announced by the president in his note and message. The demands have not been lessened in the slightest decree, but it was made plain that there is no warrant war-rant for reading into the nolo and message mes-sage st ronger dema nds than the president's presi-dent's plain language conveyed. No one in Washington, not even the German embassador himself, knows what reception the American demands will meet in Berlin. The difficulty in the situation, well realized in Washington, is this: To meet the American demands Germany Ger-many must give up her war of retaliation on ireal Rrltaln. The submarine campaign cam-paign in the war zone around the British is'es was entered' upon as a reprisal against the illegal British hlockade, the announced purpose of which was to stnrvi out Germany. It lias never been contended by Germany Ger-many that the submarine campaign in thp British war zone is in conformity with international law. Just if I cat ion wa claimed for it, however, as a reprisal, aim it has been urged by Germany that international in-ternational law justifies reprisals, i Whether the German government or German public opinion will support Ihw relinquishment of this campaign to meet the demands of the American government remains to be seen. In the British war zone Germnn claimed the right to torpedo without warning enemy freighters carrying sup-piles sup-piles to her enemies, or armed enemy passenger pas-senger vessels. In the Mediterranean war zone German; has pledged herself in sink no men-haul vessel, pa ssenerer or f roi ght . wit hou i warning and without making provision for the safctv of passengers and crews, unless un-less the vessel resisted or' attempted to escape. Moreover, Germany auieed to submit to prize court pro -eeiiins the juestton f financial loss from destruction destruc-tion of cargoes. This In effect is cruiser warfare against commerce and is recognized as leal nj international law. What Germanv must decide is whether she will agree to conduct all submarine operations in this manner. And upon that decision rests the question of whether diplomatic relations will continue. |
