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Show CODE BETRAYAL H 0.S..TIH Zimmermann Admits Germans Ger-mans Feared Secrets Had Been Given Allies. BERLIN-, Thursday, Nov. 6. fBy the Associated Press.) Dr. Alfred Zimmermann, Zimmer-mann, secretary for foreign affairs dur-ing'the dur-ing'the war, caused a mild sensation during dur-ing today's session of the national assembly as-sembly committee Investing the war when he admitted that the German authorities au-thorities had been suspicious that their code, which had been made known to the American authorities, was betrayed to the entente by the United States government. gov-ernment. (The reference is to the special code which the American government permitted to be used In wireless communication com-munication with the Washington embassy, em-bassy, a copy of which was furnished lo the state department.) Count Bernstorff. when asked regarding regard-ing these suspicions, said at first that he could not swear that these wifeless messages naa noi ueen coiiiniuiuL-dieu uy the United States government to the entente, en-tente, but later declared under oath that he had never known of such treachery. He declared Germany had a difficult ana dangerous cable route through neutral countries, but that messages had been concealed as commercial dispatches. The submarine warfare came into the investigation again. Vice Admiral Eduard von Capeile said the U-boats had not been ablo to get at American transports trans-ports because the whole ocean could not be patrolled. Various British and American Amer-ican inventions were other things which prevented attacks on transports. Admiral von Capeile did not mention mines or depth charges during his recital. re-cital. He would not admit that the admiralty ad-miralty underestimated the United States as a factor in the war, but declared it was known, from England's experience with a volunteer army, that the United States could not raise many troops in six months and it was thought by the time thoy were trained the war would be over. What had been the impression regarding regard-ing the entry of the United States into the war was then discussed by the commission. com-mission. Von Bethmann-JIollweg declared de-clared that any man who read the Lusi-tania Lusi-tania and Sussex notes of the United States would have known this was inevitable. in-evitable. Dr. Zimmermann was asked whether he said in a General nartv meeting re- gardlng the entry of the United States In the war that American aid militarily would amount to "zero, zero, zero." The former foreig"ii minister evaded tho question. ! In response to questions as to what caused t he decision to start the submarine subma-rine warfare, what justified It and what prospects It had for success. Admiral von Koch quoted ar tength from reports of the late Admiral von Tloltzendorff, i former head of the German naval staff, who. he said, felt that American peace intervention could not be counted on and that Germany would have to take chances on America's participation in the war. Admiral von Koch asserted that he , did not know about President Wilson's peace plans, whereupon Von Bet hmaun-Rollweg hmaun-Rollweg asserted that he had reported the matter in detail lo the chief of the admiralty staff. As a result of his re- marks. Von Bethn-uuin-HoIlwefe- was subjected sub-jected to another heckling. |