| Show NOTE T 0 GERM ra MANY IS FIRM WHILE FRIENDLY IN ITS TERMS INSISTS UPON protection FOR AMERICAN CITIZENS the united states formally ask germany for assurances that measures will be adopted to safeguard g lives and ships washington tho united states in its Is lct latest tBt note to germany made public on juno 10 formally asks the imperial government for assurance that measures he hereafter reater will bo be all adopted opted to safeguard american lives and amerlean american ships on oil ilia high seas the alternative 1 I ter native in caso case of 0 refusal la Is not stated elated it was this note to which william jennings bryan refused to attach ills ilia signature resigning instead his portfolio ot of secretary of state and thereby precipitating a dramatic cabinet crisis robert lansing secretary of ad interim signed tile the communication which went forth wi with t it the approval of the president and lits his entire cabinet the text of the ilia american rejoinder to tho the german governments reply to the ilia noto note following the sinking of tile the Lusi lusitania tanta follows tile tho secretary of state ad Inter interlici lisi 0 a the american ambassador to derlin department of state washington june 9 1915 american ambassador berlin you tire are instructed to deliver textually the following noto note to the minister of 0 foreign affairs lit in compliance with your excel lences request I 1 did not tall fall to transmit 11 to my government immediately upon their receipt your noto note of may alay 28 lit in reply to my note of way may 16 and your supplementary noto note of juno 3 2 setting forth the conclusions so be far as reached by tile imperial gorman german government concerning ilia attacks on the american steamers cushing and Gul flight I 1 am now instructed by my government to communicate tile following in reply the government of tile tho united states notes with gratification tile full recognition by the hie imperial german government in discussing tile the cases of tho ilia gushing cushing and tile the of the principle of tho the freedom of all parts of tile the open sea tv iv neutral ships and tho the frank willingness of tile the jm imperial empera pera government to acknowledge and meet its liability where the fact of attack upon neutral ships which have been guilty ot of any hostile act by german aircraft or vessels of war Is satisfactorily established arid and the government of the united states will in duo due course lay before tile the imperial german government c ern r as it requests full information concerning tho ilia attack on the steamer gushing cushing with regard to the sinking of tho the steamer falala by which an amerlean american citizen lost his life the government of tho the united states la Is surprised to find the ilia imperial german government contending that an effort on the ilia part ot of a merchantman to escape capture and secure assistance niters alters tile bli gation of the officer seeking flecking to lake the capture in respect of the b fety of tho the lives of df those on board the although the vessel has hai ceased her attempt to escape when torpedoed these are not now circumstances they have been in tile the minds of st statesmen and of international jurists throughout tile development of naval warfare and the government of the united states does not understand that they have ever been bean held to alter tho ilia principles of humanity upon which it lias has insisted sted nothing but actual forcible resistance resl resi stancu or continued efforts to escape by flight when ordered to stop tor for the purpose of visit on tile the part of tile the merchantman has ever been held to forfeit the lives of 0 her passengers or crow crew the government of tile the united states however does not understand that the imperial german government is seeking in this case to relieve itself of liability but only I 1 intends tellas li to set bet forth ilia circumstances which led tile the commander of the subi narino to allow himself to be hurried into the course which lie took your excellences note in discussing the loss losa of american lives resulting front from the sinking of the steamship Lusita lusitania tila adverts at some length to certain information which the imperial german government ila has 0 received with regard to the charac character tp I 1 and outfit of that vessel and your excellency expresses the fear that this information may not have been brought to tile the attention of tho ilia government of the united states it is stated in tho the note that the Lusi lusitania tanta was waa equipped with masked guns supplied with trained gunners and special am transporting troops from canada carrying a cargo not permit tea under the laws of tile the united statts stars to a vessel also carrying pas con concors gors arid and serving in virtual effect as an auxiliary to the naval forces of great Orita ln fortunately these are batters natters nat oncoming ning which the government of the hie united states Is in a position to give the imperial german government official information of the facts alleged in your excellences note it true the government of the ilia united states would liate have been bound to take official cognizance in performing its recognized duty as aa a neutral power and in enforcing its national laws jaws it was its duty to see to it that tho the lusitania was vaa not armed for offen elvo alve action that dhe ale was not serving ds as a transport that she eho did not carry a cargo prohibited by the statutes ot of tho the united states and that it if in tact fact she die was waa a n naval vessel of great bril nin eho should not receive clearance BS as a merchantman and it performed that duty arid and enforced its statutes statute 13 with scrupulous vigilance through its regularly constituted officials it Is able therefore to assure the impe rial german government that it has been misinformed if the imperial german government should deem it 1 self to bo be in possession of convincing evidence that the officials of the government of 0 the united states did not perform these duties with thoroughness the govern government munt of tho the united states sincerely hopes hoped that it will wili submit that evidence for consideration arguments irrelevant whatever inny bo be the contention ot at tho the imperial german government regarding the carriage of contraband ot of war on board the alio lusitania or regarding tile the explosion of that material by br tile the torpedo it need only be said that in tile the view ot of this government these contentions are arc irrelevant to the question of tile tho legality of the methods used by the german naval authorities in III sinking that vessel but the he sinking ot of passenger ships involves principles of humanity which throw into tho background any special circumstances of detail that may bo be thought thou glit to affect the alio cases principles which lift it as the imperial government will no doubt be quick to recognize and acknowledge out of the class clasa of or ordinary sub subjects jeLtS of diplomatic discussion cu salon or of 0 international controversy ver s w whatever be the other facts regarding the lusitania the principal tact fact la is that a great steamer primarily and chiefly a conveyance tor for gerh gera and carrying more than a thousand souls who had ad no part or lot in fit the ilia conduct of ilia war was torpedoed and sunk without so much as a challenge or a warning and that men fineu women and children were sent to their death deatle lit in circumstances nap unparalleled i ta tn lit modern warfare T the I 1 I 1 a fact c t that more than llian one hundred amerlean american citizens were among those who perished mako make it tile duty of 0 tile government of tho the united states slates to speak of these things and once more inore with emphasis to call the attention of tile the imperial german government to the gravel grave responsibility which the government ot of the united states conceives that it has incurred in III this tragic occurrence and to the indisputable principle upon which that responsibility rests the government of tho the united states Is contending for something much greater than more mere rights ot of property or privileges of commerce it 1 Is contending for nothing less high and sacred bacrad than the rights ot at humanity which every government honors itself in III respecting and which no government la is justified in III resigning on behalf of those under its care and authority tho rity only her actual resistance to capture or refusal to stop when ordered to do so for tile purpose of visit could have afforded the commander of tho the submarine any justification for so much us ILS putting the lives ot of those on en board tile ship in III jeopardy this principle tho the government ot of tile the united states understands the explicit instructions issued on august 3 1914 by the imperial german admiralty to its ita commanders at sea to have recognized and embodied as aa do the naval codes of all other nations and upon it every traveler and seaman lias has a right to depend it Is upon tills this principle of humanity as aa well as upon the law founded upon tills this principle that the united states must stand offer of services tho the government of tile tho united states Is happy to observe that your excellences note with tho the intimation that the imperial german government erni nent Is willing now as before to accept tho the good offices ot of tile tho united states lit in an attempt to come coma to an understanding with tile the government of great britain by which tho the character and conditions of the tha war upon tho ilia sea may bo be changed tile the government of tile united states would consider it a privilege thus to serve its friends and the world it stands ready at any time to convey to either cither govern government Ont any intimation or suggestion tile other may inay bo be willing to have it convey and c cordially ord lally invites the imperial gernian german government to make use of its scry cerv ices in this way at its convenience the whole world la is concerned in anything alint may luring bring about even a partial accommodation of interests or in tiny any way miti mitigate gato the terrors of the present distressing conflict lit in tho the meantime whatever arrangement ran gement may happily bo be made between the parties to ilia alie war and w whatever may in fit the opinion of ilia german government have been ilia provocation or the circumstantial justification for tile the past acts of its ita commanders at sea the government me fit of uio 1110 united states confidently looks to see the justice and humanity of tile government of C germany ermany vindicated at ed in fit nil all cases where americans have been wronged or their rights as invaded tho the government of tile hie united states therefore very earnestly and very solemnly renews the lie represents ions eions of its noto note transmitted to the imperial german government on an the 0 of f may find and relies lit in these rep reservations upon the principles ot at humanity the universally recognized understandings of international law rid and the ancient friendship of the german nation assertion of rights the government of the united states cannot admit that the proclamation of 0 a war zone from which neutral ships have been warned to keel away may be made to ope operate ritte as aa in any degree an abbreviation ot of tho rights either cither of american ship shipmasters masters or of american citizens bound on lawful errands as passengers on merchant ships rf cf belligerent nationality it does not understand the imperial german government to question those rights it understands it also to accept as established beyond question tile the principle that the lives of noncombatant comba tanti cannot lawfully or rightfully be put in III jeopardy leo pardy by tile the capture or destruction of an unresisting merchantman arid and to recognize reco the obligation to take sufficient precaution to ascertain whether a suspected merchantman ch cli antman Is in fact of at belligerent nationality tiona lity or is in fact carrying contraband ot of war under a neutral flag tile the government of tile the united states therefore deems it reasonable to expect that tho ilia imperial german government will adopt the measures necessary to put these principles into practice pr artice in respect of the safeguard ing of american lives arid and american ships and asks for assurances that this will be lone done ROBERT nobert IV W LANSING secretary of 0 state ad tate interim rim |
