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Show MAY BLOCKADE j GERMAN COAST Washington, Feb 17. Secretary Bryan said late tonight that no reply had been received from Germany to the American note concerning submarine sub-marine attacks on belligerent mer-j mer-j chant ships in the now sea zones of war under the German admiraltv's proclamation, which goes into effect tomorrow If a reply to the reprc-Bentatlone reprc-Bentatlone of the United States had been delivered in Merlin to Ambassador Ambassa-dor Gerard the 6tate department had not been apprised of that fact. Publication tonight of the text or Great Britain's complete reply to the American communication concerning I contraband and neutral shipping repealed re-pealed that England does not inted to relax her vigilance on the shipments of foodstuffs to Germany and an nounces that measures are in contemplation contem-plation to retaliate against submarine chant ships. The warning in the British note! that If Germany abandons the principles prin-ciples of international law bv refus Ing to vent' the character of a mcr-; mcr-; chant ship before attacking it. Eny- land may not be bound by the rules hitherto accepted, injected into tne general situation further uncertain ties on which the developments of the next few days were generally expected ex-pected to hae an important bearing. Fraught With Danger. While officials at the White House and state department did not discuss what might be done if any American vessels or lives should be lost in the war zones, it was admitted on all sides that the situation was fraught with many grave possibilities. Ambassador Gerard's dispatches continue to give the text of anti-American anti-American editorials being printed in semiofficial papers in Germany. Of ficials of the Washington government, govern-ment, however, were confident of the rights of the Washington government and pointed out that a position similar simi-lar to that of the United States had been assumed by practically all the other neutrals of the world Representatives of the German government gov-ernment are entirely friendly in the conferences with Ambassador Gerard and there Is nothing to show that officially there has been any change in the good relations which hate hitherto existed. Awaited With Anxiety. The manner of carrying out the submanne campaign is awaited here with considerable anxiety. It was hoped that., on account of the fact that negotiations were still pending with neutral governments, the Ger j man proclamation would not actually I be carried into effect for a few days, ; although scheduled to be put into force at midnight tonight. Many American vessels will be in the war ones in the next few days, haviut, left the United States before the German Ger-man proclamation was made public.! , and these will be afforded, it is be lieved, an opportunity to reach their j destinations. The recent suggestions from Ger-I Ger-I man sources that American mcr-! mcr-! chantmcn might escape attack and secure safety it convoyed by an Amer ican warship has not met with approval ap-proval ln naval circles here It was pointed out today that no naval cap- tain would be willing to assume full , responsibility for the non-contraband : character of the cargo of any Amer-I Amer-I ican ship which might fall in with his 1 vessel and claim his protection, as an ' adequate search of the merchantmen ! on the high seas would be out of the i question. British Blockade Possible. Furthermore, it is suggested that the threatened British retaliation for the German war zone order may be the issue of notice of a blockade of the German coast In that case, not even an American man-of-war would have the right to pass the blockade lines alone, much less with a convoy of merchant ships Formal notice by the British of the blockade and recognition of it by the United States would, of course, at once remove from the field of diplomatic diplo-matic negotiations all questions relat ing to the right of neutral nations to send cargoes of food to the civil population popu-lation of the blockaded state. oo |