Show as aeh J OF AMERICANS TO RAISE EMBARGO ON FOOD PROVES A FAILURE government had asked that radius of activity be defined and that attacks on merchant ships be abandoned Y washington ashington six diplomatic notes were here made public wednesday night light by the state department constituting the tha entire correspondence of the la last strew few weeks between the united states and germany and between the united states and great britain and france relative to the abandonment of submarine altac attacks k on merchant ships the shipment of conditional contraband and foodstuffs to civilians in a belligerent country the use of neutral flags by belligerent merchantmen merchantman merchant men the removal of mines and the proclamation of a virtual blockade by the allies against germany the communications revealed that the united states government realizing the difficulties of maintaining an effective blockade by a close guard of an enemy coast on account of the newly developed activity of submarines asked that a radius of activity be defined great blistain and france replied with the announcement that the operations of the blockade would not no be conducted outside of european waters including the mediterranean while germany agreed it is disclosed to abandon her submarine at tacks on mercantile of any flag I 1 except nhen iv hen they resist visit or search provided foodstuffs were permitted reach her civilian population great britain and her allies rejected the pro dosal originally made by the united states government in an effort to bring the belligerents into an arrangement which would safeguard the interests of the neutrals furthermore the documents show that in a message of inquiry to great britain and france it was asked whether the embargo an all commerce between germany and neutral countries was to be carried out under the rules rues Q kaj e ory r by interference iner ference with ships and cargoes as if no blockade existed the two together presented in the view 0 oi the american government a proposed course of action previously unknown to international law tile the answers from both great britain and france reveal for the first time that the allies officially begard their policy as a blockade but desire to refrain from exercising the rights of belligerents under a blockade to confiscate ships and cargoes as a penalty for breach of blockade substituting for it procedure in prize prie courts and compensation through sale of the detained merchandise the definition of a radius of activity tor for the allied fleet in european waters including the mediterranean Is the first intimation of the geographical limits of the blockade its limits were not given more exactly the allies claim because germany was equally indefinite in proclaiming all the waters surrounding great britain and ireland a war zone |