narchy. If we give a negative answer we
shall abandon Germany and the standpoint we took up on January 31.

The handle wherewith to grasp evasion of a clear answer is
provided by the _aide-memoire_ itself, as it identifies our
statements in the _Ancona_ and _Persia_ question with the attitude
of the German Note of May 4, 1916. We should, therefore, be quite
consistent if we, as we did in our Note of December 14, 1915, were
to declare that we should be governed by our own ideas of justice.

In our correspondence with the American Government respecting the
_Ancona_, _Persia_ and _Petrolite_ questions we treated the
concrete case always without going deeper into the individual
principles of legal questions. In our Note of December 29, 1915,
which contains the expression of opinion cited in the
_aide-memoire_ (it may also be noted that our expression of
opinion was no pledge, as we had promised nothing nor taken any
obligation upon ourselves), the Austrian Government distinctly
stated that they would refer later to the difficult international
questions connected with the U-boat warfare.

Present war conditions did not appear suited to such a discussion.
In consequence, however, of the dealings of our enemies, events
have occurred and a state of things been brought about which, on
our side also, renders a more intense application of the U-boat
question unavoidable. Our merchantmen in the Adriatic, whenever
attainable, were constantly torpedoed without warning by the
enemy. Our adversaries have thus adopted the standard of the most
aggravated and unrestricted U-boat warfare without the neutrals
offering any resistance.

The Entente when laying their minefields displayed the same
ruthlessness towards free shipping and the lives of neutrals.

Mines are considered as a recognised weapon for the definite
protection of the home coast and ports, also as a means of
blockading an enemy port. But the use made of them as an
aggressive factor in this war is quite a new feature, for vast
areas of open sea on the route of the world's traffic were
converted into minefields impassable for the neutrals except at
the greatest danger of their lives.

There is no question but that that is a far greater check to the
freedom of movement and a greater obstacle to neutral interests
than establishing the unrestricted U-boat warfare within a limited
and clearly mark