rstands that the Washington Cabinet entertains some doubt,
in view of the statements issued by the Imperial and Royal Government
on February 10 and January 11 of this year, as to what attitude
Austria-Hungary contemplates adopting for the future with regard to
submarine warfare, and whether the assurance given by the Austrian
Government to the Washington Cabinet in the course of the proceedings
with regard to the case of the vessels _Ancona_ and _Persia_ might not
be taken as altered or withdrawn by the statements mentioned.

The Austrian Government is most willing to meet the desire of the
United States Government that this doubt should be removed by a clear
and final declaration.

It should here be permitted first of all to touch very briefly on the
methods adopted by the Allied Powers in marine warfare, since these
form the starting-point of the aggravated submarine warfare put into
practice by Austria-Hungary and her allies, besides throwing a clear
light upon the attitude hitherto adopted by the Austrian Government in
the questions arising therefrom.

When Great Britain entered upon the war with the Central Powers, but a
few years had elapsed since the memorable time when Great Britain
itself, together with the remaining states, had commenced at the Hague
to lay the foundations of a modern code of law for marine warfare.
Shortly after that the English Government had brought about a meeting
of representatives of the principal naval Powers, assembling in
London, in order further to carry forward the work commenced at the
Hague, presumably in a spirit of reasonable compromise between the
interests of belligerents and those of neutrals. The unexpected
success of these endeavours, which aimed at nothing less than
concerted establishment of legal standards calculated to maintain the
freedom of the seas and the interests of neutrals even in time of war,
was not to be long enjoyed by the peoples concerned.

Hardly had the United Kingdom decided to take part in the war than it
also began to break through the barriers with which it was confronted
by the standards of international law. While the Central Powers
immediately on the outbreak of war had announced their intention of
observing the Declaration of London, which also bore the signature of
the British representative, England discarded the most important
points in that Declaration. In the endeavour to cut off the Central
Powers from all supplies by sea, England gradu