be confined to
importations by sea, but that would, on the other hand, include
indirect importations by way of neutral ports. The German Government
would, therefore, be willing to make the declarations of the nature
provided in the American note so that the use of the imported food and
foodstuffs solely by the non-combatant population would be guaranteed.
The Imperial Government must, however, in addition (* * * * *)[1] having
the importation of other raw material used by the economic system of
non-combatants, including forage, permitted. To that end the enemy
Governments would have to permit the free entry into Germany of the raw
material mentioned in the free list of the Declaration of London, and to
treat materials included in the list of conditional contraband according
to the same principles as food and foodstuffs.

[Footnote 1: Apparent omission.]

The German Government venture to hope that the agreement for which the
American Government have paved the way may be reached after due
consideration of the remarks made above, and that in this way peaceable
neutral shipping and trade will not have to suffer any more than is
absolutely necessary from the unavoidable effects of maritime war. These
effects could be still further reduced if, as was pointed out in the
German note of the 16th inst., some way could be found to exclude the
shipping of munitions of war from neutral countries to belligerents on
ships of any nationality.

The German Government must, of course, reserve a definite statement of
their position until such time as they may receive further information
from the American Government enabling them to see what obligations the
British Government are, on their part, willing to assume.

The undersigned avails himself of this occasion, &c.

VON JAGOW.

Dated, Foreign Office, Berlin, Feb. 28, 1915.

GERARD.

III.

GREAT BRITAIN'S REPLY.

_The reply of Great Britain to the American note of Feb. 20, handed to
the American Ambassador at London, was as follows:_

LONDON, March 15, 1915.

Following is the full text of a memorandum dated March 13, which Grey
handed me today:

"On the 22d of February last I received a communication from your
Excellency of the identic note addressed to his Majesty's Government and
to Germany respecting an agreement on certain points as to the conduct
of the war at sea. The reply of the German Government to this note has
been published and it is not understood from the