ation
which caused the Kaiser to defy the United States. There was no doubt
that Germany was desperate, economically, morally and militarily.
While war had led German armies far into enemy territory, it had
destroyed German influence throughout the world; it had lost Germany's
colonies and Pacific possessions and it had turned the opinion of the
world against Germany. But during the time Germany was trying to
impress the United States with its sincerity after the _Sussex_
incident the German Navy was building submarines. It was not building
these ships to be used in cruiser warfare. It was building them for
the future, when submarine war would be launched on a big scale,
perhaps on a bigger scale than it had ever before been conducted.

After the new blockade of the Allied Coast was proclaimed, effective
Feb. 1, 1917, some explanation had to be made to convince the public
that the submarine war would be successful and would bring the victory
which the people had been promised. The public was never informed
directly what the arguments were which convinced the Kaiser that he
could win the war by using submarines. But on the 9th of February
there appeared a small book written by Rear Admiral Hollweg entitled:
"Unser Recht auf den Ubootkrieg." (Our Right in Submarine Warfare.)
The manuscript of this book was concluded on the 15th of January, which
shows that the data which it contained and the information and
arguments presented were those which the Admiralty placed before the
Kaiser on his birthday. The points which Rear Admiral Hollweg makes in
his book are:

1. America's unfriendly neutrality justifies a disregard of the United
States;

2. The loss of merchant ships is bringing about a crisis in the
military and economic conditions of the Allies;

3. England, as the heart of the Entente, must be harmed before peace
can be made;

4. Submarines can and must end the war.

This book is for the German people a naval text book as General von
Bernhardi's book, "Germany and the Next War," was a military text book.
Bernhardi's task was to school Germany into the belief in the
unbeatableness of the German army. Hollweg's book is to teach the
German people what their submarines will accomplish and to steal the
people for the plans her military leaders will propose and carry
through on this basis.

The keynote of Hollweg's arguments is taken from the words of the
German song: "Der Gott der Eisen wachsen Liesz," wr